Order of Fit: slide, frame, barrel & bushing

Shorts,

While I'm sure it is not the ideal way to do things, I'm thinking that the chamber dimensions causing the bulge might be a non-issue IF:
1. Accuracy is decent.
2. Extraction is good.

But the extraction issue makes me wonder if the case bulging might be your source of extraction problems. On the otherhand, it doesn't look like the extractor was exactly clawing up that case rim, so a tension/adjustment thing is probably more likely.


If it isn't causing the above issues, I don't really see what harm the bulging case is really going to do. It won't blow the web out of the case, and can't damage the chamber, so maybe it isn't worth worrying about.
 
The extraction issue is a simple one. 9mm/38 Supers need the correct ejector. While the 45 ACP extended ejector is trying , it is not hitting the case rim in some instances. It is a $15.00 part, it is pinned in and will come out fairly easily. If the slide is made right, it will work. Until you install it, your CCO 9mm will be "Iffy".

The case bulges do not bother me , either and I don't think they relate to the extraction problem. I don't have a 9mm barrel around here anymore, but I do have a 38 Super. It is similar to your Randall barrel at the rear end (relieved for the extractor hook) but was made by Briley many years ago when they first came out with ramped barrels. Mine is ramped ,so I can't help you with photos. I can see on your fired cases where the 45 ejector is just barely touching the outer edge of the rim.

Jon is right about the nightmare of creating this small shooter with the parts you have chosen. It WILL turn into your dream gun at some point in time. We just are not quite there yet.

Keep up the good work, Hey! If it were easy, everyone would be doing it!
 
Went shootin' again

I went out to the range again this morning. I took 50rds WWB and 50 PMC and my combobulation of a gun. Last night I retensioned the extractor to bench test specs so I was confident things would go well.

And things did go well. Everything extracted and ejected. I still had those one or two in a mag that walked up my arm or bounce off the bill of my cap, but I'll get that worked out and I don't see it as a problem. I did have about 3 fail to feeds with the WWB. The round just dove and stuck on the frame feed ramp. One was fed with a rerack, the others were cleared by dropping the mag, reseating the round in the mag and reinserting again. Looking at the rounds, the WWB bullet was slightly more pointed than the PMC, which had a rounder shape, although not by much. None of the PMCs had any FTF or FTE. IN FACT, I HAD NO FAIL TO EJECTS THE WHOLE SESSION. I did however have the mag follow lip walk over the slide stop a time or three to produce no last shot lockback. But that will take a slide stop switch to a 9mm unit (that I have sitting in my parts box). If the slide still won't lock back, it won't be the end of the world, I can count.

Overall I am pleased. The sights were great and the gun shot very well to poa when they stayed put. Of course, they were not tacked down, so the rear sight always floated left....and all my shots floated left. I hadn't tightened the screw in the rear, no biggie. But I took it as a good sign that I could see my poi move with the sights.

As for the case bulges, all the cases today looked just like the Federal cases. No bulges were excessive in looking like a blowout, they were just expanded to the chamber.

Again, I'll break down the gun for cleaning and inspection.

Edit: Ok guys, I really think yall are blowing the ejection "issue" out of proportion. Believe me, I'd be in a different mood of the range day was less than impressive. I don't see how a 9mm ejector will fit under that tunnel, as I have already stated and shown. I had to file this .45 ejector to fit. If anything, it can be longer. But it isn't a problem. If it is, then I will change it out.

FINE, MY PARTS SUCK. It's not a high dollar shooter, but that doesn't mean it won't run. Parts brand didn't seem to be an issue when I started building the project, I don't know why it is now.

Now, again, I do not see how the ejector is the problem on ejection if the extractor hook did not pull the case out of the chamber. Doesn't that mean you just take a step back and make sure the tension on the extractor is correct before moving on? Keeping it simple, right?

4. The extractor needs more tension. Most times if I closed the slide on a loaded magazine, the ejection of that round did not happen. The edge of the extractor hook just slipped over the case rim. This left the empty case in the chamber and the slide jammed as the next round was trying to move forward and out of the mag.
 
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Shorts while it is nice to have the slide lock back it is not absolutely necessary. It just requires different gu n handling. I have a Open Race 1911 set up to never lock open - I will not go into the reasons why. I would put off dealing with that until other issues are settled even though this is not too hard to approach.

Dean
deanrtaylor@att.net
410-952-7848
 
Don't judge, I doubt it was a fire.

