The Art and Science of Keeping Your 1911 Running

[JohnK]

its hurt.

This is not a MIM extractor.... but you can see what I am talking about.



I will be packing Glock 19 as my personal MCOP has not been shot in monthssssss and would like to run some rounds through it before duty use, but I am back on tomorrow night.

Yeesh, never saw a wave like that in an extractor. Speaking of, I always thought Springfield had tool steel extractors, not MIM? I know there are a lot of MIM parts in the "off the shelf" guns (not that that bothers me), but always was under the impression the extractors were of higher quality steel.

Also, in conjunction with this thread, I prefer ETM magazines. I started experiencing feeding issues right after I commented somewhere earlier in the thread of my preference. Experienced them across a few of my 1911s and decided to replace springs and followers on my range ETM mags and I'm back in business. Not bad, imo considering the 30-something thousand rounds across competitions, classes, weather, being dropped in dirt, mud, sand, snow, and being the same 8 or so mags used predominantly for all that in the last 10 years.

[Jason Burton]

I had a interesting malfunction today during practice with our new qual course X 2. Yes, it happened twice.

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The empty case completely missed the stubby factory ejector and was rammed upward onto the breech face....

I generally try not to diagnose functional issues over the internet, as it's pretty hard to do without actually seeing the gun. However, based on the photos above and your description if the fired case missed the ejector all together it may be caused the compounding issue of an ejector that is too short vertically and/or a breech face that is to high so the round feeding from the magazine is pushing the fired case high enough on the breech face to miss the strike from the ejector.

A quick test... take the slide off the frame and remove the barrel, bushing, and recoil system. Slide a round under the extractor and push it all the way up the breech face as far as it will go... it must be all the way to the top for this test. Now run the slide on the frame all the way back. Did the round get struck by the ejector?

[JohnO]

its hurt.

This is not a MIM extractor.... but you can see what I am talking about.

That bend occurring while in place in the tunnel is both impressive and interesting. I'd love to see a birds eye view on a hi-speed slow motion video.

Getting spring steel to take a set inside the confines of the tunnel. Wow!

[SW CQB 45]

thanks JB for the info.

I attempted the test with damaged extractor, and it would not hold an empty case. Part of me thought to bend it back as its trash anyway (to complete the test) and a light bulb went off in my head. I still had all my factory parts from the 2009 SACS transformation from my personal MCOP.

I still had the factory extractor however it looked very straight (does it straighten over time {2009) not being in a gun... HA!)

I installed it and performed the test as you instructed. The ejector made contact with the case going both easy to the rear and with some speed, but not enough to propel the empty case. See image.

To follow up, I performed the same test on my personal SACS MCOP and netted the exact same results. In fact, I measured the height of both factory MIM ejectors and my personal which appeared to have a heavier coating of Armory Kote was slightly shorter on the one that malfunctioned.

Yet another test, I took my Jack Weigand extractor tool and put a bend on my factory extractor and repeated the empty case test. It netted the same results with the extractor being somewhat straight.

Here is how the case ended up on every test pull. So, there is contact, but is that enough?




I recall the second time the malfunction occurred, I felt heavy contact between my inside thumb and the rear slide serrations.

Now that I had time to collection my thoughts. This is what happened on both malfunctions.

It was a stage where I had to fire 10 rounds in under 12 seconds. I loaded my mags on both malfunctions 8 in the gun and my reload had 2.

No issues on the first mag and in order for me to hit the mag release reliably, I do have to slightly rotate the pistol in my hand. Slide stop reload....

First time - first shot went bang and then the malfunction occurred. TAP RACK several times did not work. I removed the mag and the partially fed round snapped off the mag and the slide went forward and dented the stuck case. Locked the slide to the rear and the empty case was easily removed with my fingers. I did pick up the unfired round and had some serious bullet push (hmmm)

Second time it happens, same set up but I recall my regrip was less than perfect as I thought my time was nearing the end and when I fired that first round, I felt the thumb contact with the slide serrations and believed I was the reason for the malfunction.

What interesting about this is both malfunctions occurred with two rounds in the mags. Does that mean something?

JohnK, I made an assumption that factory Springers were full of MIM and thought the extractors were not any different. Both extractors in the Springer factory setup were not MIM. The ejectors and firing pin stop scream MIM. Also, since this MCOP is a dept firearm...I had to go "low bid" for my mags. ETM were the cheapest at Brownells... so that's what I was using when the malfunction occurred.


This is how I grip a 1911. I never had an issue with .45 as far a contact with the slide. 9mm 1911, I can slow the slide down considerably.
I do my best to minimize any inward thumb pressure, but on these particular malfunctions, I feel that speed prevailed over proper grip, at least, I hope.

[awp_101]

Dang thing looks like one of those Browning .380s in those Sasquatch hands of yours…

[45dotACP]

Wonder if perhaps the last two rounds in the mag means the mag spring is at a point where it is able to exert greater strength on the column of bullets, which forces the cartridge further up the breech face?

But I have no clue as to how strong springs are when compressed, at rest, or partially extended...just a wild ass guess.

Either way, it sounds like the breech face is too high, or the ejector is not high enough

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

[JohnO]

I still had the factory extractor however it looked very straight (does it straighten over time {2009) not being in a gun... HA!)

I've seen 1911s that function perfectly and the extractor when removed has no perceptible bend. Properly set up gun designed that way?? If it ain't broke don't fix it.

[Catshooter]

That damaged extractor is an S shape. Very impressive! Could need a new one.

From your narrative the gun malfed when there was but one round left in the mag. Doesn't the 10-8 test find this problelm?

Bare minimum mag spring pressure. Test it with some known mags?

Nope, spring steel (extractor) won't straighten itself out over time.

If you didn't need that thumb for the safety, I'd say cut it off, it's way too damn big. Must get in the way for other shit too, I'm sure.

[newyork]

Are the guys that carry and shoot 1911s for the most part finding 45 Is still best in a government? Or is 9mm running jut fine in single stack government at this point.

I’ve been looking over things I can’t afford like a alchemy prime, prime elite or Quantico or possibly a cqb

[Brian T]

From what I have read in this thread, and elsewhere, the 9mm/1911 codes have all been cracked. I haven't seen a whole lot negative about 9mm in Gub'mint 1911s.