Today I was shooting my Colt Government Model in 9mm and decided to run a mag of Winchester 115 gr JHP +P+(RA9115HP+)through the pistol. On the 5th shot a stoppage occurred. When retracting the slide, I noticed that a much greater effort was required. Disassembly revealed that the ejector was bent to the left to such an extent that it was dragging on the slide. Once removed, the slide would not go back onto the frame because the ejector was bent too much to allow passage. The pistol is 100% stock and has the original 14 lb recoil spring.
Having been a handgun shooter for decades, I understood that my old batch of hot law enforcement ammo would be hard on any pistol it was used in. However this time was the first event of damage from +P+ ammo. The other old school +P+ ammo in my stash is Federal 9BPLE, which I think (but can't prove) is loaded to a lower pressure than the Winchester. I've fired both rounds in numerous handguns in the past.
I'm reporting the event to share the experience and am placing no blame on gun or ammo. There are custom ejectors that might withstand hot loads better, and certainly a stronger recoil spring is called for in such cases. My gunsmith will replace the original with an EGW version, and I may replace the recoil spring with a heavier one. In either case I won't abuse the old warhorse with hot ammo and will use standard pressure loads.
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