I bought it new from Colt. This one slipped past QC.

Kidding, it's 20+ years old, so yeah, the blue is a little worn. I bought it from another forum member who was selling as it wasn't looking like he was getting to his project.

Let this be a lesson to you people who think cleaning and lubing your gun doesn't matter. It may not matter tomorrow, or next week, but years down the line, it does.

Anyhow, the gun isn't suppose to look pretty yet. I've worked in the garage enough to know that things take building, cutting, and scratching and then getting a good painting before they look good. I'm sure there are some that can keep a gun absolutely flawless while doing work. But this wasn't starting from pretty pieces. Function first, then looks.
 
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Here is what I am trying to say, Shorts. These are a 45 type ejecetor and a 38/9mm ejector. Look at the pictures and you will see how they do a 9mm ejector.

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This is a 38/9mm ejector in a race gun. Look at how the firing pin stop is relieved for the hammer and the ejector.

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This is a 45 ACP ejector in place.

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The rear view of both guns.

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Here they are again nose to nose. I think you have a 9mm slide with a 45 ejector cut. Typical of Essex arms. Maybe not. Who knows at this point.
 
Tonight I did a little work filing the rear of the slide. I'm tired of it sitting around unfinished. I had to do these areas:

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So, I got my trusty file and went to work. Here's the results:

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I also decided to do a little dehorning job (not pictured). I figured what the heck. I don't really like the "melted" look. I think it makes the pistol look sloppy, so I kept the filing pretty conservative. Just enough to take the sting out of the rear of the slide coming back and biting skin.
 
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I said from the start that the 45 ejector might work and that I hoped it would. You have done a great job, Shorts. Please try to understand that I am a nit picker and was where you are at a good many years ago. This has been a wonderful thread and contains many great posts.

I think you have made your dream come true.
 
Shorts, Think of this cco of yours as the ugly duck... soon it will grow into it's own and be the beautiful swan you had visioned.

Aim straight and have fun
Jon
 
I hate to burst the good name bubble, and there have been some appropriate suggestions, but I have refinished the gun.

Post acid bath:
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Bathed, prepped and ready to be hot water dipped:
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Post park/WD40/reoil treatment:
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Last night I mildly dehorned the slide and sanded it. Today I went ahead and dipped both the slide and frame in the 50/50 muriatic acid and water to clear the blue. I then sanded the frame and slide (again) with 100grit paper. As you can see, I didn't do a primo job sanding. I can live with that. If the finish craps out, I'll redo it. Anyhow, I used my home park method I've been tootling with. So, the gun is now nice and dark and doesn't look as if it's been in a fire anymore. Is that better???

I haven't decided what I'm going to do with the controls and buttons. I thought about parking them with this batch, but I was more concerned about getting these two prepped and parked together for uniformity. I'm either going to reblue the controls, or I'm going to strip them and park them. I'm not concerned with the park coming out a different shade. Since they are all buttons, they'd be matching to each other and would end up being a subtle 'touch'.
 
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For comparison sake here's The Thing next to the GI. Sorry about the flash.

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What do I need to do to install the Novak sights? The rear has the little set screw, so I think a little loctite on that once I get the gun sightd straight at the range. But first, how do I finish the front? The sight has a little hole and it came with a little crush sleeve. What do I need to do to set that?
 
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:) Thanks. Parking has been fun (and frustrating) to figure out. But, like any recipe, once you get it down, it'll come out alright.

I reblued the pins and the barrel bushing last night, as well as the grip safety, MSH and thumb safety but theycame out looking ugly. So I'm going to strip and park them today. That outta ake care of them for a while.
 
That front sight has a hole in it and you should center it and drill a 1/16th inch hole through the slide and then smack that roll pin in after you loc-tite the dovetail and get it centered. A small drill press should be a help in this task. After you have the pin in, you can blend in the underneath with a sanding drum where it sticks through the slide in the Bushing Area.On rear sight with set screws, I use to sight them in and then make a mark in the center of the set screw hole, knock the sight out, and drill a small hole in the dovetail with a center drill and then set the screw a little deeper when I put it in for the last time. We do not have to do that with the Online 1911'a because the sight cuts are not generic and each cut is perfect for that particular sight. They are very tight and we install the roll pin when they are cut They do not move after we get them done.

Nice work on the finish, Shorts. It is nice and black.
 
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