Help! Failure to Eject

[Rob D]

I had at least one jam like exactly like this one on every single stage yesterday. I shot the same match a month before, and the gun ran flawlessly. I did make some hardware changes to the gun between the matches, but I changed everything back today and I'm still having the same malfunctions(although less often). The one thing that I notice about this jam that seems unusual is that the fresh round right below the stove pipe is sitting on top of the extractor instead of being hooked in the way it should be.

Here are the details on my gun:

Glock 35

KKM Match Barrel

Tungsten Guide Rod & 15# Wolff round wire spring

LWD Connector

LS Safety Plunger and spring

Modified Stock Striker and reduced power spring

+ Power trigger return spring

Stuff I've already tried changing out:

Recoil Springs - Ran 3 different springs before switching to the stock recoil assembly. No help.

Trigger Housing/Ejector - Tried two different ones, no change

Connectors - Swapped from LWD to Glock and back, no change.

My prime suspect at this point is my ammo. My last batch measured 1.131-1.135 OAL, and this batch is measuring at 1.135-1.137, but I can't think of how OAL would cause FTE's. It seems like they would cause FTF's instead.

Any and all help is appreciated. I have to move to Wisconsin next week, then fly back for DTC so I need to get this issue nailed down ASAP, and I'm in a bit of a panic about it. Thanks in advance!

Edited March 7, 2010 by Rob D

[Jman]

Your tungsten guide rod could be the culprit. They tend to develop "grooves" and interfere with the recoil spring. Inspect it closely and either stone it smooth or replace it with a steel rod.

Jim

[jimzim]

I had a similar problem with my KKM "drop-in" barrel and had to make minor mods to it. Try putting the factory barrel back in and see if the failure to eject still occurs.

[G-ManBart]

Have you tried any factory ammo in it? Same bullets and lot of powder as before? If you happened to switch to a slightly slower lot of powder (lowers pressure/velocity), and a little change to a longer OAL (also reduces pressure/velocity), it might just not be enough to run the gun. If the load is too light the slide could be just barely short stroking, or not hitting the empty case against the ejector hard enough to launch it. I'd chrono some of the new batch of ammo and see what PF you're at. R,

[Nik Habicht]

All of the above are contenders, as they could slow slide speed down. It could also be a failing or chipped extractor.....

Got a spare or another Glock .40 around whose extractor you could borrow?

[Rob D]

Your tungsten guide rod could be the culprit. They tend to develop "grooves" and interfere with the recoil spring. Inspect it closely and either stone it smooth or replace it with a steel rod.

Jim

Thanks Jim. I'll check that out. I didn't notice any grooves or anything, but I'll look closer.

I had a similar problem with my KKM "drop-in" barrel and had to make minor mods to it. Try putting the factory barrel back in and see if the failure to eject still occurs.

Thanks Jim. This is a KKM Gunsmith fit barrel. A forum member sold me the gun, and he said it was fit by John Nagel. I actually don't even have the stock barrel, so if I can't make this work I'm going to have to borrow a gun or something.

Have you tried any factory ammo in it? Same bullets and lot of powder as before? If you happened to switch to a slightly slower lot of powder (lowers pressure/velocity), and a little change to a longer OAL (also reduces pressure/velocity), it might just not be enough to run the gun. If the load is too light the slide could be just barely short stroking, or not hitting the empty case against the ejector hard enough to launch it. I'd chrono some of the new batch of ammo and see what PF you're at. R,

Thanks Bart. That's what I need to try next I guess. I'm shooting 180gr J&K Cast bullets righ at 960 fps, so it should be more than enough to make the gun run. I'm going to grab a box of .40 off the shelf tomorrow to see how that goes.

All of the above are contenders, as they could slow slide speed down. It could also be a failing or chipped extractor.....

Got a spare or another Glock .40 around whose extractor you could borrow?

