Need some 1911 help, live round stuck

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Ok so here's my dilemma:

Went to the range to test out some handloads. Loaded 3 rounds in the magazine and racked the slide. Appeared to be in battery, took aim and squeezed the trigger....nothing.... Ejected the magazine with the muzzle downrange (safety first) and attempted to pull the slide back to eject the round and inspect.

Problem is I can't pull the slide back, or press it forward to battery. The round is stuck in limbo and I can't move the slide in either direction:cuss:. After a couple minutes of fiddling with it I decided to lock it up in the case (faced in a safe direction) and extract the case at home rather than putting others at risk in case of an ND.

So how can I get this case out? The slide is barely noticeable from being in full battery, about 1/8" from my eyeball tape measure, and a bit of shiny brass is visible from inside the magazine well. The impatient bastard in me says to zip-tie the hammer open to prevent a firing pin strike and smack the rear of the slide with a nylon hammer to feed it the rest of the way so I can extract it.

The logical side of me says to zip-tie the hammer open and seek guidance and prevent a possible tragedy and embarrassment.

Any help would be appreciated with this. For reference it's a Kimber TLE 2 full size 1911 using reloaded ammo.
 
pull back on the slide as hard as you can. obviously while pointing it in a safe direction. put all your strength into it.

there are other options, but they're better handled by an experienced gunsmith, as they're somewhat dangerous. i'm hesitant to mention them.
 
You need to do it the opposite way. Zip tie the hammer open, then tap the slide BACK using a block of wood and a hammer, keeping your hand clear of the muzzle. You do NOT want to force it into battery. There is obviously something way wrong with that round or the way it's feeding. Forcing it closed will simply lock the gun up tighter. What you need to do is tap it open.

Alternatively, and this is assuming you don't have a full length guide rod installed: place the gun muzzle down on a block of wood, so the barrel hangs off the edge. Place another block of wood at the rear over the frame, then use the wood block and a hammer to tap the frame down, forcing the slide back. This method should be safer because it will keep all your body parts away from the muzzle.
 
You need to do it the opposite way. Zip tie the hammer open, then tap the slide BACK using a block of wood and a hammer, keeping your hand clear of the muzzle. You do NOT want to force it into battery.
Click to expand...

pounding on it with a hammer, even with the hammer ziplocked, can cause the firing pin to jerk back and forth, possibly leading it to strike the primer.

not a good idea to mention to a less experienced shooter.
 
In the daytime without the little lady here, to avoid collateral damage, and a lot of pointing and laughing, I'll try to pull on the slide as hard as I can muster. I have a soft nylon hammer I can use to tap the slide BACK if needed. I'll also measure the other rounds, since I got a box full of them haha. Measurements and feedback to come when I'm more awake and can see what I'm doing.

I have performed full takedown and cleanings of the weapon so I know how it operates but this is just maddening.

Keep the suggestions coming, love hearing different points of view from folks.
 
I had this happen on an XD of my brother's. On the XD when the slide is out of battery just a little, there is a visible gap between the breech face and the barrel. We just slid a thin screwdriver and carefully pried them apart. Should be very similar in a 1911, just be careful not to scratch nice guns.
 
No offense to the "experts" here but giving advice on this subject over the Internet to someone in over their head is a recipe for disaster. Seeing dime sized holes in paper targets may have desensitized us all a bit as to the destructive force capable with a .45. The expert you should seek is a qualified gunsmith and no other. Bring the pistol and a sample round to him for inspection. Before loading again get yourself a Wilson cartrige gage to insure SAAMI specs on future rounds. Best of luck and stay safe!
 
Hold the slide HARD in an overhand grip.
Slam the other hand onto the butt of the gun as though you were taking a firing grip only fast and HARD.

Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction at all times.

I have seen and used this technique to clear hangups like this on several occasions.
At least give it a try before you start beating on your gun with tools.


You need to gauge or chamber check your reloads to avoid more such problems.
 
Not familiar with Kimber models, so I assume this particular one has the FLGR which precludes using the easy method.

Another method (or at least one of the other methods) posted by an expert (the log man) on the dreaded "other 1911 forums" is, obviously in a safe invironment with muzzle pointed down or into a discharge bucket, to grasp the slide as firmly as possible with your weak hand over the top of the slide. Oil free hands and slide for maxium possible grip. With you strong hand, slap the grip of the frame with the web of your had between the thunb and forefinger just as hard as you can, in an attempt to rack the slide. back.

Have had it happen a few times due to sloppy reloads, but the g.i. guide rod system lent itself to the "easy" fix. Suggest you use a case gage.
 
