1911 malfunction - gun or magazine?

[IamNOTaNUT]

Greetings!

I have recently acquired a Kimber 1911 (Classic Custom Target) and like it a LOT! This is my first 1911. I have been hearing how the 1911 is a finicky design, so I need to know if the problems I am having are normal break in, or if there is a more significant problem. I have not had this much trouble with any other handgun right out of the box, including Sig's, Glocks, Berettas, etc.

1. Occasionally (once or twice through 4 mags of shooting) the gun does not fully extract/eject the spent case. I thought it might have been limp wristing because I am new to the .45 but have since ruled that out because it will do it even with a vicelike grip.

2. Once in a while when I slap a magazine into the gun with the slide back on a reload, the top cartridge pops out. Not a good thing to have happen in the middle of a PPC match.

I have 538 rounds through the gun, mostly with 200 grain LSW handloads and UMC 230 grain ball. Some 185 grain Golden Sabers with no problems, though I haven't put a hundred of those puppies through it yet.

Any suggestions?

 

[Hard Ball]

Does this happen with all the magazines you have for your pistol? If so, it is probably a problem with the pistol.

 

[Mike Irwin]

No. 1 sounds like normal break-in for a semi-auto.

It could also be:

1. reloads that aren't correctly sized.

2. a tight chamber.

Try a good thorough cleaning and relubrication to see if that helps the problem any.

Problem No. 2 sounds like a magazine problem in that the feedlips are a little too splayed. I had this problem with one of my .45 mags a few months ago.

 

[George Hill]

Sounds like an AMMO issue to me.

What kind of ammo is this your shooting?

 

[James K]

Ammo popping out of a magazine is a magazine problem. Period.

You say cases don't extract/eject. Can you describe the problem more fully. Extraction and ejection are related but they are different actions.

Jim

 

[George Hill]

I was talking about the failure to fully extract or eject... Thats ammo.
Rounds popping out of the mag is mag related - that shouldnt even be a question.

 

[Bob C]

The failure to fully eject or extract could be the extractor. It can happen if the extractor's damaged, dirty, or just on the wrong end of the spec range for that particular pistol.

 

[IamNOTaNUT]

Thanks for the information thus far folks. The ammo is one of two types. The first is factory UMC 230 grain ball, the other is handloaded 200 grain LSWC.

I will double check the dimensions on these rounds to make sure they are all within spec. While this is not the first semi-auto I have loaded for (9mm % .40) it is the initial set-up of my .45 dies, so something could be out of whack.

Perhaps I should test the rounds by removing the barrel from my gun and checking my ammo with by dropping it into the chamber to check for fit???

What do you all think?

Oh, the round popping out seems related to only one magazine, so I will try pressing the feed lips a bit closer together to see if I can cure that problem.

More information was requested regarding extraction / ejection. I didn't really analyse this at the range, but if I recall correctly, the case was pulled most of the way out of the chamber, but not fully, and the slide would not complete its cycle. Does this make sense?