Thanks Nick. I'll check that out. I don't think I have a spare, but maybe I can borrow one to see how it is affected. I totally forgot that I put the LS Safety plunger in right before the problem started to occur and forgot to swap it back out during my range session today. I'm going to pull it out tomorrow and try the gun with box ammo. Hopefully I'll have better results. I'll report back tomorrow afternoon.

Thanks again to everyone!

[Rob D]

I went to the range this morning with the stock safety plunger and recoil system in the gun, and it still had malfunctions every few mags. I did run 50 rounds of remington UMC through it flawlessly(because that was all I could afford), so maybe it just needs a stouter load. I also just ordered a new extractor from LWD, and I'm hoping that will help. I'm going to start looking for a back up gun to borrow just in case I can't get this one running by the end of the week.

[yoshidaex]

When was the last time you changed out magazine springs?

[rgkeller]

Perhaps your Glock was talking to an M&P.

[Rob D]

When was the last time you changed out magazine springs?

The springs I'm running are the ones that came with the arredondo +5 extensions I got in december, so they should be strong enough. It's happening with all of my magazines too, so I don't think it's related to that.

Perhaps your Glock was talking to an M&P.

God, I hope not. Maybe I should put it in the case with my ever-reliable G34 tonight and hope some of its personality rubs off on the limited gun.

[Rob D]

I would love to hear some insight from some of you more experienced guys about what might actually be the root of the problem. I think it's probably one of the two follow scenarios:

A: Something is slowing the slide down as it goes back, causing the brass to hit the ejector with an insufficient amount of force to knock it out of the gun. Instead, it's bumping it barely out of the extractor and its' getting stuck as the slide closes again.

B: The extractor isn't holding the round properly and the round is consequently not hitting the ejector in the right way.

You guys have any guesses at which one of these issues might be more likely?

I tried a little test several times today at the range. I put a piece of empty brass under the extractor and let it chamber, then pulled the slide back quickly by hand to see how it ejected. About 50% of the time the brass ejected out to the right the way it should, and the other 50% of the time it popped up into the air about 2 inches above the open action of the gun, and then fell down at my feet. This makes me think scenario B is more likely, since I know the slide is coming back with plenty of force while operating it by hand. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping the new extractor fixes the issue.

On the positive side, all of this extra shooting I'm doing to test for function is really dialing in my trigger control. If I can get this gun running, I'm going to have a good match at double tap.

[Jman]

Something is slowing the slide down as it goes back

Make absolutely sure it not a thumb.

Jim

[eric nielsen]

Just my guesses, based on what you've already tried [tungsten rod was my 1st thought...]

1. Are either one of your thumbs anywhere near the slide as it moves? If you're not sure, a big strip of grip tape all down the left side of the slide will show you quickly as it builds up with white flaky stuff.

2. You have the old-style non-LCI extractor which is good. After taking the recoil system and barrel out of your slide, take the side of a flat screwdriver and push the extractor through its full range of motion. It should move smoothly without catching, both directions.

3. If you or a buddy have the Weigand extractor tension gages, try that. Gage hole over striker hole, pull straight out with a trigger pull scale. Over 20 oz is great, less than 10 oz is very sketchy. To boost that number, you replace the extractor plunger spring and use one of the thick spring-loaded bearings. Even if it's not the one for that model glock, use a thick one.

4. What does your ejector look like? With the slide off, grab it & yank it in all directions. It shouldn't move. Are you sure there isn't a corner chipped off the ejector OR the extractor? I've got a lot of police-range Glock brass that makes me think the chipping is common.

HTH

[Rob D]

Something is slowing the slide down as it goes back

Make absolutely sure it not a thumb.

Jim

Thanks Jim. That was the first thing I checked this morning. Walked out with a nice clean grip, no fingers anywhere near the slide, and the very first shot was a malfunction so I know it's not my thumbs.

Just my guesses, based on what you've already tried [tungsten rod was my 1st thought...]

1. Are either one of your thumbs anywhere near the slide as it moves? If you're not sure, a big strip of grip tape all down the left side of the slide will show you quickly as it builds up with white flaky stuff.

