1911 dented brass

[tomh1426]

I have a Colt series 80 that usually sits home, today I took it out and it dented up all my brass.

It was Winchester white box, I used 4 different Chip McCormic magazines and I know I didnt step on them.
I was shooting at an indoor range and my brass was bouncing off the glass next to me.
Wonder if thats what did it, I hardly ever shoot at the indoor range. my .40s&w brass wasnt bent up.
Whats happening to my brass ??

 

[T. O'Heir]

That's normal and nothing to worry about. The brass is hitting the slide on its way out. Your sizer die will fix it.

 

[tomh1426]

I wonder if my other 1911's do it too and I never noticed.
As long as the gun is fine and I can size the brass Im happy.

 

[Kreyzhorse]

Seems like my TRP dents some of the brass as well. Not as bad as yours does, but it happens fairly regularly.

 

[Locoweed]

Not a problem and I've seen it far worse than yours. Resizing will iron them right out.

 

[Murdock]

Many customized 1911's and current factory offerings have a little scalloped area on the rear of the ejection port. It keeps the brass from hitting that area when the ejector flips the cases out. Most likely this is how your brass is getting dented.

This feature was originally touted as a reliability improvement, but probably just keeps the brass a little nicer, and in general is a non-problem.

 

[WSM MAGNUM]

My Kimber and S&W M&P both do it. Some guns dent them more than others. Nothing to worry about if you are not having problems with jamming or ejection.

Mine get more dented than that.

 

[Walther22lr]

What is happening to your brass is it is getting "dinged" during the ejection cycle. Not from bouncing off the glass next to you.
My .45acp was denting the empty case far worse. To the extent that I had to scrap some of the brass. Your brass is still usable.
My extractor was "clocking" over 15 degrees. This was causing me to have dinged cases and brass being thrown straight back in my face. Not pleasant at all. I fixed it by replacing the firing pin stop. No more dinged cases and no more brass in the face.

 

[tomh1426]

I sized them all last night with no problem
Im going to the same range this Sunday with my other 1911's (S&W & Taurus) I cant wait to see if they do it too.
I cant believe I never noticed this befor I shoot my 1911's alot, althow not so much the Colt.

 

[Majic]

Many customized 1911's and current factory offerings have a little scalloped area on the rear of the ejection port. It keeps the brass from hitting that area when the ejector flips the cases out. Most likely this is how your brass is getting dented.

Actually lowering the ejection port solves that problem. If you look at a slide that has the ejection port lowered (and most do today) the wall is beveled to the inside. There is the point where the brass gets dinged.

 

[tomh1426]

I shot my other 1911's (Taurus & S&W) today and they both dented my brass a little, nothing at all like the Colt.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

A buddy of mine and I were picking up several guns Alex Hamilton of Ten Ring Precision in San Antonio had worked on for us. During the course of the conversation, my buddy noted that his 1911 dinged his brass and Alex said, "Do you have a few minutes and I can take care of that for you."

Alex took about the 1911, filed on the ejector and slightly changed the angle. Then it was test fired. The process was repeated twice more and PRESTO, no more dinged cases.

I am sorry, I don't know what the angle was or exactly how it was changed, but what he did worked and it was a simple alteration to the gun that did not affect the functioning of the gun except to preclude the denting of the brass.