Older Colt, circa 1980’s, had numerous problems when I bought it years ago, fixed most. It had the old style ejector (not extended tip), and it worked ok, with the occasional shell down the shirt. As suggested by Gene’s CD, I decided to change it for and extended tip version. It began slamming shells in to the lower side of the port. Tuning/modifying the ejector tip did not cure the problem, using a variety of profiles on the tip. I am going back to the old ejector. But why won’t the new style work. I did lower the port about 1/8″. Bill
It didn’t work because the new style was extended and likely too long for the gun. Since the old style worked except for angle of ejection (I assume your comment about shells down the shirt means it ejects straight back), tuning the ejector tip would be a better option than changing the ejector to a longer one. I’m assuming everything else is working correctly, extractor, etc. Jeff
Answer
You may have to adjust the extractor and or ejector and chamfer the inside of the ejection port to help cure the cases coming back at the shooter. A straight line between the last part of the ejector and the last part of the extractor to touch the case is the ejection angle. If the case is ejecting back into shooter the angle of ejection is probably too low and the case is hitting the inside of the slide below the ejection port. You may have to adjust the ejector so the case hits it a bit lower. Come take the extractors class….lots of fun. Ken
Answer
The long ejector will work just fine on a 1980’s Colt, in fact, it can make it work better because it can eject the case before it has time to become dislodged by the violent action of the slide. Assuming the extractor is sharp and holds the case to the slide face, you only need to cut the ejector properly. My cuts come from working on lots of 1911s used by cops – they have to work all the time. The angles cut on the front of the ejector make all the difference in the world. When viewing from the side, it should be cut like the following photo:
The ejector will hit medium low on the case, the “point’ will dig in slightly on the case, and the top rearward angle will act as a “hinge point,” allowing the case to go up and out… instead of down like it currently is doing.
The next photo is looking down from the top (mostly) and the angle is a little exaggerated.
Look at the ejector and notice the angle that the smith is holding the file. Look at the ejector and notice that it is angled. The left side of the ejector is slightly longer than the right (it really should only be about 5-10 degrees). The left side will hit the rear of the case first and the angle will, again, act as a “hinge point” and help the case move toward the right side of the gun.
The combination of angles will allow the case to be ejected up and to the right of the shooter. Mark
