Hi guys.  Thank you for your input.  

Off a bench rest I didn't have any FTF issues. When loaded with 9 the slide when dropped wasn't fast enough for the mag spring and the cartridge and slide would get stuck halfway into battery.  Free handed (2 hand) muzzle flip is greater than on bench rest so I assumed that due to increased flip the slide was having difficulty getting into battery before the round is stripped off the mag properly.  As you state, how could the recoil spring be worn out if it hasn't been shot much?  Only theory I have is that in Canada we have to store our pistols with the slide locked back, breech open, mag out and a trigger lock on and in a locked case.  If done for any length of time this could have compressed the length and strength of the recoil spring.  

To my mind these failures appear to be a result of too quick a mag spring, a worn out recoil spring or both.  I got some FP-10 as recommended by DW for break in and I did run it wet when I recently put 200 rounds through it.  

Interesting.  I took the extractor out, looking for issues there too, as it does hurl the brass quite far - some 15 feet or more.  Upon examination, I found the part to be correctly contoured so I just further polished the necessary places.  I checked it for sufficient tension, which it had, but couldn't tell if there was too much tension.  Given that the ejection is quite forceful, it might, as you suggest, be prudent to slacken this off a tad.  I won't be able to shoot it for 2 weeks yet given my time table but I'll report back then on what I find.  Thanks again all.

It has a contoured FPS base as can be seen in these photos. A flat one might ultimately be of help but I gotta go one variable at a time.  By the time I get it to the range next

I'll be able to try each change and see what happens.  I'll start with the extractor tension, then try a stock 22lb recoil spring, a 24lb and so on. 

Wow.  It seems pretty extreme to have to go to that power level just to get a normal ejection.  It's quite far from the factory's best setting of 22lbs.  And this is on normal P loads.  Do you think the ejector could have any contribution here?  It's quite pronounced on these guns, albeit well profiled.  Perhaps too long?  Maybe if it were shorter the ejection would occur later on when the slide energy has dissipated a bit more?  

Most say not to mess with the stock 23lb mainspring (for some reason) but it seems intuitive that if there is an excess of energy in ejecting the brass that this total energy of the slide shooting rearward needs to be mitigated by increased opposing forces via either a higher leverage FPS profile, a heavier recoil spring and a heavier mainspring.  

I think in light of the excellent points made above, I will start with replacing the stock 22lb recoil spring with a fresh stock spring of the same rate and add in the squared off profile FPS.  I think if brass with factory loads is ejected only 10 feet at that point its probably a good compromise to stay with.  

Holy smokes.  If anyone is following this thread, standby til tomorrow when I can add more photos.  The problem is with the extractor.  It's way too long such that the cartridge has to ride overtop of  the protruding claw to get to the breech centre.  Once there the cartridge face is probably a full third of a millimetre high-centering on the extractor claw off of the breech face!.  It's too far out of whack to fix this extractor.  Also the ejector tip is angled down.  I've ordered a new Ed Brown extractor, a new extended ejector and an oversized flat bottom FPS so I can smith the entire system.  Wow.  I just assumed the extractor just needed tuning. 

These are some photos.  The extractor protrudes too far forward.  As said above, the cartridge as it moves up from the mag high centres on the top of the claw and the is held there up to 1mm off of breech face.  Note the gouges on the brass rim and body.  Note brass hits on slide.  Note off centre firing pin strike.  Note lack of breech face marks.  As can be seen also that the extractor would have fit if it was protruded about 2-3mm less forward.  

Note also the shape of the ejector, angling downward.  Forget clocking etc, this extractor is getting replaced first with the square bottom FPS.  The ejector I'll sort out later.

I'll get more photos with the new extractor and FPS in place then do a range report.