What's normal for a Colt 1911?

[Oleg Volk]

I just got my Colt 1911/70 from repairs. I have yet to fire it but I've been told that the chamber has been polished, the extractor and recoil spring replaced.

I tried to cycle snap caps and live ball ammo and it would load the rounds but not eject them (when the slide was cycled briskly by hand). Seems that the unfired rounds are too big to fit through the ejection port OR the ejector is holding them too tightly for the extractor to knock out. Is that normal for this type of a gun?

In any case, could anyone advise me of the worth of an early 1980s 1911 Colt with three 7rd and one 17rd magazines and a Fobus paddle holster? I am ready to trade this gun for almost any other gun as I am afraid to fire it and my temper has worn to a constant state of depression whenever I even handle the damn thing.

Even if it functions perfectly now, I am not going to use it as a carry gun. I already spent $65 on gunsmithing and over $50 in test ammo and would like to cut my losses. The gun is accurate but my pre-history with me makes me flinch from just holding it.

 

[James K]

Unfired rounds should eject through the ejection port. I doubt very much the extractor is gripping the round too tightly; the more common situation is that it is not gripping tightly enough and is letting the round drop before it encounters the ejector.

If the round ends up just lying on top of the next round in the magazine, this is what is happening. You can easily pull the extractor and "tune" it by clamping the rear part in a vise and tapping the side of the front to the left, toward the hook side.
("Tuning" is just a fancy name for bending it a bit to put more tension on the rim of the case.)

Should this happen with a gun you just spent big bucks on? Hell no! It is like paying someone to do a tuneup on your car, but then find they never started the engine.

Jim