Ejecting Live Rounds From 1911

[TBF]

I have heard stories of 38 Super rounds doing this when they hit the ejector just exactly right.

True ?

How about the 45 ACP ?

Travis F.

[BritinUSA]

Yes, I've seen it happen. This was with a .38 super with extended ejector at a match in UK.

This is why it's never a good idea to cup your hand over the ejection port during an unload. It's better to grip the slide at the rear, pull sharply back and let the live round fall on the floor.

[BSeevers]

I saw a .40 go almost auto(not really just a wild bang) as the shooter cupped hand over port and rds went off setting off a couple below it. I remember a shooter losing a finger or 2 doing this in the early 90's. It could happen with any caliber.

[Carmoney]

I was on the range when a shooter bloodied his hand this way. It was at a pin match in Waterloo, IA a number of years ago, and I'm pretty certain it was a .45 or 10mm (not a .38 Super). No serious injuries, fortunately.

Mike

[PaulW]

Did it with a .40 s&w back in 97'. Not fun and hurt like a mother. Still have the scars it left in my hand.

[TriggerT]

I looked into this quite a bit about a year ago, and found several threads about it on the forum. Seems like this happens once and awhile, mainly with .40's. I haven't heard of it happening with a .38, but I didn't ask anyone about that caliber either. I have NEVER heard, or talk to anyone who has actually seen this happen with a .45.

[John Dunn]

Saw one at the Ironman in '03, can't remember what caliber. Scary stuff.

[Matthew_Mink]

Personally seen 3 .40 widebody guns do it at 3 different times.

[kevin c]

This is why it's never a good idea to cup your hand over the ejection port during an unload. It's better to grip the slide at the rear, pull sharply back and let the live round fall on the floor.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If I may ask, why not pull back slowly? Wouldn't a low speed extraction have less risk of sufficient force of impact of the ejector on the primer to ignite the round?

I have NEVER heard, or talk to anyone who has actually seen this happen with a .45.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I didn't see it personally, but a local GM had it happen, and I'm pretty sure it was a .45.

He caught the shrapnel in his fingers and for a while was afraid it was going to affect his shooting permanently. Fortunately, he healed well.

Kevin C.

[BrianH]

Singlestack .45, twice, same guy, right in the hand. (this is back when we used to put our left hand over the ejection port and roll the live round out.)

[mcoliver]

Ejector fire? Happened to me in my 40 a few months ago. Good practice to pull back the slide from the rear serrations. Bad form on my part to be performing malf clearing (stuck ammo in chamber) in haste.

[eric nielsen]

More common with widebody 40s than anything else.

Before optics came out, Todd Jarrett had a 38super ignite in his left hand which required a hospital visit. Rolling the gun to the right, working the slide with the left hand covering the ejection port to catch the round. Very common practice then.

FWIW, today those loaded rounds are worth about 16cents each, tops.

[Carlos]

In a .45 Edge, I once put a healthy dent in a CCI primer trying to get it out at the unload&show clear. The nose of a 200 grn SWC seemed to jam against the edge of the port & I yanked on it a couple of times; not fast but I pulled it pretty hard. GM Phil Strader was my RO; he stopped me & we got the round out; it had an oblong indentation from the ejector right across the primer. Its surprising that it did not ignite.

[Flexmoney]

When I took the gunsmithing class from Cylinder & Slide (built a 1911 in 45), one of the thing he had us do was to relieve the ejection port forward...so that loaded rounds could clear (and not get jammed into the ejector and fire).

[Marine shooter]

Singlestack .45, twice, same guy, right in the hand.  (this is back when we used to put our left hand over the ejection port and roll the live round out.)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

More of a gun issue not a cal issue. I could do anything I want with my Kimber without such an incident.

[hopalong]

Para P16-40..... did it while unload & show clear.... not a sharp pull but steady, brass got me between the thumb and forefinger of my left hand (I shoot right handed)... Was racking slide from the back !!!! 3 stitches at 100 bucks a stitch !!!!

Saw it happen with STI 9 months later......

Could happen..... all the round has to do is slip out of the extractor before it is pushed out by the ejector!!!!

Hop

[kevin c]

When I took the gunsmithing class from Cylinder & Slide (built a 1911 in 45), one of the thing he had us do was to relieve the ejection port forward...so that loaded rounds could clear (and not get jammed into the ejector and fire).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So, long ejectors with long loaded rounds benefit from a longer (forwardly relieved) ejection port, right?

...did it while unload & show clear.... not a sharp pull but steady,

Could happen..... all the round has to do is slip out of the extractor before it is pushed out by the ejector!!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh, now I think I see - sharp slide return gives more positive ejection, perhaps a firmer bite into the rim w/ the extractor hook, less chance of having the round slip off and expose the primer to the end of the ejector.

(I think...)

[Trini]

A couple of years back I was RO’ing a shooter (P16) and when he went to unload the round went as it was being ejected as I was looking to check the chamber, my right hand which was holding the timer was in front of my body. The round went off and the shell case hit my right middle finger and chest. I had a small piece of brass in my chest and a swollen finger. The piece of brass in my chest I putted out with my fingers. I thought that's all it was, but the swelling in the finger never went away and after several weeks had an X-Ray taken and sure enough there was a small piece of brass next to the middle joint. Had surgery to remove the small piece of brass...

Learned a valuable lesson: When giving the finished, unload and show clear command I make sure the shooter’s body is between me and the gun and keep my hands behind cover.

Trini

[TBF]

Thanks for all the replies.

My unloading sequence has been modified accordingly.

No more catching the round in my hand by cupping it under the port.

I'm gonna just chuck that last round right out in the dirt from now on !

Flex,

Do you have any tips for this mod ?

I have a Colt that has a slight scallop in the front of the port, more or less even with the rearmost barrel lug of the slide. It is an 80 series , should I use this as a template for my other slide or is there a better way ?

Any help appreciated.

Travis F.

[Flexmoney]

I am thinking that we took a dummy round and traced around it with a scribe? Regardless of how you do it, use the measurements of your ammo.

[lynn jones]

i saw the results of one last month at the old fort shoot out. the lady got cut up a bit, but she fine.

lynn

[folsoml]

I'll do ya one better. My team shoots .45 Speer TMJs by the case. To make is easier to reload your mags, we dump them from the box into an ammo can. We were all standing in a circle dumping them out of the boxes when one of them GOES OFF IN THE CAN . Talk about a bunch of butts puckering. Fortunately, no one got a scratch. We found fragments of the casing and several dented live rounds, but never found the projectile.

[DougCarden]

I am typing this with a scar on my left index finger. Too long loaded lead bullet stuck in rifling, along with hand over top of gun for more leverage to jack out the round. All mistakes were mine. Round detonated. I got it debreeded and wrapped up, no stitches, just super glue. Was numb for about a month. I was worried that it would slow down my reloading.... . It is fine now, and the gun hasnt done that again 'cuz I dont put my hand near the port when I unload and show clear. I am just thankful that the RO didnt take any of the brass...... That would have been hard to deal with......

Doug C

[johnhurd]

I have NEVER heard, or talk to anyone who has actually seen this happen with a .45.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Really what would you like to talk about????

Back in the 80s extended ejector boom finally found the cauz and fixed it. No biggie on the boom just a few cuts but I think the RO soiled himself.....

[trjasgunr]

I had an STI 40 do that about 5 weeks ago. I went to clear a malfunction, and BOOM! The round detonated. My left hand was overhanging the ejection port and the blast took a chunk of skin off. No brass or lead fragments in my hand thankfully. It just wasn't any fun (read: reeeeaaalllly painful) to do reloads for about the first three weeks.