What would cause dents in brass?

[hnk45acp]

about 80% of the reloaded .45 acp brass being shot out of Colt 1911 is being dented after extraction.
Factory ammo (Fed, Rem etc.) being shot out of the same gun is dented about 10-15% of the time.
When the reloaded stuff is shot out of non-1911 guns it's fine.

Could it be extractor tension? Recoil spring? Slightly larger cases of the reloads? all/some of those three factors? or something else?

 

[Spartacus451]

It's usually the case hitting the ejection port on the way out. This can usually be fixed by a combination of extractor tension, ejector shape, and lowering/flaring the ejection port.

What model Colt 1911? Do you see brass on the ejection port?

The first thing to do is make sure that the extractor is not clocking. It should be held in place by the firing pin stop. If it is clocking you will get erratic ejection and it will be difficult to shape the ejector such that the rounds clear without hitting the ejection port.

http://www.brazoscustom.com/magart/ejection perfection.htm
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=58497
See the extractor clocking section.

 

[MaterDei]

I agree with adweisbe. Where is the dent?

 

[hnk45acp]

I'll try to get pics of it. Although why would only the reloads get so dented and the factory ammo less so? It's a recent series 70 re-issue and there's definitely brass on the ejection port

 

[HammerBite]

When you resize a case it gets longer and its walls get thinner and are easier to dent.

 

[Spartacus451]

The series 70 reissue does not have a lowered ejection port so it is more likely to dent the brass. The dent is harmless and should iron out during the firing/reloading process.

 

[Creature]

Just out of curiosity, is there a recoil buffer in your 1911?

I have a 1911 that was denting my brass because of a buffer that I had added...and have since removed. Cleared up my dented brass problem.