ExtremeShot

Yep...I dump the powder back into the jug at the end of every reload session. No brass in there. I'm thinking it must have been the blue wingnut...because i dump the powder out each time, I have to take the arm and blue wingnut off each time also. It probably wasn't on tight enough.

Hmm...maybe it wasn't tight enough. As I recall, when I noticed the problem I remember tightening the wingnut some more but I don't remember it being that loose. Hopefully that was the problem. I know some guys have gone back to the old method of operating the hopper...with the springs. Maybe I should look into converting it back? D

I was loading on two different occasions and had my powder charge decrease in the middle of the loading session. The first time I was loading 4.5 grains of Titegroup and it decreased to about 1.5 grains (I was alerted to the problem thanks to my powder alarm). The second time I was loading 8.0 grains of Sihlouette and it dropped several grains like before. I pulled the hopper and dies and looked for obvious problems, dirt, anything that might be blocking the powder from dropping and I didn't find anything. The only thing I can think of is that maybe a void developed in the powder?? I've been reloading for about 5 years on this same reloading and never had this problem. Has anyone else seen this problem? Here's my setup: Dillon 650 Dillon Powder die (both times it happened using my 9mm toolhead) Darren [edited to add that my powder hopper was more than halfway full both times]

6.0 gr of Sihlouette with OAL=1.170 gave 140PF out of my Open gun.

Thanks. Yeah, I was thinking about working up a 6, 6.5, and a 7.0 load and see what I get and what makes the gun run. Ramshot's Load Guide Edition 4.3 shows: 124gr. bullet and OAL=1.169: 4.9gr of Sihl = 1005fps = 124PF 124gr. bullet and OAL=1.169: 5.6gr of Sihl = 1105fps = 137PF Thx. D

Does anyone have a 9mm Sihlouette Steel (minor PF) load? I'm using 124gr Montana Gold CMJ with an OAL of 1.170. I'm thinking 140 or 150 pf will probably be around 7.0 grains??? At 8.0 grains I get 177 pf. Thanks, Darren

Instead of knives, sticks, and slingshot competitions, they should have had everyone compete in a USPSA match, a 3-gun match, a NRA Action pistol/Bianchi Cup match, a rifle benchrest match, a trap/skeet/sporting clays type match, and a SASS/Cowboy Action match. Everyone shoots the same types of guns. Assign points somehow. Guy with the most points wins. Put cameras everywhere (on the hats, on the guns, on the props, overhead, etc.) That would be fun to watch. Darren

Fix one problem at a time. So does it now eject empty cases consistantly? If yes, then what is the OAL (over all length) of your loaded round? ...check length of ammo first then think about the length of the ejector. D

Read this: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=76326

Also, you need to make sure that the brass is not hitting around the ejection port then bouncing up and hitting the scope mount. This is what was happening in my gun and for a while I could not see the witness marks around the ejection port. Do you have too heavy of a recoil spring that is preventing the slide from traveling back far enough? Does your breachface have that goofy step in it? See here: http://gansguns.com/breechface.html Also, I know you cut your ejector to be like mine but you need to understand that Supers and 9Majors eject differently. Simply cutting your ejector like mine may not solve your problem. 9majors are bear to get ejecting properly...38 Supers typcially don't have the same problems. In other words, you may need the point like shown in the Brazos article (not at the bottom like mine). D Darren

Have you read this Brazos article about ejection: http://www.brazoscustom.com/magart/ejection%20perfection.htm

The brass is ejecting UP. Look at what Bob (Brazos) said early on in this thread. ...he talked about how sometimes the brass ejects down and hits the side of the ejection port THEN bounces back up and hits the scope mount. This gives you the false impression that the brass is ejecting up which then usually leads to you putting the point on the top of the ejector which just makes the problem worse. I had brass witness marks around my ejection port. Timing is also an issue with getting these 9majors ejecting correctly. In my case, the long extended ejector was causing the brass to start ejecting before the ejection port had come back into the correct location. If you have a too heavy of a recoil spring, this can also throw off the timing, making the ejection port be in the wrong position for ejection. If you haven't done so already, see if you have brass hitting around the ejection port. I tried using a blue sharpy and also blue dykem but the dark blue make it difficult to see the brass [marks]. This local gunsmith buddy of mine suggested using a white crayon or something else white (maybe white fingernail polish?). I never got around to trying the white stuff. Whatever color you use, you need to be able to see the brass marks. Turns out I had brass marks but I just wasn't seeing them [at first]. All the carbon and burnt gunpowder also makes the marks difficult to see. Good luck. Let me know how it goes. Darren [edited for typo]

The "X" distance in my attachment (the length of the ejector) is 0.200".

