Bullseye

Not seeing very many folks taking up the challenge I threw out last night; only had one brave soul.

Here's another clue- The problem is the most likely cause to create this situation.



Who's next?

R,
Bullseye

Gunny B

Extractor not engaging enough...worn

Bullseye

There's a winner!

The extractor claw is sitting high out from the breech face which causes and inconsistent ejection of the spent cartridges. This can be from wear or an incorrect fit on the extractor itself.

To test for proper claw tension and hold, remove the bolt, place a live round on the claw and shake the bolt back and forth. If the round stays secure underneath the claw you have the proper tension from the extractor plunger and the claw is positioned properly to retain the casing. Otherwise the claw will allow the spent casing to sag, or depart the breech face prematurely, and fail to strike the ejector pin with enough force to sufficiently clear the ejection port. This ejection timing problem will cause a "stovepipe" jam like the one pictured in the clue.

Notice the successive round has a "bent nose" jam because the spent casing has not cleared the breech face and allowed the new round to insert underneath the claw. If the bottom edge of the extractor claw is not properly "broken" slightly it can catch on the brass of the casing and cause another timing issue which would also create a "Bent nose" jam. (Breaking the bottom edge is just slightly honing the bottom sharp edge/corner enough to allow for the case to smoothly transition underneath the hook.)

R,
Bullseye

firemanjones

I did that to my 10143 Talo, but it still hung up a little. I had to file and use a dremel on the piece of the bolt stop that slides into the frame so it would drop freely with the gravity.

firemanjones

I also replaced the extractor with one from Volquartsen, it wouldn't work properly. I called Volquartsen and was told they need to be modified for the Mark III 22/45. They sent one out that was modified and now works great.
I was also told that they will soon be making them modified in the next run.
Also if someone has one and it is not extracting properly all one has to do is file the tip just a wee bit and it is now modified.

Gunny B

So Bullseye.....

Where do I go to collect that brand new MKIII and the cash?

Bullseye

I'd rather owe it to you than cheat you out of it!

Actually your award is just the satisfaction of solving the problem; a job well done!

R,
Bullseye

Gunny B

Ahhhhhhhh....

Thought I finally hit the BigOne

But it's all good!

Bullseye

You did, in my book!

R,
Bullseye

gmsoapy

Hey the reward is the education we all get from Bullseye. You now how much it would cost to get the things fixed that Bullseye has helped all of us fix. And Bullseye I don't care how long you've been doing this you're still one smart guy. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us that's a great gift to all.

KJS

I would be an example of somebody who destroyed a bolt catch in exactly that manner.

The manual shows closing it by slingshoting, though the manual never warns not to close the bolt by using the bolt catch.

To a novice who doesn't know any better, closing the bolt by pressing on a lever that closes the bolt seems perfectly reasonable. At least it did to me. It would be nice if Ruger included that warning in their manual. At least this thread may help others avoid this rookie mistake.

KJS

OK, I'm confused on that part. How do you close a 1911 properly?

My only experience with 1911s were rental guns. And it's been so long that I don't even recall how I closed them.

I wanted to say that I really appreciate informational threads like this that don't treat novices as if we're idiots. After all, every shooter at one time started from a position of knowing nothing about guns.

Bullseye

I was a new shooter at one time myself, the difference for me is I remember way back to that time and how much I appreciated my military mentor who helped me understand how pistols and rifles thoroughly operated so I could compete better for the teams. I thought very little of those who belittled others for something they just didn't know.

A 1911 has a hardened stop and can be closed by depressing the stop lever without any excessive wear in either the slide or the stop lever. The slide also has an angled stop notch cut, so one can use the Slingshot technique to close the slide by simply reaching over the top of the slide with the weak hand, grasping the slide serrations (thumb facing you), and pulling rearward then release. Most folks just activate the slide stop lever with the thumb of the weak hand.

R,
Bullseye

KJS

Thanks for the information. I'm confused on the highlighted part though. I gather you mean if slingshoting a 1911 my thumb should be pointed at me, which would be the opposite of the picture you posted of slingshoting a MK there your hand is pointed forward.

That confused me since I can't think of why it would matter what your hand position is. When I slingshot my Glock I hold it out in front of me and pull back just like the MK pic shows. I never thought about it; that position is just what comes naturally. Holding my hand the other way would seem awkward, unless I had to slingshot it while the gun is held close to my body.

Bullseye

The way I described slingshotting the 1911 (or other large framed autos) gives you more control over the slide and your hand pulls naturally away from the pistol so you can deliver a shot without the possibility of damage to the weak hand. It may seem more awkward for you right now because you've grown accustomed to the other method, but if you practice the way I described it will become more familiar.

R,
Bullseye