My first thought is that there is not enough extractor tension.

 

Is this issue new or is the gun new to you and you’re unaware if the issues always existed?

It looks like the extractor is holding the case but the ejector is missing the case. I’m curious if the breach face is over cut and the round below the empty case is pushing it up so the ejector misses the empty case.

You can check the breach face by taking the slide off the gun. Putting a case in the extractor and pushing it all the way up into breach face then looking down the ejector track of the slide and see how much case is exposed.


Brett Cifaldi

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Difficult, maybe impossible, to diagnose from afar, but I'd suspect extractor tension too, if it was previously reliable with the same ammo you're using. I'd also have a look at the ejector to confirm it is as it should be. Have you recently installed a new and/or stronger recoil spring? And reference changing magazines; magazines have no role in extraction or ejection. The gun should extract and eject properly even if there is no magazine in the gun.

 

I bought this gun from a friend 40 years ago. It was only a few months old then with only 100 rounds through it. I took it to a gunsmith for trigger work and new adjustable sights then put it in the safe. I never shot it until last month.

 

Does it have a Shok-Buff in it?

 

OP: What about this Shok-Buff question? I don't see that you have ever answered it. Does it have one?

 

I am guessing that the slide was locked back in the photo? That particular failure to eject was the last round in the magazine?

What happens when the failure to eject is not the last round? Does it attempt to rechamber the empty case, or does it try to feed a new round under the empty case?

If the extractor is not "letting go" of the case rim, the problem is more likely with the ejector or the slide cycle.

Can you manually eject an empty case by pulling the slide back sharply? You may have to fit the case into position under the extractor first and then feed it into the chamber to try this. Some extractors do not like to "snap" over the case rim if the case is already in the chamber.

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Was the gun lubed before the range trip? That’s a long time to sit without attention.

 

I took the Colt 1911 to the range today and it jammed with every magazine.

How does the ejector look? Is the nose intact? Is the ejector itself firmly attached to the frame?

 

I’ve been using reloads (230 round nose over 5.3grs of 231) so I’ll try factory ammo next.

Still looking for suggestions. Your my last hope!

Before replacing/adjusting things, try the test you hypothesize about above.

 

Setting in safe for that long I would do a detail clean to remove the old gummy lube that may have dried up. Then use some Syn oil to lube it up before the next range trip.

 

I did. It was the first time I had it down.

 

The extractor failed the shake test.

 

Time to do a little work on that extractor. I highly recommend checking the deflection first. Then adjust the tension second. Read through the "Steve in Allentown Extractor fitting" sticky before you jump into the deep end of the pool.

 

Does my ejector look normal?

 

That looks normal for a GI style ejector. But modern ejectors have a nose:

 

Definitely time to look at the extractor.
How far does the empty case land from the pistol? I bet not far.
The round below the fired case is actually pushing the case out of the ejection port. There is less magazine spring pressure when there are fewer rounds in the magazine. That means the case is less likely to be pushed out with fewer rounds in the magazine. My experience is the last round will not be ejected like your picture.
In my experience, the extractor hook was worn so bad it was not gripping the case rim enough to force the case into the ejector. The case would immediately be released and lay in the ejection port.
My pistol was used in competition and the hook was wornmshort.

 

I’ll try to get a close up picture of the extractor.

 

Could the hook be too short?

 

Hook should be between 0.070-0.075” off breach face for 45ACP.


Brett Cifaldi

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More information would be helpful.

Is the case rim still under the extractor when the last round fails to eject, as in the first photo?

If you pull back the slide as far as possible, how much of the ejector is protruding from the breechface?

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Case rim is still under extractor. I don’t know about the ejector, I’ll check next time out.

 

'Can you manually eject an empty case by pulling the slide back sharply?'

Or, can you extract and eject whole rounds by manually racking the slide? That's why the front end of the ejection port has the bullet nose shape. Anyway, it could be the extractor or ejector but there is a possibility that the recoil spring is too stiff for the ammo you're shooting and its short-cycling.
When you try the manual ejection, don't play with it - yank that slide back and let it fly home, just like when the gun is running. If this works, it proves the gun is short-cycling.
BTW, I looked at the ejector in my very late MK IV/Series'70 and its just like yours, so it probably isn't the ejector.

 

After a bunch of research I tweaked my extractor a bit and now it’s running better then ever. While learning the platform I found that the extractor is the weak link in the system.

https://youtu.be/1AuVd0qycrc

 

My brand new SA series 90/1990 sat in the safe since 1990. Because of its stove piping one round per eight round mag. I forgot about it in the safe. I purchased the 1911 tools from brownells to build my norc. I remember my new SA in the safe. I tuned the extractor now she runs ammo flawlessly. I did use the extractor tuning fixture from brownells. I don’t like guessing at what tension it is. I did also follow the extractor tuning tips. I added a disconnector ramp too.

https://www.m1911.org/technic2.htm

I believe we should only chamber the 1911 by the magazine. If we load the first round by hand we can detune the extractor.

https://www.google.com/search?q=191...isconnector+ramp&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#imgrc=9wZvIxQ5xblIpM: