1911 help? Brass hitting me in the face!

[Schwebel]

So I am still pretty new to 1911's, and have a question. I took my Springfield GI Champion out to the range yesterday. It has been a 100% reliable gun with about 500 rounds through it. After I went through about 50 rounds yesterday, the brass started hitting me in the face. And I got one stovepipe. I was using WWB, and the mags I was using were new, I just bought 6 factory Springer 7 shot mags. Could the issue be the mags?, or is it an extractor issue?, and if so how do I fix it? Thanks for any help.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[friesepferd]

haha. thats kinda amusing. dont have an answer for ya though sorry

[1911NM]

I am sure one of the gunsmiths with way more experience than I will chime in, but may be an extractor tension issue.

[goawayfarm]

My first instinct would be your grip....was your wrist locked (limp-wristing will cause both problems you mentioned)? Typically when you shoot a lot of rounds at a time, you'll start out doing it right then, towards the end you may have the tendency to get a little sloppy.

Second, could be an extractor issue. Before making any adjustments to your extractor be sure it's not you.

[Captain Crunch]

It might be a recoil spring issue.

http://www.sightm1911.com/index.htm

The correct recoil spring poundage is important to the reliability of your pistol. Too light a spring will batter the pistol and weaken the chambering process; too heavy a spring will result in failures to extract and eject, or in "stovepipe" stoppages. A too-heavy spring is also rough on the extractor. A too-quick closing of the slide will force the extractor over the rim of the cartridge, rather than allowing the cartridge to move up under the extractor in a controlled feed. It also has the effect of battering the slide stop unduly. The stock recoil spring in a standard 1911 is rated at 16 pounds. Moving up one notch to 18 ½ pounds will be about right for most pistols shooting hardball and other full-power defense ammo. Anything heavier is too much. Be sure to test the new recoil spring by shooting the pistol one-handed and loosely. It should function positively. If not, go back to the 16-pound spring.

[raevan]

I would go with your grip as well, You may be tilting your hand inward as well as not having wrist stiff enough. The pistol is designed to eject up and out. The GI Champion has a normal ejection port, which means it is not lowered and ported, so there is more of a tendancy for the casing to hit the side of the port if pistol is not held correctly.

[Supertac45]

Recoil spring, ejector, or extractor could cause the problem. The easiest fix is a different ammo in most cases. Also make sure your using the right recoil spring poundage and change it when needed.

[aus71383]

+1 Supertac

Its unlikely your recoil spring is worn out after only 500 rounds...they're usually good for a couple thousand if not more.

How dirty was the gun? The ejector has an angle (is supposed to have an angle) on it to get the brass going in the right direction, so it seems like if that were the problem you would have noticed it before now...unless it was cold out (I'm sure it was) and the gun was dirty and/or under-lubricated, in which case it might have been cycling a lot slower than normal.
If the extractor has too much tension on it (which could be caused by being too dirty) it can make the cases want to "flip" and spin a lot coming out.

I think if it were me I'd give it a good cleaning and see what happens.

Austin

[Mtbiker]

change to a stronger recoil spring.

[Sergeant Mac]

My old Commander used to periodically bounce brass off my forehead.

I'm pretty sure it was the extractor, because after I replaced it, it never happened again.

[frankmako]

check your extractor. it could be the problem. if a small amount ot the extractor breaks off it will change the angle of the brass. i am talking about the tip. or the tip has rounded. that will allso change the angle.

[cphilip]

yes... extractor might be just a tad too tight. Stronger Springs fix things like this but don't really get to the root of the problem and fix what causes them. I suspect your extractor is a tad too tight. It needs a teak of a bend to relax it. But just a tad.

[Sarge45]

My first instinct would be your grip....was your wrist locked (limp-wristing will cause both problems you mentioned)? Typically when you shoot a lot of rounds at a time, you'll start out doing it right then, towards the end you may have the tendency to get a little sloppy.

Second, could be an extractor issue. Before making any adjustments to your extractor be sure it's not you.

I agree completely with this prognosis.

[QKShooter]

There is a way to slightly alter the extractor hook in order to prevent your brass from pelting you in the face.
It's an easy/simple modification but, it's difficult to describe.
Basically, you just need to stone the bottom of the hook and round it off in order to allow your brass to release and exit the port earlier.
I'll try and post a close~up pic in a day or two.

[tegemu]

DUCK!!! I used to have a pistol that did it and I resolved it by sending it to the factory who adjusted the extractor and did some other magic to it. There was one advantage, it only did it on the last round in a magazine so you had a real positive indicator of when it was time to insert a new magazine.