So today during my cleaning session with my para LTC commander, i my ejector rod fell out! I see that it has a small/tiny roll pin holding it in place. I can get a replacement ejector rod from brownells for around $25. My question is, is this a project that one can do at home or is it more complicated than it seems.
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Broken 1911 ejector rod.....
- Thread starter Gus90
- Start date
I don't know what an "ejector rod" is. Is it called that in a parts list or diagram, or can you post a picture?
The ejector in a 1911 type pistol is a vertical blade with two "legs" that is pinned into the top of the frame at the left rear; it shouldn't fall out, even if the pin works loose somehow. Replacing it would only involve pushing it back in place and installing the pin (or maybe a new pin that would fit better).
Jim
The ejector in a 1911 type pistol is a vertical blade with two "legs" that is pinned into the top of the frame at the left rear; it shouldn't fall out, even if the pin works loose somehow. Replacing it would only involve pushing it back in place and installing the pin (or maybe a new pin that would fit better).
Jim
I've replaced a number of 1911 ejectors.
Consider the pin a single-use part.
Remove all the pieces of the old one from the frame.
File the legs until the ejector sit down on the frame with no light showing under it.
Secure it in that location and use your 1/16 punch to mark the front leg and then use a round needle file to notch it *just* enough for the pin to clear it.
Replace and pin in.
I use a dab of Red Loctite to make sure the new ejector stays put.
Consider the pin a single-use part.
Remove all the pieces of the old one from the frame.
File the legs until the ejector sit down on the frame with no light showing under it.
Secure it in that location and use your 1/16 punch to mark the front leg and then use a round needle file to notch it *just* enough for the pin to clear it.
Replace and pin in.
I use a dab of Red Loctite to make sure the new ejector stays put.
The pin is small but is driven out easily enough. If it is a roll pin a roll pin driver might be better but a normal drift punch should work. Now the broken front "leg" is a different story, because they fit into a blind hole. Sometimes they can be removed by just a sharp rap on the top of the frame with a plastic hammer. But I have seen them stuck so tightly that the only recourse was to drill a small hole in the frame up from inside the magazine well and drive the broken part out. You have to start the hole with a Dremel tool and then use a long drill bit. Once the broken stud is out, drill the hole from the top full size until it breaks through the frame. That way, if you ever have the problem again it is easily fixed.
Broken ejectors were a real rarity when they were milled from steel stock, but when some makers started to cast them, trouble started. Good luck!
P.S. I don't recommend trying to drill out the broken stud from the top. The ejector stud is harder than the frame and it is too easy to have the drill wander and come out the side of the frame.
P.P.S. I don't know why they didn't just drill that hole through to begin with; apparently no one considered a broken ejector to be possible. Oh, and Kuhnhausen, guru of all gunsmithing on the 1911, warns to use caution in removing an ejector as the stud can break off inside the frame. But he doesn't say what to do if that happens!!
Edited to add: "use a bit of Loctite..." That will make an ejector, even an unbroken one, almost impossible to remove and there is no need for it.
Jim
Broken ejectors were a real rarity when they were milled from steel stock, but when some makers started to cast them, trouble started. Good luck!
P.S. I don't recommend trying to drill out the broken stud from the top. The ejector stud is harder than the frame and it is too easy to have the drill wander and come out the side of the frame.
P.P.S. I don't know why they didn't just drill that hole through to begin with; apparently no one considered a broken ejector to be possible. Oh, and Kuhnhausen, guru of all gunsmithing on the 1911, warns to use caution in removing an ejector as the stud can break off inside the frame. But he doesn't say what to do if that happens!!
Edited to add: "use a bit of Loctite..." That will make an ejector, even an unbroken one, almost impossible to remove and there is no need for it.
Jim
Had to deal with a similar issue with a broken screw in a shotgun. I put it on the mill, used an undersized drill and removed it that way. Why a mill? I don't trust myself with a hand drill and with a mill I could precisely place the drill where I wanted it. By moving the knee up/down, I could control with precision the depth of the drill.
polyphemus
New member
Good quality 1/16"pin punch.
Left to Right out.
Right to Left in.
good luck
Left to Right out.
Right to Left in.
good luck
nvdwarrior
Inactive
Use a split roll pin...
Had this exact issue with my Remington R1. The solid roll pin used to hold the extractor was undersized and eventually fell out when I used my air compressor during cleaning. It actually helped me to find out why my R1 was having intermittent failures to feed, more like failures to eject because the extractor was very loose. So, Remington sends me a replacement roll pin....way too long. The second roll pin shows up and it was a split or slotted spring pin. This added the tightness I needed to keep it in place and no additional Locktite was required which Remington says you should not use. So...go with a split spring pin it adds tension.
Had this exact issue with my Remington R1. The solid roll pin used to hold the extractor was undersized and eventually fell out when I used my air compressor during cleaning. It actually helped me to find out why my R1 was having intermittent failures to feed, more like failures to eject because the extractor was very loose. So, Remington sends me a replacement roll pin....way too long. The second roll pin shows up and it was a split or slotted spring pin. This added the tightness I needed to keep it in place and no additional Locktite was required which Remington says you should not use. So...go with a split spring pin it adds tension.
The ejector is expected take the impact of tens of thousands of rounds before replacement. The more tension you load on that pin, the sooner it is likely to fail. As James K duly noted, the cheapening of ejectors (to include undersize studs) has caused more replacements than any other factor.
Just a note regarding the use of Loctite on ejectors. Loctite is a fact of life with 1911 ejectors; Springfield and I believe Kimber have used it in lieu of crosspins.
I apply it sparingly on the mating surfaces where the ejector meets the frame, not on the studs themselves. Even Red Loctite is easily neutralized by the heat produced by a cheap soldering iron or propane torch. BTW that's exactly how I've removed stubborn ejector studs broken off in the frame. Heat, PB Blaster repeated as necessary along with a sharp pick to wiggle it loose.
And finally, I am not the guru of 1911 mechanics nor am I trying to get anyone to adopt my methods. Just relating something that has worked for me over the years.
Just a note regarding the use of Loctite on ejectors. Loctite is a fact of life with 1911 ejectors; Springfield and I believe Kimber have used it in lieu of crosspins.
I apply it sparingly on the mating surfaces where the ejector meets the frame, not on the studs themselves. Even Red Loctite is easily neutralized by the heat produced by a cheap soldering iron or propane torch. BTW that's exactly how I've removed stubborn ejector studs broken off in the frame. Heat, PB Blaster repeated as necessary along with a sharp pick to wiggle it loose.
And finally, I am not the guru of 1911 mechanics nor am I trying to get anyone to adopt my methods. Just relating something that has worked for me over the years.
If less drastic methods work, fine. But I was describing an "if all else fails" situation which does work in removing a broken stud. As to drilling the hole through, there really is no downside unless the customer is the kind we find here from time to time who go, well, a bit off the road, if a gunsmith puts even a tiny mark on their gun.
Jim
Jim