1911 trouble...help?

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XD45Sooner

New member
I have a smith and wesson 1911sc that I bought used from my local shop. It is accurate as hell and that is not an issue. I was shooting it over the weekend and after about 100 rounds it started having failure to feed issues. It seemed to have more problems with CCI blazers brass ammo. Winchester and Remingotn UMC fed almost flawlessly. Anyone have any suggestions as to what I should do? It would feed the round about halfway into the chamber and stick. Maybe from being dirty? Maybe from the magazine being a POS? its the stock mag that came with the gun...I think is a mecgar but im not sure. Help! I want to start shooting USPSA with this gun so I need it to work. btw...this problem has really never happened before this range session...which is #4
 
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kraigwy

New member
So if Remington and Wincherster works and Blazier dosnt, ****can the blazier and use Remington & Winchester.

Cheap ammo isnt cheap if it don't work.

A better choice would be to save your Rem & Win brass and reload ammo that will FIT AND WORK IN YOUR GUN.

I don't think its the Mag if it works in some ammo and not other.
 
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Technosavant

New member
Simple solution: don't use blazer. My Springfield doesn't like Blazer either for some reason, but it will eat Remington, Fiocchi, Winchester, reloads, and anything else.
 
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XD45Sooner

New member
The remington and winchester did malfunction a couple times...but it wasnt anywhere close to the same as the blazer brass crap. I will not be using that again. You guys think the malfunctions with the Rem and Winchester were due to the magazine?
 
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azredhawk44

Moderator
4 range sessions, no cleaning? What's the round count since cleaning?

Ammo is 230gr RN ball factory ammo?

"Almost flawlessly" with Winchester and Remington implies that it wasn't flawless.

I wouldn't blame the magazine just because it says MecGar on it. They make nice mags, and are factory suppliers for many companies. Go get yourself a new magazine though, if the MecGar is the only one you have. A Wilson Combat or Chip McCormick would be a safe bet.

Though, from your description I doubt the problem is with the mag. I'd suggest two things:

#1 - clean your gun. In particular, use a nylon brush and clean off the breech face and under the extractor. You're having a failure to go completely into battery, and crud under the extractor could stop the round from fully sitting flush against the breech face. Also clean the chamber, looking for crud.

#2 - clean your gun. Lube it up when done. Did you lube it when you first bought it? Sounds like you just took it and shot it, and haven't cleaned it yet. Guns don't ship oiled ready to shoot... they ship with preservative oils on them, or even just dry. Grease the slide rails, put a drop of oil on the barrel locking lugs, a drop of oil over the front of the barrel where the barrel slides through the barrel bushing, and just a hint of oil on the spring as it slides over the guide rod.

#3 - If #1 and #2 don't work, replace the recoil spring with a new one.
 
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Technosavant

New member
Another thing comes to mind- what kind of failures were you having? Failures to extract (including stovepipes and double feeds)? Failures to feed? Does it feed but just not chamber the round fully?
 
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Dustin0

New member
Clean the gun, Run only rem. or win. ammo in it. If you still have problem look at replacing the recoil spring.
 
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XD45Sooner

New member
I clean my gun everytime I finish shooting so it wasnt overly dirty. I will place drops of oil in the reccomended places. I have not done that. I did lube it when i first bought it but I bought it used so I cant say anything about how the previous owner took care of it. Other than a little holster wear and a couple exterior scratches its in fine shape.

I am not sure if its a MecGar or not, its the stock mag. I dont have it with me right now to say for sure.

No extraction problems at all. It feeds but not all the way, its not going all the way into the chamber when it does this. It will feed the round about halfway into the chamber then it sticks. It is 230 grain ball ammo that it is sticking on. I also ran some gold dots through it with no failures at all.
 
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RickB

New member
If the round is halfway into the chamber, then it's not a feed issue, and probably not mag-related. I'd clean the gun, then chamber-check a few rounds (strip the gun, and drop the rounds into the chamber) and see if they freely drop in and then out.
 
