SW 1911 Feeding Problems

BRIGUY

BRIGUY

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I was shooting the firearm the other day with Winchester targets (Walmart ammo ) and noticed that that every now and then ,when the next round would cycle it would get caught up on the ramp ( sorry dont know the proper terminology) before entering the barrel. Sometimes I could go 3 mags without it happening and then have a problem with 4 out of 8 shots in the next one. I purchased the gun used and didnt realize till after that it did not come with the Wilson Combat mags that come stock with the gun. It came with 3 very cheap looking mags . I am guessing the problem is probably a combination of the ammo an the cheap mags can anyonre think of anything else it could be. Thanks
 
Very first thing I would do before shooting any new gun is to break it down,give it a good cleaning and lubricate.It may just be too dry?
 
SW 1911

It may verry well be that you are limp wristing the 1911. The next time you shoot make a effort to lock your wrist and elbow when you shoot. Put 2 rds in the mag and then work up to a full. Like the above post said take the mags apart and brush the inside of them, and make sure there are no snags or rust inside.If that fails Brownells has springs at a good price. Good Luck
 
After switching to quality mags, if you still have trouble, try taking out
your buffer, assuming this is a commander-sized pistol. I had some
trouble with a 1911SC and Mr. Santurri pulled the buffer as part of his
diagnosis. He said that on a commander the stroke should not be shortened
any more than it already is. My pistol now is running amazingly, and I can't
get it to jam even if I try extreme limp-wristing.

F
 
Rather than start a new thread, I figured I'd post my problem here.

I have a full-size S&W 1911. It probably only has about 100-150 rounds through it. It fails to go into battery fairly often. That is, I shoot, but the slide doesn't return all the way forward and I have to bump the back of the slide for it to go into battery. I usually shoot WWB but last weekend I ran a couple mags of +P JHPs and I experienced this problem three times in two mags. I had given the gun a good cleaning and a fairly generous lube before I shot it last weekend.

I love the looks of this gun and it's fun to shoot but I would NEVER carry it, or even use it as a nightstand gun until I can get it properly sorted.

Any suggestions?
 
Marcus in the Darkus said:
Rather than start a new thread, I figured I'd post my problem here.

I have a full-size S&W 1911. It probably only has about 100-150 rounds through it. It fails to go into battery fairly often.

I love the looks of this gun and it's fun to shoot but I would NEVER carry it, or even use it as a nightstand gun until I can get it properly sorted.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Yes. Get back to us AFTER you've broken it in. [rolleyes]

That's at least 500 rounds, followed by a tear-down to clean and lube it.
 
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Seriously?

I've heard that 1911s require a good break in but this is ridiculous. So you're saying that, after 100+ rounds a properly cleraned and lubed 1911 that fails to go into battery three times in two mags is normal? No other potential problems I should check? That's a 19% failure rate!
 
Most guns have at least a 250-500 round break-in period. I wouldn't carry a gun if it hadn't been properly broken in. I would suggest getting that shot count up to 500, if it still is failing then you may have a problem outside of the fact that it needs to be broken in. If you called S&W they'd tell you the same.
 
Marcus in the Darkus said:
Seriously?

I've heard that 1911s require a good break in but this is ridiculous. So you're saying that, after 100+ rounds a properly cleraned and lubed 1911 that fails to go into battery three times in two mags is normal? No other potential problems I should check? That's a 19% failure rate!
Click to expand...


Les Baer makes one of the best 1911s. I've heard people tell me that their Les Baer didn't start "working" right until almost 1000 rounds. Now that may be extreme but it gives you a perspective. Give your gun 500 rounds and see what happens.
 
Marcus in the Darkus said:
OK. More rounds it is. I'm going to hopefully expedite the process though with a little fluff and buff.
Click to expand...

Honestly, I recommend that you do not do that. The most important modification for you to do is to take your dremel tool, unplug it, take a large pair of tin snips, cut the power cord in two, and hang the dremel on your wall.

Buy yourself another 400 rounds of ammunition. Go to the gun club and in a couple hours you'll know whether you've got an issue or not. If you still have problems, then send it back to S&W.
 
M1911 said:
Honestly, I recommend that you do not do that. The most important modification for you to do is to take your dremel tool, unplug it, take a large pair of tin snips, cut the power cord in two, and hang the dremel on your wall.

Buy yourself another 400 rounds of ammunition. Go to the gun club and in a couple hours you'll know whether you've got an issue or not. If you still have problems, then send it back to S&W.
Click to expand...

+1 Except I wouldn't go as far as cutting the power cord of the dremel. [wink]
 
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I have done some very minor polishing to a gun that has some failure to feed issues after it was well broken in. I did that polishing with 600 grit sandpaper, oil, and my thumb (for the feed ramp) and a wood stick (for the breech face). But that's not where you start.
 
I went ahead and did a very mild fluff & buff on my S&W 1911. Put a mirror polish on the feed ramp, polished the barrel throat and cocking lug, and mildly lapped the slide to the frame. Then I re-cleaned it really well, gave it a good lube, and also cleaned and re-assembled the mags (Wilson Combat).

I took it to the range this evening and I ran another 110 rounds through it, and got 17 instances when the slide did not return fully forward into battery. OK, so now I have 250+ rounds through this gun, with a fluff and buff, and I'm still getting a 15% failure rate. If this doesn't improve after another 250 rounds, I'm going to send it in to S&W.
 
polishing

If you have the rouges the white is for "polishing" stainless. It does not
cut.

Before using sandpaper etc. use your finger to detect any rough ares
or burrs.

JimB
 
I have over 1000 rds WWB through my S&W 1911 w/no failures. I don't know your skill level but I would send the hole lot to Smith they will diagnose and fix, most likely for free, before you do some irreversible damage.
 
I have over 1000 rds WWB through my S&W 1911 w/no failures. I don't know your skill level but I would send the hole lot to Smith they will diagnose and fix, most likely for free,...---
Click to expand...
And don't forget to let us know what happens.

Respectfully,

jkelly
 
Marcus: Something is wrong with that gun. I wouldn't bother putting another 250 rounds through it. Send it back to S&W and have them fix it.
 
I had a problem myself the other day at the range. I'm quite sure that it's a mag problem but i just wonder how many other people have had the same problem. Basically on the last round of my mags after firing the case would get stuck/crushed between the mag and the back of the barrel/slide opening. In some instances I was able to just pop the mag out and the case would drop through the mag well while in others it was so jammed in there I had to take a screw driver and basically pry it out.
 
Marcus: When you apply slight pressure to the back of the slide, will it go into battery? Also if this happens on the range, drop the mag. Does it go into battery easier or actually slip into battery? It may be hanging up on the link, without ammo will the gun cycle smoothly and slowly by hand a full cycle? Also did you install a shock buff?

Greg
 

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