Posted: 4/22/2007 6:01:19 PM EDT
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I bought a stainless steel colt 1911 on 4/20 to cancel out the hippy bullsh*t in Boulder, CO. Anyhow, i had an issue today trying it out. With the slide locked back, I would slide in the magazine (with blazer brass ammo) when i pushed the slide release, the slide would slide forward and get hung up, with the round half-way into the chamber. The first time i cleared the round, reloaded the mag, and retried with no problem. It happened a few more times at the range, and i tried forcing the slide, which forced the round into the chamber. my n00b questions are: 1. is it the ammo? blazer brass is the cheapest i could get at wal-mart. 2. is it just being broken in? is this normal? 3. what would you suggest? |
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Strip the pistol. Take the BBL and try to drop a round into the chamber. If it does not go in, try a couple other brands. If the problem persists, call Colt and send it in as it sounds as if the chamber might be undersize. Check it first tho and see if you can see a burr or something. BTW, is this a new or a used pistol? |
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it's LNIB, whatever that really means there's a little wear on the slide, but barely anything. I checked the barrel for signs of use or abuse and found little of either. took the barrel out, dropped a rnd in and it fit like a charm. Blazer brass makes my friends Tarus mess up, so it may just be the ammo. |
try slingshotting the slide closed, dont use the SLIDE STOP. That may help. |
That's a garbage fix IMO, like don't use the "broken" door handle just Bo Duke it. You may find training is best done slingshotting (or learning both methods) but the weapon should feed both ways, and something unacceptable is happening if it doesn't. My gut tells me it's mag-related. At the range I have experienced this behavior before, and I found it disappear on the next 3 mags and then reappear. The common denominator was a particular kind of mag that my particular gun found disagreeable. We tend to buy these botique $20-$30 mags, which are the most reliable things out there. That said, both Kuhnhausen and Yobo explicitly recognize the individuality of each pistol and practice/detail the process of "tuning" the magazine(s) to each individual weapon. Your best bet is to try as many mags as you can beg and borrow at the local range before dropping $ in this. On a saturday there's always at least one 1911 shooter at the range, and I am sure the guys will loan you the mag of the rental if it's not in use. I'll bet a few 47 series mags from Wilson Combat will straighten you out though. ETA: common practice for me when I buy ANY used 1911 is to replace the recoil spring. That might help as well. And yes... it may just be the ammo. Try Winchester White box. |
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Clean and lube the weapon thoroughly, especially the chamber, give it a solid brushing and swabbing. Disassemble and clean the magazines also. Put a fine coat of oil in the body and on the spring and follower. Change the 17 lb recoil spring to an 18.5 lb. This should cure what ails you. P.S. using the slide stop in the manner that you describe does "work" but it is not the right way to drop the slide. Pull the slide back and release the slide to load the chamber from a fresh mag. |
That's nonsense, and there is no sense going there. Both methods have their strengths and weaknesses, and both should be ingrained in the shooter's muscle memory. If engaging the SS is such a wrong practice, then perhaps you can explain why JMB put a shelf on the SS for a finger/thumb to depress. |
Pulpsmack, a good argument can be made for using the slide stop as a release without bringing 90 year old shooting doctrine into discussion. I think its safe to say that while God sent the angel Gabriel to reveal the 1911 to John Moses Browning, he waited another 60 years to send Gabriel back to reveal the proper technique for using it to Jeff Cooper.
