Colt 1991, 750 factory rounds, kaput! Jammed, bent extractor!

[Four Fingers of Death]

My reasonably new 1991 Colt in 9mm jammed today. I dropped the mag and the slide moved forward, not quite into battery. When I went to rack the slide, it didn't move. I removed the barrel bushing and spring to lighten the load and eventually got the slide back enough to strip the gun. As you can see, the ejector is badly bent and the underneath of the slide dinged up.

I'm glad I wasn't in Afghanistan or somewhere relying on it.

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k228/4fingermick/Handguns/20150503_212840_zpsyblct2d5.jpg (http://s89.photobucket.com/user/4fingermick/media/Handguns/20150503_212840_zpsyblct2d5.jpg.html)

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k228/4fingermick/Handguns/20150503_213318_zps11rpytbj.jpg (http://s89.photobucket.com/user/4fingermick/media/Handguns/20150503_213318_zps11rpytbj.jpg.html)

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k228/4fingermick/Handguns/20150503_213553_zpsnni1gunu.jpg (http://s89.photobucket.com/user/4fingermick/media/Handguns/20150503_213553_zpsnni1gunu.jpg.html)

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k228/4fingermick/Handguns/20150503_213715_zpsxgq2eu8e.jpg (http://s89.photobucket.com/user/4fingermick/media/Handguns/20150503_213715_zpsxgq2eu8e.jpg.html)

[Mk42gunner]

Well at least it looks fixable. No longer than you have had it, I would try for a replacement; but I don't know how your legal system would go work with that.

Robert

[Petrol & Powder]

The ejector is Fixable/replaceable. Not sure what to say about the damage to the feed rib on the slide or what caused the failure in the first place.

[bhn22]

Actually, that's the ejector. It's difficult telling what did the damage, but it bent upon ejection, not during feeding. Just before it happened, did you try ejecting a round that didn't fire? The damage could have been caused by manually ejecting an over length, unfired round. Regardless, its an easy fix. The marks inside the slide are on the side of the slide opposite of the ejector groove.

[CJR]

4 Fingers,

Your line mark across the slide, is caused by an overcocking of the hammer by the slide. An overcocked hammer will bounce back to hit the slide. The cocking surface of hammer, that rides on the slide, needs to be dressed done until it cocks the hammer just a little past sear engagement. That minimizes the hammer bounce peening the underside of the slide.

Your bent ejector looks like a bad heat-treat, i.e. too soft. Sometimes there's not enough clearance between the ejector and the groove in the slide. Stoning or using diamond files to thin the ejector gives the proper clearance.

Hope this helps.

Best regards,

CJR

[RobS]

The damage to the bottom of the slide push rib looks like possibly the hammer rebounded due too fast of reward slide motion. May need to replace recoil spring and/or look into the replacement of the mainspring which some people refer to as the hammer spring. Could also slow the slide down with a flat bottom firing pin stop.

I don't think in your case but another thought, this damage can be caused if someone dry fired and let the hammer fall with out the slide in place. Doing this can damage the frame where the hammer hit. If this may have happened take note as the metal will be elevated there on the frame. A simple fix is to take an small file with a few easy strokes smooth out the top again.

As for the ejector, it's obviously soft and will need replaced. I suggest either talking to Colt or putting a new quality one in such as Wilson, EGW, Ed Brown etc.

[CJR]

4 Fingers,

I had another thought. When your 1911 is fully assembled and you rack the slide back slowly, is the flat on the top of the hammer riding flat on the underside of the slide? If not, correct the hammer so it lays flat on the slide as the slide moves back. Proper hammer/slide contact lowers the contact stress and minimizes slide peening.

Best regards,

CJR

[CJR]

4Fingers,

A tip after you install a new ejector. Some 1911s have sloppy slide to frame fits while others have lapped slide to frame fits. Therefore, I suggest you remove the blue from both sides of the installed ejector. Then mark the sides of the ejector with a black magic marker. Then place your slide(less barrel,bushing, recoil spring/plug or guide rod, etc.) on the frame. Force the slide to one side and rack the slide back a couple of times. Then force the slide to the other side and rack it back a couple of times. Pull the slide and examine the ejector for rub marks. Dress any rub-marks off the ejector with a diamond file or stone. Keep doing this until no rub-marks show up. Then mike the width of the ejector and remove another 0.002"-0.003" from each side using the mike to check your progress. This insures that as the slide/frame loosens up(i.e. lateral clearance increases) there will be no contact between slide and ejector. If a ejector is not clearanced properly to the slide, the slide can keep hitting the ejector laterally and the mounting pins of the ejector will fatigue and eventually snap off-not good. The larger the lateral deflection of the ejector the higher the stress at the base of the ejector and the shorter the fatigue-life of the ejector mounting pins.

Likewise, after you shoot your piece for awhile see if you observe brass marks around the inside of the slide's ejection port. If so, the nose of the ejector will need to be stoned at a slight angle to insure a clean ejection of the brass through the ejection port.

Best regards,

CJR