CSEMARTIN Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 I bought a used 1911 off of the internet, and I've been having problems with it ever since. I have had a problem with rounds failing to eject. Tonight, I tested and adjusted the tension on my extractor using the Weigand tensionioning tool and tension gauge: http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/Pro...NSIONING%20TOOL http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/Pro...N%20GAUGE%20SET The tension was quite low on my extractor @ 12 ounces of pull using their gauge. I bent the extractor until I had 23 ounces and stopped because it felt really tight. In fact, it was a lot tighter than any of my other extractors that I've never had a probelm with. I am not sure if this is really an extractor problem or a problem with my ejector. I looked up the specs in the Kuhnhausen maunual, and the length of my ejector is within 25 thousandths. As I've never tuned an ejector, I'm wondering if the angles on the ejector are right (Hopefully the pictures will show these angles). Also, with a loaded magazine, I'm noticing a small amount of contact between the magazine lip and ejector. Could this be the cause of my problem? Oh yeah, one more thing, I've noticed that I'm having this malfunction much more frequently when there is only one round left in the magazine. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMITH Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 What exactly does the failure to extract/eject look like? Magazines should NOT contact the ejector, no matter what. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Let me guess...stovepipe jam on the last round? My problem was that the extractor was too high in the slide in order to retain the case all the way through ejection. Why only a malf on the last round? With rounds in the mag, the next round prevents the case from slipping off the extractor and ... you get proper ejection. Last round, there's nothing in the mag to support the extracted case, so the case slips off the extractor and you get the Honest Abe jam. One fix is to rig the magazines so that the follower rides high in the mag even when it's engaging the slide stop. Yeah, you'll have gun-specific mags, but it will work. The plastic followers in Wilson mags are pretty amenable to this mod. With a properly cut slide, this isn't a necessary mod. My STIs will eject cases without a mag in the gun at all. But that 1911 wouldn't do it worth a damn. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shooterbenedetto Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 THAT EJECTOR FROM THE LAST PICTURE IS BROKEN!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JThompson Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 THAT EJECTOR FROM THE LAST PICTURE IS BROKEN!!!!! Either that or it's really friggn short. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann the Horrible Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 A friend of mine had similar problems with one of his mags. Do the follower thing as suggested by Eric W, I think it could sort out your problem. I can only open the last photo showing the ejector and it appears to be broken as suggested by shooterbenedetto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMITH Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 That ejector looks like a normal 1911 45 caliber ejector. It doesn't look broken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adweisbe Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 (edited) But that 1911 wouldn't do it worth a damn. I had the same problem with a S&W 1911 and I replaced the slide with a Caspian slide and the gun runs much better. JMB's extractor doesn't have the height issue because it is .175 thousandth tall vs. 125 thousandths for the S&W extractor and the tunnel is located slightly below the firing pin instead of at the firing pin. The ejector doesn't need to be long if the extractor is doing it's job. The USGI ejector was even shorter. It's not all about extractor tension, positioning is just as critical. Will the slide retain an empty case when lightly shaken with the head of the case have been moved down to the same location it would be when the barrel is linked down? Edited April 7, 2008 by adweisbe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cking Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 That ejector is short, if your using a shock buff, then it is really short. So is the problem failure to extract or failure to eject? Try a longer ejector, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Biondi Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 This ejector seems to me to be too short. When the ejector is too short the brass cant be hit at right "time" to be kick out and so you get the jam. Im sure if you try a ejector longer the trouble will be solve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSEMARTIN Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 Let me guess...stovepipe jam on the last round? One fix is to rig the magazines so that the follower rides high in the mag even when it's engaging the slide stop. It doesn't look broken. That ejector is short, if your using a shock buff, then it is really short. So is the problem failure to extract or failure to eject? Try a longer ejector, This ejector seems to me to be too short. Thanks everyone for the help. I don't think the ejector is broken. The pictures didn't turn out that great. However, I am thinking the ejector is too short. EricW, I'm sure your'e idea would work great, but I have enough problems with OCD- that would mess with my head way too much. You'd have to know me better to fully grasp my borderline debilitating need to check things. I would constantly be worried that I had the 'wrong' mags for my gun. Ultimately, it would hurt my confidence level when I stepped up to the line. cking, extraction is ok. Ejection appears to be the culprit at this point. PS-- How come pictures keep disappearing? Is it the new server change going on?