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Brian Pfleuger

Moderator Emeritus
If it is not a feed issue or a mag issue...what would it be?
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Clean that gun, son! I mean C-L-E-A-N, detail strip, get all the nooks and crannies... make it clean like it should have been before the first time any body ever pulled the trigger. If it's clean and properly lubed but still does it THEN you can start thinking about other causes.
 
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C

Cloudpeak

New member
With a used pistol with an unknown round count, I'd start by putting in a new, factory recoil spring.

Is the case rim sliding up under the extractor or is the case rim under the extractor claw when you get a jam? Your Smith does have an external extractor, correct? Perhaps the extractor channel was never cleaned and has accumulated crud built up in there? This may cause extra tension on the extractor and make it difficult for the case rim to slide up the breech face under the extractor. (Note: I don't have any experience with S&W external extractors but do have experience with other makes external extractors, XD, M&P & CZ75 so I'm just "brainstorming" here). I do know that, with a 1911 with an internal extractor, that feeding problems can occur if there is too much tension on the extractor.

If you can easily remove the extractor, you can clean this area. If you can't or don't want to do this, soaking in solvent, using a dental pick and compressed air can do a fairly good job of cleaning crud out.

Cloudpeak
 
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sabre2

New member
blazer brass

I have run thousands of rounds of Blazer aluminum with no problems. I have had lots of problems with Blazer Brass in .45. The problem seems to be the crimp. The ammo won't run on several different guns, so it is definetly the ammo. Its not all bad, just some lots.
 
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Cowart

New member
If it is not a feed issue or a mag issue...what would it be?
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A less than smooth surface on the breech face and/or the feed ramp can cause this. It's pretty easy to go over those with some very fine emery cloth/paper. I've had to do that on both of the Colt 1911s I've owned.
 
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Technosavant

New member
I'd be VERY careful dinking with the feed ramp on any 1911- it's extremely easy to screw it up entirely. That goes triple for models with aluminum frames.

For feed issues, the usual culprits to check are: 1) magazines (try some others and see if the problem goes away), 2) springs, 3) extractor, but from what I've seen the S&W external one works just fine and has fewer hiccups than the regular internal one, and 4) feed ramp and barrel throat.

I'd begin by obtaining one of a few different kinds of magazines (say, a Tripp, a Wilson, and one or two others) and see if it runs more reliably. If so, pick the mag that works the best, buy a bunch, and junk the rest. If no magazine works, then you can try a new recoil spring- could be that the one in there is too weak or worn out to return it to battery, but if a regular 16 or 18 pound recoil spring won't work, it isn't the spring.

If neither fixes the problem, you're getting into things that are best done by a gunsmith (unless you REALLY understand the 1911 platform). You can try calling S&W and seeing if they consider the gun under warranty- while they say it is for the "original purchaser," it is not unusual for companies with that kind of warranty to be willing to fix a problem gun even if you're the second or third owner and it hasn't been ruined due to incompetent gunsmithing.
 
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XD45Sooner

New member
What is the standard spring tension for the recoil spring? I am going to go ahead and replace it anyways, I am not sure how many rounds are through it but I want to cover all the bases. this is the only shooting trip I have had where it did anything...consequently this is also the same trip I bought blazer brass. I am going to try a new magazine, clean the hell out of it, and replace the spring. If that doesnt work i will send it off to the smithy
 
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Rinspeed

New member
The first thing I would try after a new recoil spring is a different high quailty mag. If you still have problems it's most likely the extractor tension. Messing with the feed ramp is the very last thing I would consider.
 
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BigJimP

New member
Clean and lube it ( barrel, frame, slide, etc ) / 1911's like to run a little on the "wet" side - you're not fighting in a desert environment where it'll matter.

Get a Wilson Combat spring kit - and replace the recoil spring.

Remove the firing pin / extractor - and replace the firing pin and inspect the firing pin too ( since you're there ). I don't think that's causing your problem - but with a used gun / replace those 2 springs first thing.

Clean the mags.

If you still have problems with Blazer ammo - quit buying it. Magtech, etc is pretty good on the lower end price range - and consider reloading. Its really easy for .45 acp .
 
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