Posted: 11/7/2009 3:50:55 PM EDT
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So I just took my brand new Loaded 1911 to the range. I had an alarming number of malfunctions and issues. The magazines were 2 stock Springfield mags and 2 Wilson ETM mags.
Started off with 120 rounds of American Eagle 230gr ball. I had two stoppages. The first time, the round just stopped moving while it was only halfway into the chamber. I pulled back the slide and released it and that fixed that problem. The second stoppage was curious though. It was so strange, it would be better for me to show you a picture than to try to describe it with words: 
Sorry for the shitty quality, all I had was my cell phone camera. Anyways, what you're seeing is the next round of ammo that was intended to be fed into the chamber. I had fired the previous round and it successfully ejected from the pistol, and the new round got stuck like this o_O Anyways, then I tried some defensive ammo. First, some Federal Hi-Shok 185gr that was given to me. The stuff wouldn't feed at all from the stock Springfield magazines. It always got caught on the feedramp. It fed perfectly through the Wilson ETMs though. Then, Speer 230gr Gold Dot. Fed flawlessly through all mags. So now for my questions. 1. I'm coming from the Glock side, where everything just WORKS, 100% of the time, every time, no questions asked, PERIOD. I hear a lot about 1911s having to be "broken in." So after this Springer is broken in, I won't experience any more of this, right? 2. The whole time, the mags were very tight –– neither the Wilsons nor the Springers will go in unless I SLAM them home. Just pushing them in won't do it, nor will a forceful shove. I mean I literally have to SLAM them in. Also, the magazine release button is almost impossibly tight. I can't make it budge one millimeter without changing my grip, and even then, it's VERY hard to press in. Most of the time I just turned the pistol on its side and pressed the button with my left thumb to get it to move. Could this, coupled with the tight mags, be a problem with the gun? Or is this just another "break in" thing that will go away with time? I had my dad shoot it too and he experienced the same thing with the magazine release, so I know I'm not just a wuss 
Thanks for helping out a 1911 noob! :D |
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Before I even begin, you cleaned and oiled/greased the gun before you shot it...right? This isn't a plastic fantastic, it does need a bit of oil.
My guess for your jamming problems is an improperly tuned extractor. That is where I'd look first. There are stickies and youtube video's on how to tune it, or you can give it to a gunsmith. As for the problems with the Federal Hi-shok ammo I would say magazines, the Springfield units aren't bad, but you should use the Wilson's. As for "slamming" the magazine in...you shouldn't do that. I can give a little extra pressure to get my magazine in when the slide is forward, but I find it's smarter to load the gun with the slide pulled back. Try inserting the mag with the slide locked back and see if you still have problems. If you do, send it to Springfield. While you are testing the magazines with the slide back, test the magazine release at the same time. Try to drop some oil in the magazine release button hole and cycle the button a bunch, see if it all lightens up. If not, send it to Springfield. |
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Springfield OEM mags are a bit less than perfect, IMO. I rarely use the ones that came with my Trophy NM as they're a PITA to load.
I would agree that you need a good light coat of oil in the gun. Be sure to do the entire bbl, inside the slide as well as the frame rails. No such thing as too much oil on a 1911, IMO. Yes, 1911s do need a bit of a break-in period. There's some serious need for precise timing & fitting in a good 1911 for it to run properly. It takes 150-200rds for everything to settle down & ease into their wear pattern. I wouldn't even think about sending a gun back until I had 200-300rds in it & continued to have problems. Be sure to keep a firm grip & not limp-wrist the gun too! My .o2 |
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I didn't clean the pistol but I watched http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eUacqOIAaU and lubed the proper points with some Hoppes #9 gun oil. The guy in the video was a big proponent of using grease, but I didn't have any on hand –– just the oil. Could the stoppages have been because I used oil instead of grease? Like I said, I'm formerly a Glock man, so I'm used to barely having to use any lube at all.
And I'll look into the extractor tuning, thanks 
And as far as the magazines go... I definitely prefer the Wilsons over the Springfield. Like I said in my OP, they successfully fed the hollowpoints which the Springfields had failed to feed. They also seemed easier to load to capacity, and the extended baseplates are nice. Now time for a dumb question. I've been playing with the mags trying to smooth out the insertion, and I see that all of the mags I used today now have long, obvious scratches running from top to bottom. Is that normal, or is there something sticking out inside the gun that's scratching them? The scratches are on the left side/the side that the mag release button is on. I also realized that the point where my magazines start to really hit resistance, where I have to really use some force to get them in, is right when they first contact the magazine catch. Seems to me that that the whole assembly is just too tight. Is there any way I can loosen it without having to send my whole pistol to Springfield? Thanks for your time everyone.
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Looks like you figured out your problem.
You can take the grips off and really see where things catch as you insert the magazine, and NO you shouldn't see scratches on your magazine. I'm guessing something is up with the mag release, and I'm guessing you may want to clean and REALLY lube your 1911 next time. Oil works fine, grease is better. EDIT: BTW, nice video on lubing, I am a bit more liberal with oil when I don't have grease in there. |
| Springfield seems notorious for not knowing how to get the extractor tension anywhere close to where it needs to be. Spend 5 minutes reading this link and you will likely be up and going. |
| I had a hard time inserting mags in my TRP when I first got it. The mag catch was leaving gouges in the mag near the top edge. I removed the mag catch (very simple to do), and found it had a sharp edge that was digging into the mag. I cleaned it up with some very light filing, and it is much better now. Just something to check out. |
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I got a new Springfield about a year ago. My first range session was about like your's. Someone said to lube the heck out of it and try again. I did, it worked a lot better.
Fast forward ––––––-> Now, having shot the pistol many hundreds of times, it runs 100%. There are many places on the slide and frame where the action has clearly worn into mating. My conclusion is that the gun needed to be broken in and needed a lot of lube during that period of time. That's a price I'm willing to pay since the gun has very good fitment of slide to frame and is very accurate as a result. As was said above, Springfield has excellent customer service. But, the front end of that service is not someone who knows anything about guns or gunsmithing. So, you're better off soaking it in oil and running a few hundred rounds through it before calling for help, IMHO. Also, shooting star mags run really well in my Springfield. |
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Sorry for your bad luck. I have a SA Loaded as well and havent had any of these issues. You souldn't have scratched mags or have the mag release be that difficult. Others have said this so I think your on the right track. I think Wilson 47d's are the mag of choich for 1911's although my SA mags work fine also.
Good luck...my SA runs 100% and is very accurate. I've actually had far more problems with my Glock than my 1911. |