45acp Failure to Eject

[gregj]

I had a few FTE this weekend with my reloads in my Kimber Gold Match II (internal extractor), see attached pic. The empty brass did not eject, the slide came back pushing the case up against the barrel hood. A couple of times, the only way to get the brass out was to slightly nudge the case down so that it would go back into the chamber, then rack the slide back where it ejected.

My loads are 200gr Berrys RN with 5.7gr of W231, OAL 1.235 and mixed headspace brass.

Ideas on possible causes? Lighter recoil spring maybe? 16# is standard, maybe a 14#? The GM is fairly new, and the extractor is not chipped. TIA

 

[BigBob3006]

gregj,

It looks as if the slide is not coming back far enough to have the case strike the ejector. A very good fix for this is to replace the standard ejector with a ejector from a Colt Commander. This is the fix for a Colt Auto and I'll bet it will also work for your pistol.

 

[Walkalong]

It is hard to believe the slide is not going all the way back with a standard spring. That load should be plenty to overcome a stock spring.

I would look at the extractor first, and ejector second. While an extended ejector may help, as it will get the case out a little quicker, there seems to be something else going on.

Is the extractor clocking? Over tensioned? Not enough room between it and the breechface? Stuff like that.

Hopefully the experts will chime in.

 

[gregj]

The pistol is almost new, and had a very low round count when I picked it up. I'll check the extractor tension tonight. There were a couple instances where the case was held so tight I could not move it. I had to nudge it back down enough to go into the chamber so that I could rack the slide to remove it. Thanks

EDIT to add: The cases are not landing at my feet, they are well within the 6-8 ft range, so this seems to indicate the recoil spring should be about right for my reloads.

 

[Walkalong]

I'll check the extractor tension tonight. There were a couple instances where the case was held so tight I could not move it

There ya go.

 

[snuffy]

That's one nasty looking case! Don't you tumble them? If the brass is that dirty, the chamber is too. Extracting that filthy case might be difficult enough to slow things down so it's not hitting the ejector.

That load should certainly have enough snap to work the action. How much oil do you have on the slide? I like a well oiled 45, not dripping but plenty. Looking at extractor and ejector issues might be premature if the basics aren't being met.

 

[gregj]

Snuffy, first off, that's a cr@ppy cell phone pic. And yes, I tumble all my brass, at least 2-3 hrs prior to loading them, and I clean my guns after each range session. They get grease on the slides and oil everywhere else. My firearms are NEVER run dry. Period.

It could also be slightly marginal brass, that didnt expand quite enough in the chamber, thus getting discolored? Like I said, my brass is all range pickup, so the problem could be the brass as well.

After checking the extractor tonight, I'll also keep track of the brass that hang up like this. Thanks

 

[rcmodel]

I would not change to a lighter spring.
It should work just fine with a 16 pound spring.

Test your loads power by single loading rounds in the mag and shooting it several times.
See if the slide locks open every time.

If it does, the slide is getting enough recoil impulse & full travel to eject with the standard ejector.
So something else is wrong with the gun.

rc

 

[gregj]

RC, excellent suggestion! Will try it this weekend. thanks

 

[gregj]

I have some pics of the extractor, but this is beginning to feel like 'smithing, so I'm going to post it in the gunsmith forum.

 

[Walkalong]

PM a mod and they will move this thread.

 

[dhfenno]

I was just shooting almost that exact load with wonderful results.
200gr Berrys SWC over 5.2gr WW231 at 1.20 OAL.
It was running right around 850fps on a 70degree day 100ft above sea level.
Your load sounds good. Check the extractor. Me thinks therein lies the problem.