Diagnose for FTE on my 1911

[Will Brink]

Folks. Had a failure to eject today at an IDPA match. The gun has never done this before in thousands of rounds. It did it twice in 90 rnds.

The case is still in the barrel and is a spent case. Ejector some how failed to grab the rim and eject it. Worst part about this one is, it’s catastrophic. That is, no “tap, rack, bang” is going to get the gun working again. You have to lock back the slide, remove the mag, then remove the spent case from the gun.

What’s the diagnosis for this type of failure to eject? Worn ejector? It probably has 8-10k rnds on it.

 

[Lugnut]

Can you see the lip of the extractor? I'd bet it's worn or broke.

(I think you meant extractor, not ejector)

 

[Will Brink]

Can you see the lip of the extractor? I'd bet it's worn or broke.

(I think you meant extractor, not ejector)

Extractor edge looks clean. Im thinking it's a tension issue.

 

[Will Brink]

Can you see the lip of the extractor? I'd bet it's worn or broke.

(I think you meant extractor, not ejector)

I just read this advice:

"Load one (live rd) in the chamber. Pull the slide back slowly by hand. Watch to see if the rd is held firmly in place or if the front of the rd "drops" a little as it clears free from the chamber. If the front drops down, your extractor isn't holding the rd firmly."

The rnd does in deed drop nose down in the test. Looks like I need to increase the extractor tension. Not that I have ever done that myself, but I think I have something of a diagnosis.

 

[Lugnut]

If you disassemble the gun, slide a cartridge up into the breach face,
the extractor should be able to hold the cartridge without it dropping. I must say, I've seen many functioning guns that won't hold a cartridge.

Replacing an extractor on a S&W isn't as trivial as other 1911s. You need to push a pin out to remove the extractor... besides... finding an extractor will likely be a PITA.

EDIT: I thought you had a S&W? That doesn't look like an external extractor.

 

[Will Brink]

If you disassemble the gun, slide a cartridge up into the breach face,
the extractor should be able to hold the cartridge without it dropping. I must say, I've seen many functioning guns that won't hold a cartridge.

Did the above. Extractor will hold it, but just barely. Flops around. Bit of a shake, and the rnd falls out. Should I adjust extractor tension, and if so, do it myself or give it to smith? I know it's a simple thing, and I also know it's a simple thing that's easy to screw up.

I I thought you had a S&W? That doesn't look like an external extractor.

I have an SnW that is my general IDPA gun, but I also have a Caspian Ti framed Commander (Greg Derr built it and put pics up of it some time ago) that is my CCW gun, and once in a while IDPA gun. Put 300rnds through it at the range last week with zero problems, so of course the problem would show itself dead in the middle of a classifier! Of course there are worse places such problems could arise....

 

[Will Brink]

Can you see the lip of the extractor? I'd bet it's worn or broke.

(I think you meant extractor, not ejector)

Yup, extractor.