Removing sheared 1911 ejector leg?

original: thefiringline.com
Retrieved: November 24, 2011
Last Post: December 21, 2010

Casimer
December 17, 2010

The short leg of the ejector in one of my 1911's has sheared off and is stuck in the frame. How should it be removed?

I'm not going to attempt this myself, but want to know how it should be done so that I can determine who'll be able to do it correctly.


triggerman770
December 18, 2010

There is a cross pin in the frame below the rail that needs to be drifted out and then the leg should come out unless an adhesive like loctite was used.

The leg should have a notch cut in it to allow the pin to arrest the leg, you can use another pin to push up and get the leg above the rail surface.


Casimer
December 18, 2010

Forgot to mention, there's no retaining pin. It's just lock-tited, I assume. This in on a SA Mil Spec.


James K
December 18, 2010

It will have to be drilled out, using a good starter drill in a mill or a stiff drill press with a good vise. No handheld drill, please. Those "legs" should be made softer than the frame so the drill doesn't wander too much, but with modern clones, who knows?


Sarge
December 18, 2010

Leave the drills put up for awhile. Take a standard electric soldering iron, let it get good & hot and then hold it on the broke leg (or hole it's broke off in) until you see a wisp of smoke. This is the heat liquefying the loctite and should come in the first three minutes or so. Give it another good minute and get to work on it with a dental pick or similar instrument. If you feel it move, you are getting there. I'd warm it up again and put a drop of oil in the hole to free it up some.


triggerman770
December 19, 2010

"Forgot to mention, there's no retaining pin. It's just lock-tited, I assume. This in on a SA Mil Spec. " check your owners manual and exploded drawing look for part # 1 Z it's a pin about 1/16th in the track below the rail


Elkins45
December 19, 2010

Yeah, there's almost definitely a pin! It just may be hard to see.


Jolly Rogers
December 19, 2010

Don't believe pinned or not is the issue here guys as the OP states the pin that is sheared is the short pin.

And some Springfields come with glued ejectors and aren't drilled for pins. His may be one of those.


Casimer
December 19, 2010

The retaining pin is shown in the parts schematic, but there's no evidence of it on this pistol. I've already removed the ejector, w/ the front leg in tact - no notch on the leg either. So now I need to figure out how the sheared rear leg can be removed.


James K
December 19, 2010

I hope Sarge's solution works. I have seen those legs broken off and rusted in so badly that I had to drill a hole in from the bottom and drive them out.


Casimer
December 21, 2010

Ack. I think that I'm going to go right to SA with this one, better that they have the responsibility, in case anything goes wrong.


James K
December 21, 2010

Springfield created the problem by casting the ejector; the originals were forged and machined and rarely had any problems.


Return to 1911 Archive