RIA 9mm 1911 Tactical...extractor issues???

[railroader]

I had the same problem with my RIA .45 tactical. I tried to tune the extractor to no positive effect. The chamber was crap. In essence it was cone shaped. Wider at the case neck and more narrow at the rim.

I had the chamber measured before I sent it in to advanced tactical (warranty center) and let them know what the problem was and they sent it back "fixed" with a note saying they test fired it and everything was ok.

Well, they either lied or didn't know what they were doing. I had the chamber measured and got the same numbers. I gave them the benefit of a doubt and tried several types of ammo and it still had the same issue.

So take your chances with them but that could the cause of your trouble.

I can see where that would be a problem. As soon as you fire a round it would expand at the mouth of the case and then it would be tight in the chamber.

[missiontrails]

I have had nothing but problems with WWB ammmo. I like to stick with Federal from Walmart.

WWB was worked for the first 200 rounds in my Spingfield 1911 9mm... shot my second 100 rounds through it yesterday. The first 100 rounds I shot the day I picked it up new, and didn't even clean and lube the new gun first....no issues.

[Mute]

Listen to redcliff and test your extractor tension first and set it properly. Life is too short to have a gun that only shoots one type of ammo reliably. There might be other factors involved but based on the symptoms you've given, I'd suspect the extractor tension to be the most likely culprit.

[someR1]

WWB was worked for the first 200 rounds in my Spingfield 1911 9mm... shot my second 100 rounds through it yesterday. The first 100 rounds I shot the day I picked it up new, and didn't even clean and lube the new gun first....no issues.

Just my opinion. My RIA 1911 has zero issues and it will shoot any brand of ammo flawlessly. I just choose to shoot Federal.

[KandyRedCoi]

ok so i watched the video that redcliff linked, and judging from that standard and comparing to my other 1911s, the extractor definetly seems 'weak/loose'

i proceeded to clean the gun and even detailed stripped the slide, after putting the gun back together i loaded it up with some rounds to hand cycle the slide and noticed that all the rounds ejected except for the last 2 rounds (which are reloads) they got stuck on the extractor and didnt eject.

i bought other factory 9mm 115gr ammo, and will also bring some reloads from my local guy and run the gun again on sunday, hopefully ill have some time after work

now the question is, if the gun is picky on ammo, it would def need some kind of extractor tuning, is that something i can do at home or should i just send it back to ria?

and finally, if i decide to send the pistol back, what is the exact process?

thanks!

[walmart_ar15]

I would not chk the function of the gun with live rounds. Do that at the range with the barrel pointed down range. Buy some dummy rounds if you like to chk function outside the range.

Also chk the OAL for the reload. It may just be slightly longer than the factory to clear the ejection port. Not a prob.

[KandyRedCoi]

got it...so far im still here and nobody was hurt

i will check function on sunday as i stated, i simply racked the slide and watched the rounds eject, nothing different from having my nightstand weapon loaded and holstered when im home

[redcliff]

ok so i watched the video that redcliff linked, and judging from that standard and comparing to my other 1911s, the extractor definetly seems 'weak/loose'

i proceeded to clean the gun and even detailed stripped the slide, after putting the gun back together i loaded it up with some rounds to hand cycle the slide and noticed that all the rounds ejected except for the last 2 rounds (which are reloads) they got stuck on the extractor and didnt eject.

i bought other factory 9mm 115gr ammo, and will also bring some reloads from my local guy and run the gun again on sunday, hopefully ill have some time after work

now the question is, if the gun is picky on ammo, it would def need some kind of extractor tuning, is that something i can do at home or should i just send it back to ria?

and finally, if i decide to send the pistol back, what is the exact process?

thanks!

So you took the pistol apart, determined that your extractor tension was weak, and didn't add more tension? Or did you just forget to post that?

If you didn't add more tension refer to the diagram and text of adjusting your extractor tension in the link I posted ... pull the extractor half way out, and bend it a little bit toward the firing pin channel. Seriously, its not rocket science, and given reasonable care the worst that will happen is you over-bend it and get failure to feed issues, in which case you relieve some extractor tension.

The gold standard for proper extractor adjustment is to be able to single load (via the magazine, then remove it) 5 consecutive rounds and fire the pistol without the magazine in place and get proper extraction and ejection without any feed issues. However this can be difficult to obtain without a polished extractor and a precision method of adjusting the extractor like the Weigand extractor adjusting tool.

[KandyRedCoi]

redcliff, thank you, i proceeded to adjust the extractor, dont quite know how much to bend it so i bent it just a tad, and tried the tension test from the video u posted, and so far its holding up, the real test is at the range using the different methods on the link...thank you again!

[redcliff]

Sounds like you did fine KandyRedcoi, you learn it by doing it.

Keep us posted and let us know how its runs at the range.

[sirgiles]

Sometimes I wonder why I even bother trying to help people with their 1911's when my voice is drowned out by "try a different magazine" posts.

Yes, sometimes magazines go bad; feed lips wear or spread, magazine bodies crack and magazine springs go bad. Sometimes the angle/height of presentation of a round to the chamber from a certain type magazine will help band-aid an underlying problem especially with non FMJ ammunition.

However, magazines have zero relationship to failure to extract/eject, which is the problem the OP is reporting.

i know the feeling...

[KandyRedCoi]

one more thing, the trigger isnt as crisp as i like it to be...is there a way i can make it more crisp and lose the 'stacking' feel?

thanks!

[KandyRedCoi]

shot 50rds of both factory to reload ammo and all is good, woohoo!!!

thanks again CG!

[redcliff]

shot 50rds of both factory to reload ammo and all is good, woohoo!!!

thanks again CG!

I had no doubt it would go better for you, but thanks for letting us know it did. Did you try any WWB on your outing?

In regard to your trigger pull question, while I highly recommend utilizing a qualified 1911 pistolsmith for trigger jobs, many people have had good results utilizing Cylinder & Slides ignition kits which offer different pull weights and tool steel components. If you plan on utilizing the pistol for self defense I strongly suggest not going below a 4lb trigger pull. My range only 1911's have trigger pulls set at 3.0-3.5 lbs and work well for me, but some people run them much lighter on range only guns.

If you go that route be very, very sure to run all the 1911 function safety tests and start with only 2 rounds in the magazine, then work your way up in capacity after verifying the pistol isn't doubling.

[KandyRedCoi]

no WWB on my last outing i will try again on thursday

i will probably leave the trigger alone for now, until i can find a local smith that can do the trick

thanks!