Non-magazine related ejector issues

[m0dnar]

Can anyone think of a non-magazine overinsertion related issue that could cause an ejector to get messed up? My gun was perfect out of the box, but then the ejector got so bent out of shape it locked the slide up. I ended up sending the gun back to the factory and they fixed it. I just ran 500 rounds this weekend and when I went to clean the gun the slide really struggles to free up the ejector. 

 

I ended up removing the barrel, guide rod, recoil spring, and tried fitting just the bare slide onto the frame and right when the ejector enters the slide there's a bunch of tension. I managed to get it back to where it's almost not causing any issues (still a slight hitch, but the slide is perfectly smooth once it's fully installed). 

 

With the slide locked open, I checked all my mags with one round loaded and putting 25 pounds of pressure on the baseplate and the round doesn't touch the ejector. There's about a 1-2mm gap. I tried smacking the absolute crap out of the mags as well with a wet paint marking on the round/back of feed lip, but still nothing is making contact with my ejector. Both times it started happening around the 500 round mark so I'm not sure if the ejector itself is somehow getting beat up during shooting? I didn't check to see what happens if the slide is down, but is it possible to bend an ejector with magazine overinsertion with the slide forward?

 

Any ideas before I send it back again? I really would prefer not to do this and I might even try installing a new factory ejector myself. 

[Postal Bob]

1 hour ago, m0dnar said:

but is it possible to bend an ejector with magazine overinsertion with the slide forward?

Yes. Btw, are we talking about a 1911, or 2011?

 

The reason it may take so long(500 rds), is that it's one of your mags that may be bad. Meaning the magazine catch cutout in one of your mags mag be cut a little lower than the others, so it sits higher in gun. So it's only that one mag creating problems. Compare all your mags visually for any difference. Then insert each fully loaded mag with the slide off. You may see one that actually contacts the ejector.

[m0dnar]

It's a 2011. 

 

So if the slide is completely off the gun and I insert a mag, it would essentially simulate a mag inserted into a gun with a closed slide?

 

Edit: The nice thing about being new to the 2011 platform is I only have 3 mags so it wasn't hard to take some pictures. I've got 1 pic per magazine with the slide off and 1 pic per mag with the slide on. In all these pics I was pressing the baseplate into my knee bone with some considerable pressure and there was no touching that I could see. 

 

Album with 6 pics of magazine fit

Edited August 29, 2022 by m0dnar

[MikeBurgess]

18 minutes ago, m0dnar said:

It's a 2011. 

 

So if the slide is completely off the gun and I insert a mag, it would essentially simulate a mag inserted into a gun with a closed slide?

it would simulate inserting with the slide Locked Back. 

 

with a 2011 if your slide is back the only thing stopping most competition magazines from over inserting is the mag release in the magazine notch. This may be hard to replicate if your not doing a full speed reload, as in ramming the mag into place very hard, not just pushing on it or hitting it after its locked into the release. 

[m0dnar]

I should also mention I'm running 126mm mags. I had 140mm mags originally, but after sending the gun back I asked to swap for all 126mm mags to see if we could remove one variable. It does feel like the front of my base plates do hit the front of the mag funnel with the 1-2mm gap shown in the pictures so I'm not sure if there's any physical way it could touch the ejector even if I got over eager with my reloads (which I 100% do). 

[Postal Bob]

It may be just the angle, but in the very first pic, the round in the mag appears to sit higher in the mag than the other two. And the mag itself looks like it sits a bit higher than the others. Meaning the feed lips on that mag are wider apart. Measure the distance across the feed lips at the back end. If there's a significant distance of that one mag, versus the other two, that's your problem mag. It's the back of the mag feed lips that hit's the ejector when over inserted.

 

Btw, over insertion happens when the magazine is inserted so quickly, and forcibly into the gun, that the magazine catch doesn't engage the slot fast enough to stop the mag going in further. Or the catch moves slightly outward from ramming in the mag, thereby letting the mag momentarily move a little higher up, striking the ejector. This happens more with a slide locked back, but could still happen with the slide closed.

