I don't shoot 1911s very often, frankly I have been spending far too much time with "tactical tupperware" for the last few years and have neglected my 1911s, revolvers....."fun guns" if you will. A travesty I know.

I have had an Ed Brown Kobra for a long time. It hasn't been shot a ton at all. I am experiencing a failure to feed, see pictures below. The back story is as follows.

Out of the box IIRC ran fine with Brown Mags. I did have some issues with Wilson 47D's so of course it can't be the magazines and me being of the if its not broken, you should break it so you have something to tinker with mindset, monkey'd with the extractor tension. I know stupid monkey.

Well some time later I had spoken to folks/read that some Brown's don't like 47D's, but I had already monkey'd with the extractor.

So here we are years later and I have had it out a couple times and had a single FTF in each 50 round session and I am remembering back to the details above and I've decided to make it a tinkering project......see my plan does work.

So anyway not having a massive amount of 1911 experience do you folks think the following is an extractor tension issue at play or something else?

If an extractor issue, what is the best way to get the tension "JUST RIGHT"?

As always I appreciate all the shared knowledge and if I don't say so later in threads I always try to up front.

Chris

This particular issue is with a Brown 7 round magazine and happened on the last round. Since I am just starting tinkering with this one, I don't really remember the specifics of any others at this stage. I will say I am 99% sure its not an issue particular to this magazine.

Sorry, maybe I'm just dense. Is this a FTE (Failure To Extract) or a FTF (Failure to Fire) or a FTF (Failure To Feed)?

Some of your question tells me Failure to Feed (magazine related problems), some failure to extract (monkeying with the extractor), but maybe I'm missing a full failure to fire?

Hello, I'm not trying to be a smart aleck, but has it been cleaned and lubed recently?? When I work on troubled guns, the top 3 problems are "dry, dirty, or tired springs. You might also consider removing the barrel and make sure that an unfired round will fall easily into the chamber and fall out when you tip the muzzle up.
(Btw...I'm always suspicious of re-loaded ammo, if the gun is troubled.)

quote:

This particular issue is with a Brown 7 round magazine and happened on the last round.

Not sure what I'm looking at. Is that an empty case (i.e., the round fired but failed to eject the case) stuck in the ejection port? Or is it a live round butted up against a fired case still in the chamber? Failure to eject and failure to extract (both of which start with an e, which adds to the confusion) are different issues.

Apologies and I am the first to ask said questions.

-Failure to FEED. That’s a live round in the pics not a spent case. No case in chamber(previous ejected fine). Not a double feed.

-Factory ammo. Has happened with more than one brand

-Gun is well cleaned, Well lubed and has always been so. My guns always go back in the safe cleaned and lubed.

-I haven’t specifically tested a round drop into the chamber and out as of late but I am almost positive that it passes this.

-Springs are definitely not tired or at issue. Gun might have 500 total rounds through it. Mags are very low round count on them.

I will not be offended by any seemingly rudimentary questions so no worries about being a “smart Alec” but I appreciate the thought. I am a fairly well versed and experienced shooter across the board but may very well not see the forest for the trees so no stupid
questions.


Thanks much.

For a good start use a Weigand 1911 Extractor Tension Gauge with a good scale. I use a trigger scale. Your looking for around 25 - 28 Oz of extractor tension.

https://www.amazon.com/Weigand...-Gauge/dp/B07MK4B3T3

Not a fan of 47D they bypass the 1911 controlled round feeding system in a brutal way on the extractor.

quote:

Originally posted by cslinger:

. . . what is the best way to get the tension "JUST RIGHT"?

You most likely tweaked your extractor. Unlike modern AR's, Glocks & etc., 1911's are tricky at best for the home gunsmith. For $99 the Ed Brown Basic Service Package is probably your most cost effective route. They'll go all over your pistol and return it in perfect working order.

https://www.edbrown.com/product/servicepackage/

Not a guru but in that failure, is the round in front of or is it captured by the extractor?

quote:

Originally posted by cslinger:
If an extractor issue, what is the best way to get the tension "JUST RIGHT"?

Best video I've seen on the subject...

extractor tension

Your case head isn't against the breach face where it needs to be. If it's not, the rim can't be under the extractor either. Since you said it hasn't been used much and that you messed with it, I'm going to vote way too much extractor tension. I'd start Undoing what you do'd a little at a time.



While47D's are highly regarded, they're not magic, and though they may have been the "Gold standard" for a time (for some anyway), Wilson even admits they're not perfect and sells a "better" version now.

Thanks much all. Appreciated.

Chris

Agree with the others here, likely extractor tension. 1911 public enemy number one.

Pace40 attached a great video. Jason Burton is world class. You might also look up Hilton Yam's 1911 extractor performance test, too, as a measure/assessment.

http://modernserviceweapons.com/?p=131

With barrel removed, slide a new cartridge up the face of the breech. As the case rim slides under the extractor claw, there should be only a slight increase in effort as you gently push the cartridge upwards. There should be no brass shaving.

Now hold the slide level from the rear and swing it back and forth gently, the cartridge should remain, held in place, by the extractor.

Two things.

First, that barrel hood looks pretty beat up in your pics. Might be the camera emphasizing minor defects but it's a bit odd to see any surface defects at all with an Ed Brown product. This may be an indication that sending this gun to Ed Brown might be a good idea because there may be a fitment issue between the barrel link and the frame.

If you are going to start fussing with the extractor I would advise you purchase a spare direct from Ed Brown. I don't now if they come pre-bent but I do know that it takes a surprising amount of force to bend the extractor and you run a real risk of snapping one if you lean on it too hard.

That’s just oil and some gunk on the barrel hood.

I think I’ve got it. Tinkered with the tension and she seems to be running great.

You do raise a question though. Do replacement 1911 extractors usually come “pre bent” or is it depending on manufacturer? Just curious really.

Thanks all.

https://m1911.org/technic2.htm

I used these articles when I was doing routine maintenance and tinkering with 1911s. I also used WC mags and never experienced a FTF as shown above. The extractor is a wear item but not often on a gun with so few rounds through it.