Remington R1 Ejector loose on the job!

N

nvdwarrior

Inactive
Hi folks I am new to the forum. I have become very frustrated with a barely one year old Remington R1 1911. Shooting steel a few weeks ago and the failures to eject began. The range safety officer, after the second FTE occurred started looking at the pistol then the ammo. He asked if I was shooting a dry gun? Nope, just the right amount of gun butter on the slides.....and then he asked me to have it looked at. Took the beautiful beast home to clean her and after taking her down I noticed the ejector moving, actually elevated slightly from the frame! Now, in over 32 years of hands on with a 1911 I never saw this. I actually thought the ejector in all those military 1911's I shot was a permanent piece of the gun, however, holding the lower frame up I noticed light shining though a very small hole (1/16th in). I immediately tore into the parts diagram to reveal the ejector pin and the ejector. It took me fifteen minutes to find that tiny roll pin on my shop floor! I guess I was lucky that the ejector legs were whole and not broken but something has taken the tension off of that ejector pin. I have tried for two days to reach Remington and I am getting some crazy robot ladies telling me they are very busy, the office is closed or I am kicked over to another line. Is Remington in the death throes of corporate failure? After searching several forums I find this is a common problem with the new R1's. I have also found out that you can't buy that ejector or pin online, even from Remington because its out of stock. Gee I wonder why? Please don't remind me that you get what you paid for I am looking for other folks who can't reach Remington either. My backup is to take the R1 to a gunsmith so they can use some Red Loctite. I don't want to do that until Remington refuses to repair it. Any other ideas?:confused:
 
You got a two year warranty on that.
The ejector pin fell out on your shop floor and you found it but it's loose.
You got two choices,send the pistol back.
Buy a new roll pin 1/16" I think and tap it in,from right to left.
 
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If only I could get them to answer the phone!

Poly. My thoughts are to let them fix it. Unfortunately they have to answer the damn phone in order for me to get the authorization to ship it back to them. I have read that they return them with the ejector still loose. In their mind, as long as the pin holds it in place its OK. Not in my book. That ejector takes some serious hammering from the shells on the way out of the chute...I want the damn thing tight, as it should be. Thanks for the idea...thats my thought along with Red Loctite if they refuse to fix it.
 
I wouldn't bother sending it back, especially if you've heard that it is simply replaced and will still eventually fall out. I would just buy a replacement roll pin and install it yourself, ensuring that it is a tight fit. If it's not, then the channel is drilled too large, but red threadlock should keep the pin in place and the ejector tight as you wish. It would keep the gun in your possession and ensure that the issue is dealt with to your satisfaction.

When was your gun failing to eject? On the last round? Full magazine? Anywhere in between? A loose ejector with intact legs shouldn't be mechanically able to move with the slide on. I would make sure the ejector nose is intact and that you check your extractor tension. It just seems to me that something else is amiss if your ejector is in good shape. Either way, I hope you figure it out.
 
Take the old pin with you to your local Ace Hardware and just get a replacement. Probably will cost you a buck or so, which is a lot for a single small pin, but probably cheaper than the hassle of sending it back To Remington.

I used to have a lot of faith in Remington products; Back in the 80s I worked at a store that was Remington recommended factory service. Honestly, the frequency of Remingtons on my bench for repair was pretty low, compared to others. Their stuff was good then.

It's sad to see a giant like that falling down.
 
Echo Gyvel, Why get wet panties over such a insignificant issue, buy a new pin and cover it with red locktite and shoot forever. Takes longer to call Remington than to permanently fix it yourself.
 
I hear ya!

I see a consensus here and I appreciate your recommendations guys. It does seem like an easy fix but the number of folks complaining about the ejector moving concerned me. I will try the trip to the hardware for a 1/16th inch pin and give it a shot, pun intended. The FTE was always the first round fired leading into a jam with the second round feeding. I am also going to polish the feed ramp and take a good look at these magazines. I know there are a few issues that cause this but having that ejector so loose seemed like the first place to start. It is sad about Remington I have loved my 870 for years and never expected the 1911 to be problematic. Some say its the molding process. It is funny that this pistol does not accept aftermarket parts very well. Its almost proprietary in nature. Thanks again. I will let you know if anything else pops up.
 
Please don't polish the feed ramp,ain't nothing wrong with it.
Instead get decent magazines those factory mecgars are unreliable.
 
My stainless R1 runs like a top but i normally use my pile of surplus GI mags, i have heard about lack of reliability of the factory mags but mine seem ok. Checked my ejector and tight, pin still there.
 
It is funny that this pistol does not accept aftermarket parts very well. Its almost proprietary in nature.
Click to expand...
Has someone been reading the 1911 blue prints upside down?
Or is it just due to poor quality control?
JMB must be hollering from his grave,
"Will you guys quit messing with my design!"
 
mecgars

Off topic a little bit but OP does complain about stoppages as well.R1 factory
magazines are rebranded mecgar,some owners experience no issues with them
while others get nothing but trouble.The design itself is a total departure from
the original,feed lips are the hybrid type,the follower has a skirted stepped down design which does not provide enough case support to the last round causing it to jump up on release,because of this stepped down configuration the spring has
shorter coils at the top this means that the force applied to the follower is more
uneven through the cycle.All this will cause stoppages in some pistols but not
all,as far I I can tell they are not reliable.
 