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I'll +1 this one. See how the round rim fits under the extractor. Pay attention to not only the ramp, but make sure the breach face is smooth too. |
Using the SS to drop the slide puts a lot of wear on the slide notch. This wear can be avoided by pulling back on the slide, letting the stop drop and letting the slide go. That's not to say the SS can't be used, it just creates more wear on the pistol. |
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1. is it the ammo? MAYBE 2. is it just being broken in? is this normal? Normal no. Clean lube and try again. 3. what would you suggest? Different ammo, different magazine, time w/ gun. check extractor tension. Gun should function fine with anything from a 12 lb recoil spring upto a 22 pound recoil spring. A new 16 pouind spring is just fine. I run a 14 pound ISMI recoil spring, use the slide stop, gun is still functions fine 7,000 rounds later. ( my ammo 230zero HP, titegroup powder loadded to give me 175 pf, muzzel vel about 770 fps.) Some people use grease on the rails and oil everythijng else. As long as you use BF CLP or better for a lube your pistol should function fine for an easy 500 rounds without adding more lube. Me I use noting but tw-25b grease for all parts of the 1911. |
Yep, my thoughts as well. Had a 1911 that did the same. Some Extractor adjustment fixed it. |
Roger that....just go with the other advice above and you'll most likely get this cleared up quickly. If the cleaning and chamber scrubbing and a nice beefy recoil spring don't do the trick then re tune your extractor to be just a bit lighter. Leave that till last, IMO, and try to break everything in, first. |
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here is a really good link on the extractor... www.blindhogg.com/gunsmith/extractor.html My second guess is the mags. Then look at the breech face for burrs, esp the firing pin hole. It is not a bad idea to polish the breech face up anyway. |
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"LNIB" doesn't mean no modifications. A few things others have said, and more: 1/If you have a shock buff, remove it 2/Install a NEW 18.5# recoil spring 3/Use quality mags (Wilson, McCormick) If the pistol still won't run, time to alter extractor tension. In this case, less tension. Releasing the slide from slide lock can be done whichever way you like (works best), slingshot or slide release. SF Colt 1911 armorer |
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One thing you might want to do when a chance, strip the pistol down, look at frame feed ramp. If you have a dremel, polish this up with FELT pollishing attachment. REPEAT, POLISH DO NOT GRIND. Smoothing out this area generally helps feeding of rounds considerably Just my .02 |
+1 I would only add try different ammo as well,then go back to Blazer if your problems go away. |
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Not the ammo. I just shot 500 rounds of that stuff last weekend. It's fine. My first guess is the mag, and it's easy to check. Just try a different mag. If you don't have another mag to try -- well, you're going to need more than one mag anyway, so you might as well buy a Wilson or McCormick, and give it a try. Nothing to lose. Also, because you say you are new to this, you should know that when you chamber a round, you don't "help" the slide go forward; you don't "ease" it forward. Whether you use the slide release or retract the slide, either way you let go and let the recoil spring move the slide forward. Keepa you hand offa da slide. Report back. We're eager to hear the happy ending. |
Worth a solid dollar. A bit of polishing ( polishing ONLY ) on the throat of the barrel and the frame feed ramp never hurts. |
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| A heavier recoil spring is the same as getting a bigger hammer. It may not be the best solution. I have a 14lb on my Springfield and it can feed empty cartridges. Try a Wilson magazine. If that doesn't solve it, then you might need to have the feed ramp and barrel throating lightly polished. As far as the debate on how to rechamber the gun, the slide stop is there for that reason-to stop the slide when the magazine is empty and to release the slide when there is a new magazine in the gun. It is the fastest way to reload and to get back on target. |
Sage advice that is not spoken nearly enough in this forum. |
Why lose the shock buff. I thought this was a good thing. Only have a 1911 for 6 months (Daly). What do I know. I have a stock recoil spring. Would that be a 18.5# Lighter/heavier? What should be used for 185 gr. LSWC and for 230 gr. JHP Win or Rem factory. Thanks. This is a real good thread. Roy |
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Buffs were designed to be used at the range only, to save wear and tear on the gun, then removed when you left the range (for a carry gun). Shock buff prevents the slide from coming all the way to the rear. This reduces the amount of time for the empty case to be ejected, and the next case to feed, and can cause stoppages. Buffs can cause problems in 5" guns, but are more likely to cause problems in Commander and Officer size guns (a Cmdr has .300" less slide travel than a Gov't model, add a shock buff to a Cmdr and you further reduce slide travel). If you do use buffs, change them out regularly. They can (and do) come apart and cause stoppages. As to recoil springs, you can err on the side of too light and too heavy. Remember, it's not just a "recoil" spring, it's also a "feeding" spring. If you run too light, you can have failures to go into battery. If you run too heavy, the new cartridge can jump the extractor. I used to use 16# springs in my 1911s, but have found that 18.5# springs are more reliable. If you are using light loads, that's a different story. I run an 14# spring in my 5" .40 SVI (firing 180 grn bullets at 170pf), and 18.5# springs in all my 5" .45 acp 1911s (since I use only 230grn ball in them). |
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Thanks e38337. Lotsa good stuff. That makes sense on the buffers. I'll change them out when I get back from the range and clean the pistol. As far as the recoil spring goes, I'll just have to buy a few and experiment. I'm not a big person; small hands, etc., but recoil has never bothered me, either pistols, rifles or shotguns. Again, thanks. Roy |
I'll go w/ #2 If it still does this after 500 rounds, then worry about it. |
With the same mag, or different mag? |
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same mags. UPDATE: I took a dremmel to the burrs, sorry i didn't take a pic. But it seems like it took care of the problem. I racked the slide a bit to cycle rounds through and it went flawlessly. Although, on one rnd, i let it back slowly and it caught. I think thats normal, and i should baby it. |