They are talking about a thou clearance between the slide rails and the frame rails (on each side). There's no good way of measuring it. When you hand lap the slide and frame, it provides about a thou clearance. That's what they are refering to. D

I try not to brag. Maybe this petit one is a little more you... Guess you'll have to try out a couple to find what works for you. DVC BulM5 Is that like bailing wire holding the handle onto the dovetail insert?

Lots of good info. I did not have that step in my breachface. Extractor tension definitely plays a part...and that's why I went with a Aftec so that it would remain more consistent. In the case of my two open guns, cutting the ejector, like I show in the attachment above, was the last piece of the puzzle that seems to have fixed my problems. Only time will tell. I ran an entire match last weekend without any ejection issues. In the mean time, I have my Cheely side mount on standby. D

Ejection problems with a 9 Major open gun with a top mounted C-more are well documented. Sounds like you don't have this problem. However, many others do. Most people either give up and send their gun off to an expensive gunsmith or give up and buy a side mounted scope. The point of my thread was to solve the problem myself [in this case with the help of a friend] and help others that have the same problems. Darren

Update: I've been fighting with these ejection problems. I tried everything under the sun. I actually bought 5 EGW Extended ejectors and tried different shapes, different lengths, etc. So last weekend I'm shooting our local steel match I'm jamming up all over the place and getting extrememly frustrated and decided that I was just going to have to bite the bullet once and for all and switch both open guns over to the side mounts (I tried one of Matt's mounts last year and it worked great but I just couldn't get use to the scope on the side). While I'm ranting and raving about my effing gun problems, another gunsmith in my squad pipes up and tells me that he can fix my problems. So I give him the story (as told above) about everything I've tried and done. So he proceeds to tell me to try a shorter (not an extended) ejector with the point at the very bottom. As I said before, I tried a shorter ejector and I tried the point at the bottom, but I never tried the two together. At the end of the match we pull out the ejector and file it off and put the point at the bottom and then run two mags through it without any problems. Things are looking up. So yesterday I ran a complete match without any jams! One thing I want to add is that the recoil and mainspring play a part as well. If the springs are too heavy, the slide won't go back enough and you can get strikes. For you guys that are still fighting this problem, here is what I have for my 9mm Major gun: 8 lb recoil spring 17/18 lb main spring Aftec extractor EGW Extended ejector filed like shown in the attached picture. I will measure the "X" distance tonight and post it later. But the length was filed down approximately half way. Obviously you could buy another shorter ejector and save the filing, but I wanted to reference the amount cut to the EGW Extended because that's what a lot of people have and that's what I started with. Hope this helps, Darren [edited to add:] PS: I was shooting mixed brass also!

I tried the STS. I had problems with the dot washing out when the sun was over my shoulder (this was even with the setting on Full). You just can't beat the standard C-More. By the way, I made a couple custom mounts for the STS. I think I still have them at home and would be willing to sell them. One has been drilled for the 5 hole pattern and the other is unfinished and can be drilled for whatever. Let me know if anyone wants these. The one that has the 5 holes put the scope behind the ejection port. It was also cut to work on a slide that was flattopped about 30 thou. Also notice that there are two steel keenserts that would prevent the screw from stripping the aluminum. The second mount is an improvement over the first design. I basically reworked the shape so it didn't have the little leg extending over to the 5th screw. Darren

I don't have a video but mollies and WST doesn't smoke that much. Here's a picture: Darren

Thanks! I don't think the weight matters too much. Mine is made out of tool steel. I ended up getting it hard chromed when I did my frame. As you can see in the pictures, I drilled out the end to reduce weight. If your dovetail is lower (like in the scalloped area), just heat the racker up and bend it out of the way. My other open gun is this way. I'll see if I can find some pictures of it. Darren

Mine was finished, however, it needed to be throated slightly more due to the type of bullets I was using.

Here's some pictures of the latest slide racker I made...notice it's high on the slide and right behind the breachface. http://s583.photobucket.com/albums/ss276/dkent72/Slide%20Racker/ Darren

Sure..still have one left. Just sent you a PM.

The location of the dovetail is the big thing when trying to keep it away from your thumb. If you put the dovetail in the scalloped part of the slide, then you're going to possibly hit your thumb. However, the racker can be bent up out of the way (it's real easy to do if its a steel racker - heat it up and bend it in a vice). If you are still planning the design of your slide, consider leaving some meat behind the breachface and put the dovetail up there. No problems hitting your thumb unless you like to stick your thumb straight up (and then I'd say you have a grip problem). You do however need to make sure it won't hit your scope mount. I make my own rackers. I don't like them on the right side because you have to tilt the gun over and cross arms to use it. Beyond jacking the gun up for table starts, having a racker is quicker if you need to clear a jam. ...and it does help with loading and unloading. D