1911 Expert Help Requested

[tacticalcity]

UPDATE: Consider this one solved for now. I will report back after I test out the recommended fix and see if it did the trick. If I try too many different things then I won't know which solution worked...or worse I will cause new problems. Thanks for the help. I will report back after my next range trip.

Ok, so during my last range trip I had a total of 2 of what I initially called FTEs in my range report. However, I think that is the wrong term. Because it did extract the spent casing, it just didn't eject it and throw it clear of the action.

This picture below is NOT what is happening to me...



Notice how he has a round half pulled out the chamber? That is NOT what is going on with my Kimber Custom II.

What is happening is that on the very last round in the magazine the casing is getting pulled all the way out but is not being thrown clear of the breach. The slide gets locked open, as it should, but the brass rests inside the now open space.

This only happened twice in 100 rounds. So it might just be a break in issue. But If not I am curious to see if you experts have seen this before and have a solution for it (other than sell the Kimber and buy the brand you like better).

I wish I had a picture. It might explain it better. Hopefully you can catch my drift based on the written description. I plan on making another trip to the range this weekend. If it happens again I will take a picture.

Also, out of 100 rounds I have one failure to feed. It was the second to last round. It got hung up on the lip of the chamber. Since it only happened once I am not too stressed about it. I only mention it because the two might be related.

SPECS:
Kimber Custom II
Wilson Combat 8 Round Magazine
Magtech 230gr Ball Ammo

[tacticalcity]

No 1911 experts online at the moment?

[NiteQwill]

Stovepiping? Are you limp wristing it?

Have you tried different magazines?

[Cyc Wid It]

I am no expert, but in my limited experience/research: if it's still in the "break in process" you might encounter some anomalies that will smooth themselves out as the parts break in. However, you may want to check the extractor tension and give the magazines a once over. These tend to be the most common failure points.

[Blade]

1) Have you tried different magazine? the springs may be wearing out.
2) Tried different bullet, some Kimbers can be finicky?
3) Maybe need more breaking-in?

I'm pretty sure you already know this, but posted it anyway. Hope it helps.

[tacticalcity]

I would usually define a stove pipe as one round not full ejecting and another one trying to feed. Excuse the brain fart. Normally in a stove pipe a casing prevents the slide from fully closing and chambering a new round. But the slide is forward and closed on to that casing.

In this case it was the last round in the magazine both times. And in both cases the slide was locked to the rear and the spent brass was resting inside the breach directly ontop of the empty magzine. Not in in. Just resting there in the breach. So it is being pulled from the chamber. And nothing is getting hung up on it. But it is not being thrown clear.

Bought it used. So it might be break in because I have no clue what the round count is. The magazine that came with it was worn out to all heck which suggests it had been fired alot. But who knows. FYI, that worn out magazine is not the one I am using. Maybe the Kimber's spring is worn out?

The Wilson Combat magazine having the issue is factory new. First time it was used. So it is not worn out. Did not happen on my Chip Power 10s. But that could have just been luck of the draw. Again, it was only 100 rounds total fired so it is difficult to say. And this only happened twice, but was a wierd thing to see. It was not your normal malfunction. To see it twice in the same shooting session, and have the same circumstances both times was odd.

Only tried this ammo because it is all I had. First time shooting this gun.

I doubt it was limp wristing. Never had limp wristing problems with my other guns. Have lots of training and trigger time and use proper grip, stance, and technique. Though I am new to 45ACP and 1911s, and maybe that caused me to fatigue faster. But we are only talking 100 total rounds here. So I doubt it. You would think if technique was an issue it would have happened to me before on other guns. Normally I am the first to blame myself and not the gun. But this time I think its the gun.

[Dan-0-]

It may not prove relevant but you could try giving us a little more background information such as gun age, # of rounds through her, ammo type, etc.
Doesn't sound like a stovepipe to me, given the fact that the casing was laying horizontally with the slide locked back.
Was the spent casing still held by the extractor or was it loose on the follower?
Without knowing more I would guess incorrect extractor tension, but since it only happened twice out of 100 rounds it's probably not too far off.
Check 4 correct tension by pulling off the slide & barrel and inserting a spent casing beneath the extract claw. it should be held firmly but not too tightly, you should not be able to shake it loose. Then place a live round underneath the extractor claw. Again it should be held firmly but not too tight, you should be able to shake it loose with a couple of hard shakes. If this checks out then it seems like your extractor is probably pretty close to correct tension.