It's a Kimber Custom TLE II. I measured about every 5th case while I was loading and they were all falling into specs. The rounds used were .452, and not .451. I did some reading and was under the impression that .452" rounds were just fine to load as .45 ACP. I think I'll just have to take it to a gunsmith. I tried to pull the slide back as hard as I could this morning and to no avail.

I haven't done any modifications to it, so I'm pretty sure I'll just take it to a gunsmith and bite the bulllet (pun intended) on my pride and wallet getting it fixed properly. I'll probably get some "You dummy, you're supposed to..." advice from him.

Thanks for the advice guys and I'll try a couple things again before I head to the smithy.
 
Exact same thing happened to me when I first started reloading.

I got the attention of a local gunsmith that happened to be at the range. He warned everyone that the gun was loaded, people stepped back, then he pointed it down against the edge of a heavy wooden workbench. Placing the edge of the table against the front of the slide just underneath the barrel. Then, using two hands on the grip (and finger away from the trigger) he pushed forward with the weight of his body behind the push.

The round ejected.


The root cause of the problem was that I had loaded the cartridge too long. I reduced my OAL a tad and never had the problem again.
 
Maybe before you start monkeying around with hammers and such you could remove the firing pin for safety?
 
Maybe before you start monkeying around with hammers and such you could remove the firing pin for safety?


There's no way to do that without removing the slide.
 
Hold the slide HARD in an overhand grip.
Slam the other hand onto the butt of the gun as though you were taking a firing grip only fast and HARD.
Click to expand...

I like this option as the first line of attack. And if it doesn't pull the round out then at least it should help the extractor to jump the rim so that the gun can then be field stripped and the usual method of a brass rod down from the muzzle end along with a hammer will do the trick. If fact if you can reach in through the gap and spring the extractor out of the rim it would be a lot easier on the extractor than trying to force it to pull the round out. With the slide free to move mostly normally you could then rack the slide back, remove the firing pin for safety and from there proceed to field strip the gun so you can use the traditional brass or hardwood dowel from the muzzle on the stuck round with only the barrel and cartridge on their own and no need to worry about any ND's.

Also for those that are screaming that the firing pin could hit the primer let's remember that the slide is not yet in battery. That means that the hammer isn't able to contact the firing pin. Especially given that he says there's roughly 1/8 inch of brass showing. If that's accurate then the hammer is only going to be touching the rounded heel of the firing pin retention plate. No fear of a pin strike leading to a fired primer in this case.

As for your reloaded ammo I'm betting that the overall cartridge length is too long for the style of bullet. I ran into this recently with reloading 9mm and developing a load for my CZ. I was trying different COL's and the 1.130 length jammed in my Shadow's chamber as it tried to push the sides of the bullet into the rifling. Yet this length was well below the COL max for 9mm of 1.169 given in my reloading manual. But in checking with the CZ websites this is a known issue for CZ's and the answer is to load to a shorter COL. I'll bet something similar is the case here. And if it's combined with a "fatter" bullet shape towards the nose the interference with the rifling would occur all the easier and sooner. While the barrel is out compare the freed up round to others and try some others to see if they are able to chamber easily before putting the gun back together.

In my case I was able to field strip the gun and with just the barrel and cartridge out of the gun I was able to tap the round out with a brass rod.
 
Also for those that are screaming that the firing pin could hit the primer let's remember that the slide is not yet in battery. That means that the hammer isn't able to contact the firing pin.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but if you start hammering on the front of the barrel, the firing pin will stay in place as the gun goes flying back...same way you can get a discharge from dropping a 1911 on the muzzle. Who knows if the firing pin block is active with the slide partially open.

It's unlikely that you'd be able to set it off with a good whack on the front, but the results would be catastrophic. Not worth the trouble when a gunsmith would be able to fix it in 5 minutes and he has insurace to pay for his trip to the ED if something goes wrong.

First thing I would do, though, is drop out the mainspring housing and pull out the hammer so there's no way anybody can cause an accidental discharge until the round is out of the barrel.

While he's fixing things, get yourself a case gauge.

-J.
 
Ok I was able to eject the round, safely and without incident. I used a flathead screwdriver to gently pry between the barrel and the slide and gently coax the two apart. The round wasn't in contact with the extractor and fell out rather than being "ejected".

Thanks to the suggestions around here and a rested and clear head I avoided doing anything rash. Post inspection of the round shows a line on the bullet where I'm guessing it contacted the throat of the barrel. I can post some pictures if some of you are willing to take a look and give my your opinion.

I figure it's my mistake in reloading and not the gun. This is why I came here instead of the 1911forums :D
 
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