2. You have the old-style non-LCI extractor which is good. After taking the recoil system and barrel out of your slide, take the side of a flat screwdriver and push the extractor through its full range of motion. It should move smoothly without catching, both directions.

3. If you or a buddy have the Weigand extractor tension gages, try that. Gage hole over striker hole, pull straight out with a trigger pull scale. Over 20 oz is great, less than 10 oz is very sketchy. To boost that number, you replace the extractor plunger spring and use one of the thick spring-loaded bearings. Even if it's not the one for that model glock, use a thick one.

4. What does your ejector look like? With the slide off, grab it & yank it in all directions. It shouldn't move. Are you sure there isn't a corner chipped off the ejector OR the extractor? I've got a lot of police-range Glock brass that makes me think the chipping is common.

HTH

Thanks Eric. I'll try moving my extractor with a screwdriver tonight. My ejector is brand new. I had an older one it it, and swapped the whole trigger housing and ejector over the weekend to try to fix the problem. I don't have an extractor tension gage, but I might be able to track one down. I'm starting to think the extractor must be the culprit. It's almost the only part left on the gun that wasn't there before. I have a friend that I'm going to borrow one from. I'll post as soon as I get back from the range.

There's no way that this could be caused by OAL right?

[Jman]

There's no way that this could be caused by OAL right?

Well, if the OAL is WAY off, maybe. Problems there are usually displayed with feeding issues. What OAL do you run?

[Rob D]

There's no way that this could be caused by OAL right?

Well, if the OAL is WAY off, maybe. Problems there are usually displayed with feeding issues. What OAL do you run?

I have been running 1.135, but some of my latest batch are measuring as long as 1.137, but I wouldn't think two thousands of an inch would cause problems. Like you said, I would expect feeding problems, not ejecting problems. I just wanted to double check. Thanks Jim.

[LPatterson]

With all the slide assembly/disassembly I'd check to make sure the white spring loaded bearing is still in place. During class we had several go flying.

[the duck of death]

The extractor plunger goes plastic to plastic, metal to metal.

Be very suspicious of the +5 mag extensions. Try w/normal 15rd mag.

Make sure your recoil spring isn't over powering your load--this is doubtful.

A chip on the bottom of the extractor could be the culprit. I round mine to avoid a problem.

Good luck.

[eric nielsen]

Forgot to add on the topic of free extractor movement - the real test is the flat of a screwdriver, moving slowly out & back. But IF it fails that test you want to remove recoil spring, barrel, striker assembly, and extractor plunger assembly.

Then push on the safety plunger. The extractor should fall out. If it's sticking in there, remove it & clean it and the slot in the slide with q-tip and solvent. Try again. The extractor should fall out. If it's still sticking, look at the very thin area of slide under the extractor slot. This thin area gets hit by the tab of the trigger bar, every shot. That might become a problem.

In general, if the extractor & slot are a tight fit, the fastest fix is filing the finish and some metal off the sides of the extractor. Reassemble the slide [minus barrel] and re-test with the side of a screwdriver.

Edited March 10, 2010 by eric nielsen

[usmc1974]

Perhaps your Glock was talking to an M&P.

OOOH, your going to burn in Hello for that one.

[Bear23]

Bump your powder charge up just a bit as factory umc ran fine????

[JoshF]

Have you checked your ammo's crimp and ran them through a good quality case gauge?

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: Your OAL is fine, I load out to 1.145". Have you chronoed your loads? You don't want to shoot minor at DTC. Will the reloads drop into the barrel alright and fall back out? Do you have the correct ejector? Check inside the barrel at the chamber face for any buildup. Let us know what you find. Thanks, Eric

[calishootr]

depending on the powder charge, a .02 change in OAL mite be the culprit, assuming you were running on the verge of major/minor, to me, rounds dribbling out is a powder charge question, if you stick withthe current loads, then down spring another couple of pounds to get it to run reliably???? just a thought