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JThompson Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 (edited) A friend was having some issues like this and we figured it out this way. I was looking at the slide when he fired it and it looked a bit slow. What was going on with his was he had a very light load and a heavy spring... this caused the gun to short stroke and it was hardly hitting the ejector because the slide wasn't going fully back, or didn't have enough volocity to kick it out properly. I don't know what load/spring combo you are using, I just wanted to put it out there. JT Edited April 7, 2008 by JThompson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr1911 Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 (edited) The ejector does look like a broken extended style ejector with the tip missing, however anyone with an old G.I. style gun will know that the old ejectors actualy slanted backwards, so it seems like it should still eject. I have had guns that wouldn't eject properly because the extractor was tensioned to strong, I have allways adjusted my extractors to the minimum,......never go over a pound-16oz. in my opinion, but other opinions may vary. Best guess?...install a new ejector, and re-tension the extractor. Edited April 7, 2008 by mr1911 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adweisbe Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 (edited) cking, extraction is ok. Ejection appears to be the culprit at this point. The extractor's job doesn't stop at getting the case out of the chamber. The ejector pivots the case around the extractor a bit and the extractor adds consistency to how the case is introduced to the ejector. The two have to work together and both be right for things to be really consistent. Is the extractor clocking due to a loose firing pin stop? Does brass eject all over, especially straight to the rear or over your head? Does the extractor control the case in the linked down position? All the tension in the world means nothing if the extractor is kissing air. You may treat the symptom with an extended ejector but I don't think that will solve the underlying problem. That is not to say that a further extended and correctly tuned ejector isn't better (it is), but it shouldn't be your only avenue of diagnosis. If you are having trouble then verify that the whole system is correct and not just the one component. Edited April 7, 2008 by adweisbe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 OK, I see the pictures now. That ejector is much too short IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Sierpina Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 You bought a .45 on the internet, and now look to find solutions in the same place? Old fashioned way to check extractor tension.....a round of ball ammo should droop when behind the extractor. This is when the slide is removed from the frame. Yes, this seat of the pants stuff really works. A standard ejector is angled back about 10 degrees. With no scope on the pistol, you should duplicate this. Even though that looks to be short for an extended ejector, it's longer than an old fashioned Colt part. What is the reference point to measure the ejector length? The part is angle/radiused on the back, the front is usually angled too. Does the ejection port look to be covered with brass marks? Is the slide Baer slide? What is the height of the port from the bottom of the slide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSEMARTIN Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 You bought a .45 on the internet, and now look to find solutions in the same place? I didn't buy the gun here. If I had, this conversation would have started in private with the guy that sold it to me. Seriously though, I appreciate all the help. I think the smartest thing I can do at this time is replace the ejector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSEMARTIN Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 I don't know what load/spring combo you are using, I just wanted to put it out there. JT Good thought JT. I'm running a 16# recoil spring and 165-170 PF ammo. Also, the same load works find in my other two 1911's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr1911 Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 A loose firing pin stop/extractor retainer that lets the extractor move to much can also be a problem, I've had to replace them along with the extractor before. The old school field test for extractor tension is to remove the slide, and manualy insert a round from below into the extractor, it should move only slightly and should not produce much noticable resistance. For the ejector you'll need a high quality 1/8 punch that won't bend or break knocking out the retaining pin. good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JThompson Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Let us know when you get it fixed, so can file it in the knowledge base. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSEMARTIN Posted April 8, 2008 Author Share Posted April 8, 2008 A loose firing pin stop/extractor retainer that lets the extractor move to much can also be a problem. Let us know when you get it fixed, so can file it in the knowledge base. mr1911, I believe the firing pin stop is fine. It is not any tighter or looser than my other 1911's. I think I read somewhere that what you're referring to is clocking? I think I read about that on the Brazos 'tips and tricks' website. JT, when I get it fixed, I'll post an update. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSEMARTIN Posted September 19, 2008 Author Share Posted September 19, 2008 Let us know when you get it fixed, so can file it in the knowledge base. Well.....I'm still plugging away at this gun. Great internet deal, huh?? Dear Christ.... I have spotted a few problems with this gun. First, the link pin is bad. The first picture is of the old one. The second picture is the new link pin I put on last night. The old one had some really goofy marks which don't show up in the picture very well, but you can see how loose it was on the slide stop. I took some measurements. The link pin is 0.154", the slide stop is 0.200" and the distance between the two is 0.110" which means a #5 link pin is the closest. It had a #4. I don't know if this was causing my problems, but after polishing up the barrel throat and feed ramp, everything seems to running fine. I also found four other problems. The magazine is hitting the underside of the ejector, the ejected brass is rubbing just next to the breech face leaving small brass shavings, and I believe Mr. 1911 may have been on to something. The firing pin stop is sloppy loose. I think I'll address these issues later. Also the clearance on the bushing is too tight and there is a very subtle indentation on the underside of the barrel. I have been told this can affect the timing and cause some malfs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSEMARTIN Posted October 3, 2008 Author Share Posted October 3, 2008 I replaced the link pin, polished the throat and feed ramp, tuned the ejector and extractor (thanks Joe), fit a new firing pin stop, and installed a new bushing. I took it to the range today and it ran flawlessly. Thanks everyone for your help on this gun!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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