Having to smack the slide to chamber a round is a tell tale sign of an incorrectly adjusted extractor it could also be the cause of the second problem .
When it comes to a heavy trigger pull chances are the hammer , Sear , and disconnector are all MIM parts "Machine injection molded" and the parts have some minor burrs or rough spots on them where they contact each other from coming out of the mold .
I even found a gouge on a sear of a new 1911 of mine where it contacted the hammer once I sanded it it was considerably better .
If you're up to a complete disassembly you can feel the surfaces of the parts and then smooth them out with a few minutes if sanding with wet/dry paper 800-1000 grit , this alone can make a huge improvement in the function and feel .
A trigger job for the gun would cost about $75 from a competent gunsmith .
If you decide to tackle it yourself this link will be of considerable value to you , after clicking on it look on the left and find technical Issues and click , it brings uo a list of instructions on how to dissassemble the weapon and do a "Poor Mans Trigger job" "as welll as other useful information for a 1911" which is what you want to do .
It will also show you how to tune the extractor yourself .
http://www.m1911.org/m1911dt.htm