I own an R1S, and have had zero problems with it and have 2 7 rd factory and 1 8 rd factory mag that have been flawless, I also have several 30 year old colt mags and several off-brand mags again all are flawless
 
nvdwarrior wrote:
It is funny that this pistol does not accept aftermarket parts very well. Its almost proprietary in nature.
Click to expand...
Would you please elaborate which aftermarket parts are you referring to/
Regards,
Greg
 
polyphemus wrote:

Off topic a little bit but OP does complain about stoppages as well.R1 factory
magazines are rebranded mecgar,some owners experience no issues with them
while others get nothing but trouble.The design itself is a total departure from
the original,feed lips are the hybrid type,the follower has a skirted stepped down design which does not provide enough case support to the last round causing it to jump up on release,because of this stepped down configuration the spring has
shorter coils at the top this means that the force applied to the follower is more
uneven through the cycle.All this will cause stoppages in some pistols but not
all,as far I I can tell they are not reliable.
Click to expand...
I've had good luck with MecGar mags in 1911s, though I don't own a Remington. Most of the 1911 mags out there are departures from the original. The original "hardball" feed lips are great for their intended purpose. When competitors started shooting wadcutters through 1911s, then mags with wadcutter feed lips were developed. Then came the demand for 1911s to shoot hollow points. Some manufacturers will ship the full wadcutter feed lips mag with their guns but some thought a compromise, "hybrid" feed lips were better for a general purpose mag for both FMJ and hollow points. I prefer mags with hybrid feed lips for any 1911 I might use for defensive purposes (just about all of them).

I also like the skirted follower. This was developed because of the issue with the follower nosediving and causing failures to feed. This was especially a problem with some mags that re-designed the follower to help shove an extra round into the mag. A skirted follower helps prevent this.

I'm unfamiliar with the spring problem you refer to but will try to do some research.
 
Proprietary parts...

@ Greg...nice name! As I searched for an answer to the ejector issue I have found several examples where smart folks have identified that there is an ejector, improved which has a slightly longer leading edge to it. It was designed to help throw the cartridge out the chute quicker. This extended ejector will not fit into the R1. The sights are a common issue on several blogs. The magazines are frequently blamed for failures to feed with most of those complaints addressed towards non-Remington mags. Its hard to know what is truth sometimes. In another forum, they refer to the fact that you can't purchase R1 parts except on the Remington website. And from personal experience, when I purchased the R1 the option was to receive a$85 refund or a brand new Clark Match Grade Barrel. Thinking for the future, I elected to accept the match barrel. Its pretty. But it will take a gunsmith to make it work smoothly. The tolerances just don't seem to match up.
 
A few things:

1. A match grade 1911 barrel is always, will always be a gunsmith fit part. Period. It is not a matter of tolerances, its a fact that "match grade" equalls oversize / file to fit for max accuaracy. Drop in and max accuaracy do not go together

2. Unless the remmington is unlike 99% of 1911's it is nt a 1/16 roll pin, just a stright up round pin wich if it is loose you can stake. I would peen the holes the ejector goes in for a tight fit betwen the legs and the ejector or use lock tight and then peen over the pin after you put it in. Red locktight is ok thwre is a better gap filling one the number I would have to look up.

3. Most ejectors work ok to fine even if lose to very loose, i would look eleewhere for your feed issues. Try wilson 47 d mags as a first step. Also check extractor tenshion

4. The ejector is literally an over rated idiot device... Its a rock that he case bps against to get kicked out. Extented ones are fine so long as they dont get so long they get in he way of the mag. Look at any pic of hhenright profile thy need, come close and you will be fine
 
My stainless R1 runs like a top but i normally use my pile of surplus GI mags, i have heard about lack of reliability of the factory mags but mine seem ok. Checked my ejector and tight, pin still there.
Click to expand...

I agree with Ibmikey, I couldn't resist when Sportsman's Warehouse matched Remington's $75 rebate and bought three - the blue R1 Government Model, blue R1 Commander and stainless R1S Government Model. I haven't had a problem with any of them except one Remington/Mec-Gar mag nose dives the first round in the Commander. I prefer my old Checkmate USGI mags I've had for years.

Of the three Remingtons, the stainless R1S is dehorned better than the blue models and is overall a smoother finished and smoother running 1911 with a better trigger though there's no huge problem with the others. The main complaint against the R1 is the frame's vertical impact surface is beveled, reducing the bowtie and impact area on the barrel lugs. I don't know what possessed Remington to do this but all three of mine have this issue. I haven't heard of lugs breaking off but will watch this each time I break down a pistol.

The blue frames have the thumb safety hole slightly low which presents a problem for those who replace the thumb safety and/or grip safety. My stainless frame doesn't have this problem. I'm keeping the original parts since I don't get hammer bite with the classic grip safety (the Colt 1911A1 I've had since 1976 proved this to me).

Only three parts have been replaced - the raised checkered mainspring housing on the R1 Commander, I used a standard Remington serrated MSH that doesn't cut into my palm. And I measured the stainless barrel bushings on the two blue R1s and bought blue bushings that were a drop in fit. (Cosmetic reasons only, I didn't like the stainless bushing on a blue slide.)

I also put a Remington flat MSH on my old Colt, replacing the arched MSH, because I discovered I prefer Remington's oddball combo of the short 1911A1 trigger with the old 1911 flat MSH. And I put an R1 short trigger in my Springfield Range Officer Compact. Both Remington parts were a drop in fit. I suspect most Remington parts are pretty close to the typical 1911 besides it's not unusual that replacement parts need fitting in a 1911.

I know some people have had problems with R1s but I suspect most problems have been ironed out in recently manufactured stock. (My R1s were made in 2013 and 2014 even though I bought them new in 2015.)
 
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