Always make sure to safety check your weapons before doing anything.

Sent from my phone, so I hope this translated well.

[tacticalcity]

It may not prove relevant but you could try giving us a little more background information such as gun age, # of rounds through her, ammo type, etc.
Doesn't sound like a stovepipe to me, given the fact that the casing was laying horizontally with the slide locked back.
Was the spent casing still held by the extractor or was it loose on the follower?
Without knowing more I would guess incorrect extractor tension, but since it only happened twice out of 100 rounds it's probably not too far off.
Check 4 correct tension by pulling off the slide & barrel and inserting a spent casing beneath the extract claw. it should be held firmly but not too tightly, you should not be able to shake it loose. Then place a live round underneath the extractor claw. Again it should be held firmly but not too tight, you should be able to shake it loose with a couple of hard shakes. If this checks out then it seems like your extractor is probably pretty close to correct tension.

Always make sure to safety check your weapons before doing anything.

Sent from my phone, so I hope this translated well.

I don't have that info as I purchased it used, but based on what little evidence I have it looks to have been fired a lot. No way to be certain. So I agree it is too early to freak out. The problem may go away on its own if it is just break in issues.

Yes the spent casing was just resting in the breach with an empty inserted magazine right below it and the slide locked to the rear. No it was not being held by the extractor in anyway.

I will try what you describe. I wish I had a known to be perfect 1911 for comparison. This is my only 1911 and all my buddies have Glocks. But I'll try it.

I am not freaking out about this. It is just a little weird is all. Worst case, if it continues to happen after trying people's suggetions like checking the tension, trying new ammo, seeing if it ever happens with other magazines, then it makes a trip back to Kimber for some tweaking.

I just figured some expert out there might have seen this before.

[Dan-0-]

Sorry for the redundant questions, posting from phone between calls while waiting for food is slow. You should also pull the extractor and check to make sure that the bore hole is clear of debris, I have seen some pretty cruddy ones.
It may not be your extraction problem, but you never know.
If the extractor is to loose, you can adjust it by hand, using the slide.

[ojisan]

Since it only happens on the last round, we have to think about what is different when the last empty case ejects compared to all the others that ejected OK?
What is different is there is no longer a round in the mag during the ejection cycle.
It is likely that the empty case is hitting on the mag follower front edge, knocking the case out of the extractor so it does not get hit by the ejector enough to eject.
Try a different mag with a different follower shape.

[Kruzr]

This would indicate you need to add tension to the extractor. What is happening is on all the other rounds, the top round in the mag is holding the fired casing in the hook so it hits the ejector. On the last round, it slips under the hook and doesn't hit the ejector solidly. This can cause a stovepipe (you described a double feed as a stovepipe) or if the round is completely under the hook, the spent casing will remain horizontal in the ejection port.

Pull the extractor, clean the channel and add some tension. Do a shake test to check the tension as you adjust it.

[tacticalcity]

Since it only happens on the last round, we have to think about what is different when the last empty case ejects compared to all the others that ejected OK?
What is different is there is no longer a round in the mag during the ejection cycle.
It is likely that the empty case is hitting on the mag follower front edge, knocking the case out of the extractor so it does not get hit by the ejector enough to eject.
Try a different mag with a different follower shape.

This response and Kurr's response both make sense to me. The Wilson does have a different follower than the other mags so I can see how it could get hung up on it. Then again it also makes sense that without the pressure from the round under it a loose extrator might not be able to do its job on the last round.

If any of you guys live near Sac I'll buy ya lunch if you can teach me how to fix this thing in person.

In the mean time I'll hunt for a YouTube video.

I am a visual learner.

[ojisan]

I'm down near Los Angeles.

Kruzr may be right.
Extractor adjust vid:

[tacticalcity]

I found it right about when you posted. But thank you very much for the help. I will report back after I test it.

[Kruzr]

http://blog.wilsoncombat.com/calibers/45-acp/extractor-tuning-tips-by-bill-wilson/

Don't worry about the shape for now, just get the tension right.