I have a taurus 1911 that I had the frame completely disassembled with the slide taken off and had it in this condition for about 5 days. Now when I went to put the gun back together, I can not get the slide to go any further than what would be basically battery. It will not move rearward any further. I stripped the frame down once again and am now working with the frame and the slide (no barrel, guide rods or spring) and am still having the same issue. The gun was able to rack perfectly before this. What have I done?
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Need help with 1911
- Thread starter KS1911
- Start date
1911a1
I have no experience with the Taurus, so I cannot give you specific instructions. But I do have extensive experience with the original 1911 design, and a little bit of experience with the modification called "series 80".
Look at your frame and see if there are parts sticking up, near the disconnector, on one side (Colts had them on the left). This is the linkage for the "firing pin lock", and may need to be pressed down in order to reinstall the slide. Alternately, check the slide (underneath) to see if your gun maker put the troublesome thing there.
Another possibility is that you have not reassembeled the sear/disconnector/sear spring correctly. If these parts are not free to move, you will have a problem.
Sorry I don't know how the Taurus differs from the base 1911, but sometime the details are important. Any chance of pics?
I have no experience with the Taurus, so I cannot give you specific instructions. But I do have extensive experience with the original 1911 design, and a little bit of experience with the modification called "series 80".
Look at your frame and see if there are parts sticking up, near the disconnector, on one side (Colts had them on the left). This is the linkage for the "firing pin lock", and may need to be pressed down in order to reinstall the slide. Alternately, check the slide (underneath) to see if your gun maker put the troublesome thing there.
Another possibility is that you have not reassembeled the sear/disconnector/sear spring correctly. If these parts are not free to move, you will have a problem.
Sorry I don't know how the Taurus differs from the base 1911, but sometime the details are important. Any chance of pics?
I find that fiddling a LOT with the slide will usually free up a recacritant slide. Whenever you disassemble a 1911, you should not depress the grip safety while disassembled, this will often cause the problem you are encountering. Remember a law of mechanical devices, if it requires excessive force - something is not right.
Not to be disrespectful here, but did you drop the slide or frame on a hard surface? Or put either in a vice or similar tool? Or use any sort of impact tool or hammer on the thing?
Are there any small pieces of grit or random metal chips on the slide rails that are causing it to bind.
If all parts are removed from both slide and frame there are no magic hidden things to get in the way of the fit and steel, simply does not spontaneously expand or contract, does not happen, in 5 days or 500, nor with normal temperature extreams.
I suspect you have somehow "tightened" the slide to frame fit on your gun to the point where you have an interferance fit... there are many gunsmith techniques for doing this that involve varyations on tweaking by squeezing the slide and or frame rails.
If you want to see where things are binding, degrease all parts throughly, put black perminant marker on all bearing surfaces i.e. the frame rails and slide chanel and then work it together, the areas of interferance will have the sharpie worn off of them.
Professonal help given where you are at now would be strongly advised. If you are lucky with a little file work and lapping that will be all that is required, you could possibly do this with guidance but given where you are it might be better to simply have a smith do it as when building a 1911 up you generally start with slide to frame fit, if you end up altering things too much other tolerances might need to be tweaked and you get in to cascading problems or altered tolerances.
Are there any small pieces of grit or random metal chips on the slide rails that are causing it to bind.
If all parts are removed from both slide and frame there are no magic hidden things to get in the way of the fit and steel, simply does not spontaneously expand or contract, does not happen, in 5 days or 500, nor with normal temperature extreams.
I suspect you have somehow "tightened" the slide to frame fit on your gun to the point where you have an interferance fit... there are many gunsmith techniques for doing this that involve varyations on tweaking by squeezing the slide and or frame rails.
If you want to see where things are binding, degrease all parts throughly, put black perminant marker on all bearing surfaces i.e. the frame rails and slide chanel and then work it together, the areas of interferance will have the sharpie worn off of them.
Professonal help given where you are at now would be strongly advised. If you are lucky with a little file work and lapping that will be all that is required, you could possibly do this with guidance but given where you are it might be better to simply have a smith do it as when building a 1911 up you generally start with slide to frame fit, if you end up altering things too much other tolerances might need to be tweaked and you get in to cascading problems or altered tolerances.
Thank you for the advice. The sharpie helped. I am unsure how this occured but the bottom radius of the slide is rubbing against the dust cover. The gun never did this before now and I have not attempted to tighten or used any pressure tools of any sort. I will leave it as a mystery. I was able to use a file very lightly to work the action and now it is functioning again. Thanks again.
Intresting, were there wear marks on the slide from this?
How much had you shot it prior to this?
If not I would guess that the gun is put together such that the pressure of the slide stop on the barrel lugs and thus on the slide pushed things up out of the way?
Just a thought, and obviously not the way things should be... pictures would be intresting to see.
How much had you shot it prior to this?
If not I would guess that the gun is put together such that the pressure of the slide stop on the barrel lugs and thus on the slide pushed things up out of the way?
Just a thought, and obviously not the way things should be... pictures would be intresting to see.