Odd accident with my 1911

[pslshooter]

I've owned my Norinco 1911 since 2004 with no problems hiccups nothing ever going wrong with it.
Today at the range I fired one mag thru it reloaded and on the first shot it felt like someone punched me. The case was stuck in the barrel with about 1/3 of the the case wall an 1/8th inch tall blown out.  The round was a factory Winchester 230gn fmj, so no issues with a reload. It appears that the slide wasn't completely closed when I fired the pistol. If this is the case what do I need to have done to fix this pistol. I really don't want to scrap it and buy another.
BTW I am fine. I got a black eye out of the deal and a couple small cuts.

[williamlayton]

It sounds like the FP was not completely back in place and the slamming of the FP onto the shell caused the problem.
Now I know what I am talking about but to explain or to fix is not in me.
I would talk to a GOOD smith. it may be as simple as gump in the FP channel or it could be broken,
Thank the Lord you are OK--it could have been catastrophic.
Blessings

[Bigeasy]

I'm wondering if the hammer didn't slip, and follow the slide forward, firing the pistol before full lock up?  If you cock the hammer, both half cock and full, and press on it firmly with your thumb, does it hold?  Anyway, it needs to be checked by a gunsmith.
 
Larry

[pslshooter]

I stripped it down and the firing pin is intact and the channel is clear. one thing I did notice is that the disconnector has a flat spot  on the top of it.
The hammer stays put in half and full cock.
I agree with both of you, off to the smith for a thorough inspection and repair.
Thanks for the input and advise.
                                              Ken

[1911crazy]

Ok you closed the slide on a full mag and pulled the trigger when this what sounds like an out of battery firing, maybe?   Is there any lead in the barrel where the case rim headspaces from??  If there is a ring of residue in the case rim stop part of the barrel this wouldn't allow the loaded round to headspace properly right??
Did the barrel have any throat work done on it previously??  I've seen over throating cause the lower part of the brass to bulge and if it beyond that the case can rupture.  Some guys can get over zelious about trying to get there 1911's to feed hollow points.  In some cases.

[GRIMJIM]

Just posting so I get a notice. This is very interesting to me. Curious to hear what the reason is.

[Mikey]

Ken: glad you're ok.  If possible, check the top two rounds in the magazine to see how much 'blow-by' or powder burn they have on them and how it patterns.  If it patterned toward the top back half of the case I would blame the ammo.  If it patterend on most all of the top case in the mag and blew some residue down onto the 2nd case in the magazine I would say the firing pin may have touched the round off before the slide chambered it fully. 
 
But, if your firing pin functions properly (retracts under spring pressure) and the channel was clear, the only other problem I can think of is that there may have been some primer material from the preceeding case that jammed the firing pin forward so it acted like a fixed firing pin that detonated the case before it was fully chambered, but then retracted properly back after the round detonated.  If you can check the preceeding spent cases for primer flowing indicators (that the primers were too soft or the rounds too hot) that might help. 
 
Was the blown case blown out at the bottom, at the unsupported part of the barrel/chamber?  If so, it was the ammo. 
 
You said it 'appears the slide was not fully closed'  - why do you say that??   If this was factory ammo there should not have been a chambering problem and unless your firing pin was jammed full out the round should not have detonated out of the chamber - it should have slam fired when the slide closed.  You did not say it fired when the slide ran into battery so it must have fired when you dropped the hammer - bad ammo.  Bad Karma but better luck for you that you were not seriously hurt. 
 
Get your $ back from Winchester or the dealer and wear protective glasses next time you shoot.  HTH.
 
Oh yeah, and btw - disconnectors should have a flat spot on their heads.....

[pslshooter]

Pistol went in this morning and got word back from my gunsmith already. The disconnector is worn to the point that it needs replaced. He told me that when he checked the function of the disconnector that it was allowing the hammer to fall even when the pistol an 1/8 to nearly 3/16 inch open. He examined the barrel and said I had some crud build up behind the comp in front of the bushing not allowing the pistiol to close completely.
So it's getting new guts all new springs and pins and a closer eye on the gunk build up behind the comp.
All is well tho. I love this pistol, and it is repairable. I need to buy a new pair of glasses, the pair I was wearing has a nasty scrape and a few bits of brass directly in front of where my eyeball is.

I checked the mag and the top round has power burned on the bullet but not a whole lot on the case. The 2nd has powder on the bullet and very little in the front of the case. I emptied the mag and stripped it and found some brass in the bottom.

Thank you all for your input and concerns.
Ken

[tacklebury]

Wow glad you're ok and still have the eyes...   

[hillbill]

sounds like you have a very alert gunsmith to me.how many rounds you have thru the pistol? if your like me yu havent counted.

[pslshooter]

sounds like you have a very alert gunsmith to me.how many rounds you have thru the pistol? if your like me yu havent counted.

over 8 yrs I'd say over 20,000 probably closer to 25,000 rounds thru it. I've replaced the barrel twice, guess I should have looked at the other parts as well. The parts he's putting in for me are less than what either of the barrels have cost. Going to have him look at it at least 5000 rnds / 1 yr which ever comes first from now on.

[Dand]

Good thing you were wearing glasses.  I'll have to remember this one for my Hunter Safety classes.  I've been lax about letting my kids shoot without safety glasses - I better tighten up our own behavior.

[rickt300]

I have a Norinco 1911 bought in the nineties and it has shot lots of rounds downrange. I shot it today. I slicked it up a bit with a spring guide, some trigger work and some mild throating years ago. It needs a new barrel but it still shoots acceptably and is dead reliable. I bought a Springfield Armory 1911 to carry while I get my Norinco rebuilt but I can't seem to make the transition.