SR1911 Barrel Sticking During Removal

[30Mauser]

Still LOVE this gun and she's still functioning flawlessly. However, something has developed during field-stripping and I'm hoping you can advise whether I should be concerned and/or bring it to Ruger's attention or not.

As the chamber/link part of the barrel passes through the closed section of the slide, it hangs up quite heavily, to the extent that I need to pull hard with both hands to remove, and give it a smack with my palm-heel to reinsert.

ETA: I should note that this only started happening after about 450-or-so rounds, there's no noticeable cracking or other damage to the barrel/chamber, and I only shoot factory 230gr fmj and jhp ammo.

This is where it hangs up on removal:

And this is where it hangs up on reinsertion:

 

[Chris.Cal]

Take a dremel and grind away.....Just kidding. Mine doesn't do that at all, how many rounds have you put through yours so far?

 

[bill o]

Did you make sure to swing the link toward the muzzle before trying to remove from the slide? I can't tell on the first pic.

 

[30Mauser]

Take a dremel and grind away.....Just kidding. Mine doesn't do that at all, how many rounds have you put through yours so far?

I like the dremel idea but... no. I've got about 550 - 600 rounds through it by now.

Did you make sure to swing the link toward the muzzle before trying to remove from the slide? I can't tell on the first pic.

Yep, link is definitely in the correct position.

I should note that this only started happening after about 450-or-so rounds, there's no noticeable cracking or other damage to the barrel/chamber, and I only shoot factory 230gr fmj and jhp ammo.

Keep the ideas coming, thanks!

 

[Chris.Cal]

The Ruger is my first 1911 so your probably better informed than me. In that first picture it almost looks like one of the barrel feet is a little peined over. It may just be the lighting. On a side note, my trigger moves side to side quite a lot, not sure if it is a normal amount of travel. Does yours rattle a little bit?

 

[Supermoto]

take a sharpie and start coloring everything that might be hitting. the slides plunger hole might be impacting the frame and peening over.

 

[bbarer]

Hard to tell from the pictures, but could be the lower lugs have deformed from hitting the back of the frame recess? I have never seen that just a thought. Maybe the chamber has bowed slightly from over pressure? Sorry I have never seen that either even in very cheap barrels....Either way you have a problem I think either a good gunsmith or the factory should look at. Especially with such a low round count...

 

[30Mauser]

Hard to tell from the pictures, but could be the lower lugs have deformed from hitting the back of the frame recess? I have never seen that just a thought. Maybe the chamber has bowed slightly from over pressure? Sorry I have never seen that either even in very cheap barrels....Either way you have a problem I think either a good gunsmith or the factory should look at. Especially with such a low round count...

There's no obvious deformation, but I wonder if maybe Ruger's unique "window" that allows you to see the brass of a chambered round might have struck the back of the slide somehow and deformed slightly. Will definitely call their support line and ask what they think.

As for the trigger, Chris.Cal, mine has some slight vertical play, but isn't loose, doesn't move side-to-side, and doesn't rattle at all.

Supermoto, thanks for the tip. May try that after talking to Ruger!

 

[ntomsw]

Interesting. Found anything yet? I will have to keep an eye on mine. I have shot about 400-600 rounds through mine and have no issues yet. Good luck. Any issues you do have, Ruger should set it straight I hope.

 

[30Mauser]

Interesting. Found anything yet? I will have to keep an eye on mine. I have shot about 400-600 rounds through mine and have no issues yet. Good luck. Any issues you do have, Ruger should set it straight I hope.

Looking at the barrel and slide closely now... I think Supermoto nailed it "slides plunger hole might be impacting the frame and peening over"... I can definitely feel this and think it's visible in this picture, too... Middle of the red mess I made trying to circle the peening...

Will call Ruger Monday and see what they say... May be dremel-time after all, or I may get a new slide/frame/spring/whatever!

Will post here as I learn more...

 

[Supermoto]

take a look at where the guide rod sits in the frame, there may be peening in the impact area also

 

[30Mauser]

take a look at where the guide rod sits in the frame, there may be peening in the impact area also

I see now how that all fits together, and how the slide is actually hitting the flange of the guide rod rather than the frame directly. That said, I don't see any deformation on the guide rod flange, nor on the frame.

But HEY... Did they neglect to bevel one side of the frame where the guide rod impacts it???

ETA: the guide rod does appear to seat squarely against the frame, but who knows what might be going on under the stresses of live firing...

Check this out:

Here's a blurry shot of the guide rod, just for the record...

 

[dcmdon]

I say just shoot it. If it breaks Ruger will take care of you.

If you have another 1911 to shoot now, then maybe ship it back now.

While a dremel is comical, if it takes a couple of strokes of a file on the botom of the bbl to clear this up, I'd give that a try. If its done in a workmanlike maner and you only remove a few thousandths, then you won't have any problems.

If it tightens up again, I'd bet on some kind of metallurgical problem.

Don

 

[30Mauser]

I say just shoot it. If it breaks Ruger will take care of you. If you have another 1911 to shoot now, then maybe ship it back now. While a dremel is comical, if it takes a couple of strokes of a file on the botom of the bbl to clear this up, I'd give that a try. If its done in a workmanlike maner and you only remove a few thousandths, then you won't have any problems. If it tightens up again, I'd bet on some kind of metallurgical problem.Don

Thanks for your insights, Don! Talked to Ruger today. Boxing it up to send in tomorrow. They say 2 - 3 week turnaround. Will let y'all know how it goes!