Edited August 31, 2022 by Postal Bob

[DownUnder]

What do you mean by messed up and bent out of shape? Sitting too high, or bent off to the side?

[zzt]

I'll bet you a nickel it is a mag/ejector issue.  I had the same thing happen.  On both my Open guns the ejector is not pinned.  The fit is so tight the retaining pin is not needed.  I did that so I could replace the ejector in the field if it broke.

 

My backup gun is used with a 6 lb. recoil spring for minor loads, other than for SCSA.  My home club requires slide lock before moving.  So I modified three of my mags to lock back when empty.  I began to have problems when I inserted mags the same way I do for USPSA.  That force drove the mags up and pushed the front of the ejector up so it jammed the slide.  Okay.  I was using a Brazos ejector and the mag was hitting the radius reinforcing the bar.  Swapped that out for a Cheely ejector and the Cheely mag release designed to eliminate over insertion.  Better, but no joy.    I pinned the ejector, and it no longer lifts when a mag is forcefully inserted at slide lock.

 

Now I have a different problem.  When I forcefully insert a mag the mag catch does not engage in time at the mag sticks high enough the slide will not move.  I have to press the top of the mag down until the mag catch engages.  Then I can continue shooting.  I'll not that I only have this problem with my STI Gen2 9mm mags.  I'm using STI followers, but TTI springs and bases.  I do not have this problem with my MBX mags.

 

So, check the pinning on your ejector.  I have seen many where a notch was cut in the front leg, but not where it was supposed to be.  I drill the clearance in my ejectors with a drill.  Use right hand twist from the left side, or left hand twist from the right side.  Dawson sells long, left hand twist drills for that purpose.

[m0dnar]

I just tested again with paint marking on my base plates and I know what you're all saying makes sense, but at the same time, the base plate bottoms out against the magwell before anything contacts the ejector. I bought a spare ejector and I'm honestly considering just dremeling my ejector flat. I've heard people mention that their 9mm 2011s still eject after the eject breaks off so I'm tempted to test this configuration. If it works, no more overinsertion issues since the extended part of my ejector will just be gone. 

 

I'm also considering not pinning my new ejector as well. What are the concerns I should be looking at if I run an unpinned ejector? Just another part that'll fall out when I disassemble? Is that it?

[m0dnar]

20 hours ago, DownUnder said:

What do you mean by messed up and bent out of shape? Sitting too high, or bent off to the side?

 Visually it looks fine, but it's contacting the slide when I reassemble so something is slightly out of spec. The most common cause is overinsertion of the magazine so it would likely look bent upwards, but I can't seem to prove that my 126mm mags overinsert at all. 

[zzt]

1 hour ago, m0dnar said:

I'm also considering not pinning my new ejector as well. What are the concerns I should be looking at if I run an unpinned ejector? Just another part that'll fall out when I disassemble? Is that it?

 

I use Cheely 9mm ejectors.  They are well made and fit the holes tightly.  The WILL NOT fall out if you don't pin them.  Three seasons with my main 9mm Open gun with an unpinned ejector and zero issues.  That being said, I never go to slide lock in USPSA.

 

The risk you take with not pinning your ejector is it nosing up in front if the legs or the holes are the wrong size.  I can tell you the Cheely is a push fit with a final tap in a JEM Guns frame, and a push fit in a Brazos frame.  My main gun is on a JEM frame.

[m0dnar]

I'm still leaning towards just removing the overhang from the ejector, especially since I have a factory spare showing up tomorrow. I've gotta figure that the ejector is perfectly fit since it's a SVI and it even got sent back to them so it's unlikely a build issue. I'm going to also pick up some non-slide lock mags, but I do use the gun for 2-gun competitions and other training that benefits from slide lock reloads so I want to figure out something that works.