series 80 extractor issue

[aluminum]

i have an 87 combat elite with about 500 rounds thru it. it has been totally trouble free. EVERY time its been shot. it only has about 500 rounds total thru it. yesterday at the range, twice out of 100 rounds of wwb it extracted the spent casing, but failed to flip it out off the breechface. the cases were just held in the extractor.

last week when i cleaned it after the range where it had functioned correctly, i did not remove the extractor. i did not modify it in any way, or slam it shut on a chambered round. i basically fired 30-40 rounds last week, did a cursory slide removal, clean and relube, reassembled. no round was chambered until yesterday when i arrived at the range, after last weeks cleaning.

now this occurs. since nothing was changed other than the lube itself, is it possible this occured because yesterday for the first time, the temp was below freezing, and i need to rethink winter lubrication? slide, bushing, barrel lugs were lubed with white lithium. white lithium had worked fine last week when i first tried it...but it was also 60 degrees outside. yesterday...below freezing.

would you try it again with some diff ammo and lighter or less lube, before changing extractor tension or getting intrusive with a gun that has always functioned flawlessly until it got real cold?

thanks in advance.

[Ben H]

Aluminum:

I would keep using the same ammo until you get the problem sorted out. I'm inclined to say that the white lithium grease is the culprit here. I would wipe it all off and lube with a quality gun oil that's rated for below O degrees. Keep us posted as to your findings.

Good Shooting,
Ben H

[John]

Frozen lubricant can be an issue. Also, check that your ejector is not broken.

[OD*]

I assume your ejector is in good shape?

[aluminum]

thanks Ben H. i have a few more boxes of the same...lol
it will be monday before my range trip comes up again, but i will definately try a different and lighter lube. i think the gun is broken in well enough and honestly i might have gotten heavy on the lube up in the lugs....taking some of the recoil snap out of it.

i hate to blame lube, but on the other hand this just pops up all of a sudden when it gets cold as a you know what... and like i said, i hadnt gotten any more intrusive with the last cleaning than a toothbrush.

[aluminum]

OD i think it is. i am the only person to ever fire the gun. it appears as new. it has worked as it should for about 500 rounds. i mean FLAWLESS. it has never been slam shut on a chambered round. i will look again today under a magnifying glass to be sure.

[aluminum]

i will check this better today John, and try to get a few clear pics. i think the boss will let me, since he...is me :D

have heard of grease and temp issues, have never experienced them. but im wondering now.

[Dreadnought]

i will check this better today John, and try to get a few clear pics. i think the boss will let me, since he...is me :D

have heard of grease and temp issues, have never experienced them. but im wondering now.
Is your ejector (not extractor, it's pinned to the frame) tight/ still in place and in normal condition? A loose or broken ejector would cause ejection problems like feeding the next round in the mag with the spent case still stuck in the extractor.

[aluminum]

i didnt take picks of the ejector, however i checked everything out pretty good and it all seems like new to me. no rubs, everything is fine by appearance.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f54/bigassbike/PICT9531.jpg

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f54/bigassbike/PICT9523.jpg

[OD*]

Extractor looks OK to me, maybe it is something as simple as the lube?

[aluminum]

i compared the leading edge of the ejector to my other series 80(new) but the leading edge is cut totally different so that didnt tell me much. the new one points forward at the top, the 1987 points backwards, i assume is because the slide is cut differently at the ejection port.

i toothbrushed and solvent cleaned it all, put it back together with breakfree for oil, and my old slide grease. very little of the grease. slid it together a few times and cleaned the excess.

slick as can be, the gun is so much smoother feeling compared to my newer one....so it will be monday and i will update.

[Hawkmoon]

Don't use grease in sub-freezing weather. Try some 15W50 or 20W50 Mobil-1 synthetic motor oil. (Or, if you think you'll be in the cold a lot, try Castrol Syntec 5W50.)

[aluminum]

i have cases of the mobil. during the winter its shooting cold or not shooting at all for me. i can see im gonna have to do some things differently.

[aluminum]

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f54/bigassbike/PICT9201.jpg

[Rick McC.]

If it happened with only two WWB rounds out of 100, and none of the previous 500 rounds, could it be as simple as a couple of under powered rounds?

Rick

[aluminum]

yes it sounds possible.
monday at the range i will have diff ammo, diff lighter lube on the gun, and the temp will either be above or below freezing who knows?

its either gonna do it again or not. im leaning towards not. will post up monday afternoon.

[aluminum]

30 degrees this morning, no problems at all. :appld:

thinner oil and less of it.

[OD*]

30 degrees this morning, no problems at all. :appld:

thinner oil and less of it.
Good deal. http://forum.m1911.org/images/icons/icon14.gif

[aluminum]

yep OD it was fine. :D
i shot about 80 rounds of WWB(same kind of ammo) never a jam.