 

[dcmdon]

Thats certainly a good way to go.

I recently purchased a Ruger 22/45 and the grip to receiver fit was very loose. The guy said that they would send me a call ticket. I really didn't want to send the gun back so I asked him what they were going to do. He said they would simply place it on a padded bench top side down and give the part of the reciever tube where the grip tang slid into a good wack with a ball peen hammer.

i asked if he would mind if I did that. He said sure, but he wasn't responsible for any cosmetic damage I did. he actually waited on the phone while I did it. It took two raps with the hammer for a perfect amount of snugness.
He said thats how they are fitted at the factory.

So, where am I going with this. I'm guessing Ruger is being courteous and doing what they need to do to make you happy. It never hurts to ask if you can fix it yourself with their assistance as long as you aren't eliminating your option to send it in to them. Again, I suspect that a couple of strokes with a file is all that will need to be done. They may also test the slide for hardness to make sure it isn't a problem with the metal or the heat treat.

Good luck. Cross your fingers it gets done quickly.

Don

p.s. make sure they agree to pay for the return shipping.

p.p.s. if they aren't paying for return shipping, bring it to the dealer you bought it from. He can ship it back for $6 + insurance (USPS Small flat rate box). He shouldn't charge anything for the service if you bought the gun from him. (using him for the transfer doesn't count)

 

[30Mauser]

Thanks again for the ideas, Don... Nice to hear from one who has gone before.

I'm sure you're right about how stoning the peening off the slide hood would solve the problem, but I expect it would be temporary, since I'm pretty sure that it's just a symptom of the root cause. I think the root is their failure to bevel the seat for the guide rod completely, but we'll see what they say.

Anyone else with the SR1911 want to take a look at their gun and tell me if the beveling is asymmetrical like that shown in the pictures I posted in this thread?

Oh yeah, they're paying for the UPS next day return... I've already printed the label and my letter to them. Have to get some brown shipping paper tomorrow and wrap it up to send out. I've definitely got my fingers crossed for a quick turnaround... It's my only 1911!

 

[dcmdon]

You don't need to wrap the whole box with paper.

Just use a box provided by UPS or Fedex and use some of the gum type paper shipping tape. You just need to tape the seams in the box.
Actually, unless they specifically instructed you to wrap the package, you don't need to do any of that.

If someone wants to pilfer the gun on Sturm Ruger's dime, its really not your problem.

Don

p.s. I recently took delivery from Larry DelGrego of a $16,000 Parker shotgun for someone. I was amazed when it came USPS Registered mail. Strange, but thats how they ship the big dollar guns.

 

[30Mauser]

You don't need to wrap the whole box with paper.

Just use a box provided by UPS or Fedex and use some of the gum type paper shipping tape. You just need to tape the seams in the box.
Actually, unless they specifically instructed you to wrap the package, you don't need to do any of that.

If someone wants to pilfer the gun on Sturm Ruger's dime, its really not your problem.

Don

p.s. I recently took delivery from Larry DelGrego of a $16,000 Parker shotgun for someone. I was amazed when it came USPS Registered mail. Strange, but thats how they ship the big dollar guns.

You know, good point... Probably less of a hassle just to use a real shipping box rather than the Ruger box it came in.

I have fantasies of walking around into the UPS store, drawing the weapon from concealment, dropping the mag, laying it on the counter and saying "send this to Ruger, will ya?"

Funny, with all the strict gun laws that they haven't yet mandated the creation and use of some multi-billion-dollar "gun couriers" federal administration.

Oh and don't let people bust your balls about moving to MA... You and the family will love it here.

 

[Chris.Cal]

Just for the hell of it here's a lousy cell picture of mine. It appears to be the same as yours and only beveled on that side.

 

[30Mauser]

Just for the hell of it here's a lousy cell picture of mine. It appears to be the same ad yours and only beveled on that side.

Thanks, Chris! Hmmmm...

 

[30Mauser]

Mark time... Remitted to Ruger via UPS overnight as of 09:56 EST today. Ruger's cost. They say turnaround should be 2-3 weeks.

 

[30Mauser]

Package received at Ruger today, 10:21 MST.

 

[30Mauser]

Got it back on April 26th, about 7 weeks after they received it for work. Posted on Facebook NES group as well...

So I finally got my Ruger SR1911 back from the factory in Arizona last week... after sending it to them for a slide/barrel fit problem that was developing. The back end of the slide hood was peening over from contact with the recoil spring guide during firing, causing the barrel link to hang up on it when sliding the barrel out during break-down. Didn't affect firing at all, just ease of break-down and reassembly.

They tested the slide strength (OK), repaired the peening, replaced the recoil spring, the recoil spring guide and even the frame itself (using the same serial number, interestingly, so no FA-10 needed). The slide-frame fit is as great as original, not a rattle to be heard.

Now it's 100+ rounds later without a single failure to feed or fire, and the slide peening problem doesn't seem to be recurring. Will have to keep an eye on it over the next several hundred rounds. I wasn't happy to be without the gun for so long, but chalk up some of that to the heavy business load they're encountering lately and, in the end, am happy with their service.​

 

[ntomsw]

Excellent news. Glad it's running at 100%

 

[Phlach]

Probably still defective. Better send it to me with a case of ammo so I can give it a full testing for you over the summer. I'll send it back in the fall with the empty brass.

 

[30Mauser]

Probably still defective. Better send it to me with a case of ammo so I can give it a full testing for you over the summer. I'll send it back in the fall with the empty brass.