RIA GI 1911 9MM - Broken Ejector

Philadelphia Patriot

Philadelphia Patriot

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So recently my Rock Island Armory GI 1911 in 9mm was having problems. The pistol was failing to eject spent cases, stovepiping, and the slide would move forward to chamber a new round, but still have the spent case in the extractor. I field stripped the pistol and took a close look at it. What i noticed was it appears my ejector is broken. The "angle" of my ejector is not smooth and when I reassembled my pistol and locked the slide back, I couldn't even see the ejector. I have two (2) options:

1) Send the pistol back to Armscor and have them fix it.
2) Buy a Wilson Combat extended ejector and have a gunsmith install.

I think I am going to go with option #2. I rather have a better part installed in my pistol than have the exact model ejector installed by Armscor. Below I attached a picture of my ejector.

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The pic isn't working for me. I'd say that depending on how the extractor is attached, I'd just change it myself, instead of going through the expense of having someone install a different one. How many rounds does the gun have through it ?
 
For what its worth, the RIA 1911's have become very popular as of late, and I don't recall ever hearing of an ejector problem with them. I know mine has been 100% thru quite a few rounds. I would probably take advantage of their quick and free repair offer before I spent the money on having an aftermarket ejector fitted, as this does not seem to be a known problem area. Nothing wrong with a parts upgrade though if it makes you feel more confident in your pistol.

Larry
 
I would try the warranty route through Rock Island myself, I'm pretty confident the process would be trouble free. I stripped a grip screw on my 1911 tactical 2 weekends ago and they sent me a set of 4 through the mail no charge. It is, however, up to you whatever option gives you more confidence for your pistol.
 
F75gunslinger said:
The pic isn't working for me. I'd say that depending on how the extractor is attached, I'd just change it myself, instead of going through the expense of having someone install a different one. How many rounds does the gun have through it ?
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It has between 300 and 500 rounds through it. I think it was probably a faulty part to begin with.
 
Ejectors, extractors, etc. break for one reason or another. I had to put a new extractor in a nearly mint Smith and Wesson 39-2 not long ago.

I'd put one in myself rather than endure the hassle of shipping a gun back for warranty work.

I've yet to install one on a 1911, but it looks like a little bit of work involved.
 
1911 extractors easily break if a round is inserted directly into the barrel and the slide let forward on it. Changing an extractor and tuning it is a matter of minutes, though.
 
shawn mccarver said:
RIA takes VERY good care of their customers. You will not be disappointed in their customer service.
Click to expand...

My son found that out when his new RIA Tacticool in 9mm did not group well. The issue was addressed properly and that pistol is now hiis favorite range pistol, even though he carries a Glock and a Ruger LCP as back-up.

However, this is a very simple fix and I would honestly suggest to save RIA the cost of shipping a firearm and merely ask them for a replacement extractor.

Returning a gun for such a simple problem is kind of excessive / overkill.
 
Andyd said:
However, this is a very simple fix and I would honestly suggest to save RIA the cost of shipping a firearm and merely ask them for a replacement extractor.

Returning a gun for such a simple problem is kind of excessive / overkill.
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I thought about that and reached the following conclusions. I expect my gun to perform at a certain level when I bought it. It doesn't and therefore armscor should fix it since I bought their product with my hard earned money. Also they might do other stuff to the pistol to improve it besides replace the ejector. Lastly if I do the work and the pistol still malfunctions, I may have just voided the warranty.
 
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Decisions decisions !! How about you call and Asking the CS people at ARMSCOR about your concerns with replacing the part your self or sending it in . They do tend to do extra's o use to while they had a pistol in for repair . But this really is not not a choice for the mass's here . Most of us would do the swap at home if they sent the part and do our own tuning too.

What did you expect for a 400 dollar 1911 when that's at or near the bottom in price ? Not knocking RIA and Armscor but I expect some minor issues to possibly show up when new . 1911's in general tend to have more issues than others designs too .

I never expected a great preforming 1911 for the low cost of a Basic RIA but I am very pleased with mine . The 1911 is one of the few handgun designs that still needs hand fitting during assembly and poo happens some times .

So time for you take make your choice how you deal with it .
 
This is nothing new, heck we used to call the Colt series 70's "good starter kits"! The 1911 is not quite as simple as made out to be but with a few thoughtful mods and a bit of tuning to a trouble child you really have something. Get an ejector in there and tune the extractor then shoot the snot out of it to see if there's any other "bugs" to be exterminated and then enjoy!
 
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walter o said:
I think the (O.P.) said EJECTOR not extractor I easy to change ,! a little harder to change .
I agree that Armscor would gladly fix the problem.
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You are right! I also overlooked that fact, just thinking about the obvious extractor issue. Changing an ejector is not much harder, though.

I can recommend the Wilson Combat "1911 Auto Maintenance Manual".
 
I figured if I'm going to own any gun like the 1911's I better learn everything I can to repair, tune and to keep them running. I purchased every DVD and the Jerry k book and his vhs video to learn them.
My first build was a norinco, the next repair was a retuned extractor.
The price of the education is paying off.
 
Geez, sounds like that broken ejector was a bonus prize, not a problem! Everybody that buys a new RIA should hope for a minor issue that nets them free tuning and mags!

Kidding aside, Armscor's customer service is legendary. Springfield is another that goes the extra couple of miles for their customers, S&W has treated me extremely well on the few occasions I've had to use their services, and Colt's customer service has recently raised the bar off the chart with the assistance they're giving me on an issue that isn't even their fault.
 
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