The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Skunkworks > The Smithy

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old April 15, 2015, 03:53 PM   #1
Vet66
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 31, 2014
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 187
45ACP case damage

I'm trying to figure out why my cases are leaving a dented/divot upon ejecting cases. I replaced the spring to no avail....help!



Vet66 is offline  
Old April 15, 2015, 04:08 PM   #2
WVsig
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 30, 2010
Location: NC
Posts: 5,309
What kind of guns is it that is denting the cases?
__________________
-The right to be left alone is the most comprehensive of rights, and the right most valued by free people.-Louis Brandeis
-Its a tool box... I don't care you put the tools in for the job that's all... -Sam from Ronin
-It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. -Aristotle
WVsig is offline  
Old April 15, 2015, 04:14 PM   #3
AKexpat
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 5, 2014
Location: SW WA State
Posts: 490
20+ years ago I had a Para-Ord P-14 frame kit pistol with a no-name slide that produced ejected cases nearly identical to your example. The slide had a standard original shallow GI ejection port, and the only thing I could come up with is that the empty casing was slamming into the bottom rear of the opening. Changed the slide to one with an enlarged port and could not replicate it. At the time I reloaded .45 ACP and the dent did not seem to affect the amount of times the case(s) could be reloaded vs. a non-dented case.

Just my observation.

Edit: Read the post below and realized I should have stated bottom rather than top of ejection port.
__________________
To be governed – is to be watched, inspected, directed, indoctrinated, numbered, estimated, regulated, commanded, controlled, law-driven, preached at, spied upon, censured, checked, valued, enrolled – by creatures who have neither the right, nor the wisdom, nor the virtue to do so. - Pierre-Joseph Proudhon

Last edited by AKexpat; April 15, 2015 at 04:31 PM.
AKexpat is offline  
Old April 15, 2015, 04:19 PM   #4
Roughedge
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 24, 2011
Location: Monroe,NC
Posts: 669
I agree that its hitting the ejection port at the bottom. Have a smith lower it and it should clear up.
__________________
The man that die's with the most stuff win's!
Roughedge is offline  
Old April 15, 2015, 04:58 PM   #5
rock185
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 2, 2001
Location: Out West in Rim Country
Posts: 1,088
Yes, it's hitting the bottom of the ejection port on the way out. It could occur with about any type of semi-auto pistol, but it's VERY common with Colt Series '70 and prior 1911 type pistols with the ejection ports like the orginal Colts,i.e., not lowered. Most current production 1911 type pistols have a lowered and sometimes flaired ejection ports so this is not usually an issue any more. There is more than one way to address the issue if desired. I used to reload .45ACP a lot, many times with cases dented as in your photo, some worse. Never caused a problem unless the dent was so bad I had to flair the case mouth prior to sizing the case.......ymmvi
__________________
COTEP 640, NRA Life
rock185 is offline  
Old April 15, 2015, 05:59 PM   #6
Nathan
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 1, 2001
Posts: 6,285
Relieving the bottom edge of the extractor should improve this.

Removing material at F should allow it to rotate up more coming out of the gun.

Nathan is offline  
Old April 15, 2015, 06:14 PM   #7
lee n. field
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 12, 2002
Location: The same state as Mordor.
Posts: 5,567
Quote:
I'm trying to figure out why my cases are leaving a dented/divot upon ejecting cases. I replaced the spring to no avail....help!
What gun?

(Since you don't say, I'll assume you're either a 1911 owner or (slightly less likely) a Glock owner. Everyone else realizes there're other guns out there.)

How long has it does this?

What changed, from when it worked to when it didn't?
__________________
"As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. "
lee n. field is offline  
Old April 15, 2015, 06:18 PM   #8
gwpercle
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 30, 2012
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Posts: 1,740
Make sure they are not being ejected onto a concrete or other hard surface floor. I pick up a lot of them that hit the floor at just the right angle to put a flat spot on the mouth.
Just looking for the easy answer, sometimes it's the obvious that gets overlooked.
Nice photo's!
Gary
gwpercle is offline  
Old April 15, 2015, 06:30 PM   #9
4V50 Gary
Staff
 
Join Date: November 2, 1998
Location: Colorado
Posts: 21,824
Lowering the ejection port helps as would altering the angle of the ejector.

Mind you, my primary concern would be the reliability of a 1911 and not how the brass is dented. For a defensive firearm (military and police), reliability is priority #1.
__________________
Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. Molon Labe!
4V50 Gary is offline  
Old April 15, 2015, 06:32 PM   #10
RJay
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 2, 2005
Location: Arizona
Posts: 1,936
That case looks as if it has a crack in it,
__________________
Ron James
RJay is offline  
Old April 15, 2015, 06:46 PM   #11
Vet66
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 31, 2014
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 187
Thanks to all for the replies. This is a 1911 that is circa 1950-60 I've never fired it much until recently, never noticed the brass as I was not reloading early on. I will take the advice and, have a 'smith look it over. It does shoot very well, no stops, average 5" group @ 25 yards....not the best sights in the planet and, tired eyes with glasses. RJ, I did check after you mentioned it, not a crack, just a smudge that wiped of with finger. Thanks again all.
Vet66 is offline  
Old April 15, 2015, 08:43 PM   #12
polyphemus
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 24, 2012
Posts: 1,055
Check the extractor tension,you don't have enough.
polyphemus is offline  
Old April 15, 2015, 09:56 PM   #13
Sevens
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 28, 2007
Location: Ohio
Posts: 11,755
If this is a fact finding mission, I fully support the endeavor. But I have to say that (at least in my opinion), it would be a crime against humanity to attempt ANYTHING to rectify this "problem."

It is a non-problem. And it is extremely common. And while it may annoy you... if the pistol runs flawlessly, there is no downside here. And if you handload (or intend to eventually) you may be a bit surprised to know that after a trip through the sizing die -- there'll be little to no evidence that it ever happened in the first place.

It really is very, very common in .45 Auto.
__________________
Attention Brass rats and other reloaders: I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.
Sevens is offline  
Old April 16, 2015, 07:46 AM   #14
polyphemus
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 24, 2012
Posts: 1,055
Quote:
It really is very, very common in .45 Auto
This is true,but it can also be easily rectified without filing or grinding anything.
It obviously bothers OP enough to ask about it and that condition is one of the signs he may have a weak extractor, does not hurt to check.
polyphemus is offline  
Old April 16, 2015, 11:10 AM   #15
g.willikers
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 28, 2008
Posts: 10,442
Don't sweat it.
As long as the cases clear the gun, all is well.
Modifiying the slide may not always turn out as advertised.
My old clunk does that and thousands of rounds have gone through it.
It has the old style exhaust port.
The cases look just fine after reloading.
__________________
Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez:
β€œDon't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”
g.willikers is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:32 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.06616 seconds with 10 queries