1911 ejecting forward of firing line

[Abilene]

Howdy.  My 2 WB 1911's are both Cimarrons made by Armscor.  The older model ejects to my right rear, but the newer one throws many forward of the line (and often lost as a result).  Both guns are stock.  Does this indicate extractor adjustment is needed?

[Garrison Joe]

Usually the way to fix ejection forward is to tune the extractor tension, then also tune the HOOK angles.  Kuhnhausen's 1911 shop manual shows an excellent diagram and some explanation of how to to that, IIRC.

 

I have used Bill Wilson's reference page to do this task, too.

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

 

But before you get to filing on things, blacken up the slide's ejection port all around, and the bolt face, and the extractor hook.  Fire a few rounds, and look for shiny brass marks on any part of slide, and see what part of the hook is getting marked by the rim during extraction.  If the slide port is taking hits on the lower edge of port, the extractor hook needs beveling as shown in Wilson's diagram, on the lower half of the hook, so the top is pulling and the bottom is just guiding loaded rounds up out of magazine and under the hook.  If the rearward edge of port is taking hits, the case is starting out coming to the rear but is bouncing off the slide.

 

Check the tension on the extractor using the dummy-round-snapped-under extractor on a slide removed from the frame.  Shake it - if the round pops loose, the extractor needs a little more tension.  Too much tension, and round won't feed up out of magazine and under the hook.  Low tension on extractor is a common cause of forward ejecting.

 

And also check the ejector.  Sometimes a longer 9mm type ejector has been installed - that does not always help with ejection.  Use a .45 auto shape ejector.  Again, see Kuhnhausen. 

 

If you find you can't get your Armscorp extractor to hold consistent tension, I would recommend a Wilson Bullet Proof extractor:

https://shopwilsoncombat.com/Extractor-70-Series-45-ACP-Bullet-Proof-Blue/productinfo/415-70/

 

Finally, running the "10-8 extraction" test may help you understand some of the problem(s) coming during extraction/ejection, and will let you test that you got the problem eliminated.

https://modernserviceweapons.com/?p=131

 

Good luck, GJ

[Abilene]

Joe, thank you very much for that detailed answer.  I know considerably less about 1911's than single-actions.  And I only just recently finally got Kunhausen's SAA book.  I should get the 1911 book. 

 

As for blackening, that might be hard on an a shiny all black pistol.  Silver sharpie maybe?  But then, I think you pointed out the culprit as a loose extractor, since it failed that rather simple test.  By the way, I've only shot this gun in two small matches, 182 rounds total through it.  So I rather doubt that extractor is going to tighten up with break in.  The older nickle gun has only 2294 rounds through it, still pretty new.  It passed the extractor shake test and was noticeably tighter to the touch.

[Garrison Joe]

OK, the weak extractor can be tightened with judicious bending.  Look for the instructions to "tension a 1911 extractor" on the internet.    It can be done with $200 tensioning tools, or with a padded vise, a small piece of tubing or pipe, and a few fittings back into the slide.  Bend the front half so the hook moves toward the center line of the slide more.  It won't take much deformation of the extractor.

 

Even if you buy a new one, you should check the hook's geometry and the tension when installed in your slide.  So it's worth knowing how to do extractor tensioning.  (Or know where to find your gunsmith when you need it done in a hurry....)

 

And, 1911 extractors will not tighten up with use.  They get looser.  (Unless there's crud jammed in the extractor bore of the slide)

 

Good luck, GJ