I think that a picture would be a big help.
Also indicate where on the case rim the nick is, for instance relative to the gun's extractor and ejector.

According to your written description, that is "a crease in the rim," it's likely that it was caused by the case contacting the gun's ejector.
Are you certain that it's in the rim (the rear end), and not in the case's mouth (the front end)?

Steve, My mistake, it is in the mouth. I'll also try to post a picture later.

Originally Posted by mjeter

When firing my Sig C3 compact 1911 I noticed most of the spent casings have a crease in the rim. It looks like a little "V". any thoughts on what could cause that? I am going to run some empties through buy hand and see what happens, appreciate any help. Also, thoughts on magna-porting a C3?

Like this?




Or not so bad?

Not nearly that bad, mine has just a small "v" shaped dent, probably not bigger than 1/16th inch deep.

The case mouth is hitting the forward edge, or one of the forward corners, of the pistol's ejection port.

Does your pistol have an external extractor? Or the 1911-classic internal extractor?
If it has an internal extractor, a good gunsmith could re-bend it as necessary, and then maybe even "shave" the shape of the ejector.
If it has an external extractor, only the ejector can be modified, and that may not do the trick.

A gunsmith can also modify the shape of the ejection port itself.
This was commonly done to 1911s in the past, for just this reason.

If you intend to reload your empties, the small dent you describe should easily iron out during the resizing process.

Thanks Steve, in your opinion is it worth it to get this problem fixed - will this lead to damaging the pistol? It doesn't bother me that the shell casings are bent, but I don't want to damage my Sig in the long run.

Brass is soft. Steel is hard. That's why the case is nicked, rather than the slide.
Eventually you will notice a little bit of brass streaking where the case hits. This is not damage, and it will not affect the gun's function.

However, it is possible that the contact between case and slide could lead to an eventual jam, if a case hits hard enough and at the right angle.
Therefore, were it my gun, I would have a good pistolsmith resolve the issue by one means or another.

Thanks Steve, sounds like good advice and I'll take it.

I would call Sig to see if they will take care of this issue, for what you pay for a Sig 1911 they should.