These Moments Do Try Me

[FoxtrotRomeo]

Ok. I'm getting this PT1911 ready for .45 Super. I dropped the 28# recoil spring kit in it only to find it will not cycle the slide far enough back toward the rear to activate the slide stop and short strokes it enough to make it fail to strip off a round from the magazine.

It's a Wolff spring. The Wolff spring kit with the 18.5 lb recoil spring works perfect but I'm not about to shoot .45 Super with it.

Any idea what is causing it?

 

[ep2621]

I'm no gunsmith to say the least. But if the diameter of the wire on the heavier recoil spring is thicker than the wire on the 18 pounder wouldn't it be longer when fully compressed. Thus make the gun short cycle.

I've never seen either spring. Just throwing ideas around. Someone smarter than I will probably be around shortly with the answer.

 

[frumious]

Perhaps the new spring needs "fitting"? Cut a half loop at a time off of the end of the spring until the slide will lock back. I had a similar issue with a new mainspring on my 1911...and I was lightening the spring.

-cls

 

[Jim243]

Is the original a flat spring like in my FNP-40 or is it a round spring like in the Wolf spring kit???


Jim

 

[WESHOOT2]

Perhaps the Taurus PT1911 is not manufactured using "1911" drawings (okay, I know it isn't), thereby leaving insufficient space in the spring channel for 1911-spec parts?
Maybe?

 

[AKsRul.e]

The purpose of the recoil spring is to return the slide
assembly to battery.

Stronger than standard springs are used to compensate for greater mass in the slide assembly.

They have a side benefit of decreasing felt recoil.

By themselves they do not safely allow use of a more
powerful cartridge.


What Mods are you doing BESIDES the recoil spring?

.

 

[FoxtrotRomeo]

Perhaps the new spring needs "fitting"? Cut a half loop at a time off of the end of the spring until the slide will lock back. I had a similar issue with a new mainspring on my 1911...and I was lightening the spring.

That's what I did actually. I have it working now. I cut it down quite a bit to get it working right but I compared it to my desert eagle dual spring set up (due to .45 Super being similar in performance to .44 magnum) and it's good to go.

But if the diameter of the wire on the heavier recoil spring is thicker than the wire on the 18 pounder wouldn't it be longer when fully compressed. Thus make the gun short cycle.

It is indeed a thicker wire.

Is the original a flat spring like in my FNP-40 or is it a round spring like in the Wolf spring kit???

No it is the same basic spring as in any other 1911, just a lil bit thicker.

Perhaps the Taurus PT1911 is not manufactured using "1911" drawings (okay, I know it isn't), thereby leaving insufficient space in the spring channel for 1911-spec parts?
Maybe?

Nope, like I said, a full length Colt 1911 18.5 lb recoil spring kit works just fine, just drop it in.

The purpose of the recoil spring is to return the slide
assembly to battery.

Stronger than standard springs are used to compensate for greater mass in the slide assembly.

They have a side benefit of decreasing felt recoil.

By themselves they do not safely allow use of a more
powerful cartridge.


What Mods are you doing BESIDES the recoil spring?

http://www.realguns.com/archives/020.htm

This is what I am going by. You also have to understand with Wolf springs when you order a recoil spring, they automatically come with a matching firing pin spring appropriate for operating that spring. I use the spring sent with Wolf recoil springs every time because that is the appropriate spring.

So no I'm not doing just a recoil spring. So I'm not doing this "by the seat of my pants". I'm doing this off of people that have been there and done that.

 

[KurtC]

Regardless of what anyone might have told you, there is a lot more to converting a pistol to .45 Super than just replacing the recoil spring. Regulating the timing is crutial. This is especially true of the 1911 platform.

I suggest contacting the folks that started it. Ace Hindman is long past, but I believe his son is still in business.
http://www.acecustom45s.com/gunsmith.htm

 

[spacecoast]

What if anything are you doing to the barrel/chamber/slide? That article references a Kimber, are you certain that the Taurus hardware is strong enough to handle the pressure of the super?

http://www.acecustom45s.com/gunsmith.htm

Note that the Glock 21 requires a new barrel. No mention of Taurus.

I don't know anything about the author of the realguns article, but his conclusion that

Lower & flare the ejection port
Extended ejector
Jewel outside barrel chamber, sides of hammer & trigger (if appl.)
Heavy duty extractor​

are all unnecessary seems a bit suspect to me. The dynamics of a much faster moving slide might require exactly those mods (except perhaps the jeweling, which sounds cosmetic only).

In your shoes (if you are determined to give this a try) I would proceed with great caution, starting with .45 ACP loads and working up very slowly. Nothing's worth a kaboom.

 

[FoxtrotRomeo]

The problem I have with Ace is that they sell their own kits. So of coarse they're going to tell you what they tell you. That "everything else is unsafe.". Why? What do they have to stand to gain in telling you that? Selling more of their stuff.

I feel that the Taurus is up to the task. So that is what I'm using.

 

[KurtC]

Ace Hindman was involved in the .45 Super concept almost from the beginning, and they are the most knowledgeable resource for what is involved in safely converting a pistol (I'm sure they've destroyed a good number of pistols over the last 22 years).

I followed their advice for a Smith 4546 twenty years ago, and it is still going strong.

 

[FoxtrotRomeo]

Ace Hindman was involved in the .45 Super concept almost from the beginning, and they are the most knowledgeable resource for what is involved in safely converting a pistol (I'm sure they've destroyed a good number of pistols over the last 22 years).

I followed their advice for a Smith 4546 twenty years ago, and it is still going strong.

I'm sure you are telling the truth as you know it. I don't doubt it. Problem is I have read both reports for maximum understanding of what I am about to deal with. I feel that I have cut through enough of the bovine scatology to understand everything and do what I feel I need to do.

Lower & flare the ejection port

Check

Extended ejector

No longer required. The old detonics rounds that are no longer made were slightly different on the angle for the extractor to properly extract and eject the round. Ace said all the new stuff is an exact match on the angle of the .45 ACP round. Inside, that's the holy guts of the .45 Super casing. The inside features are what make the casing do it's job.

Jewel outside barrel chamber, sides of hammer & trigger (if appl.)
Heavy duty extractor

With exception to the outside of the chamber, check. I understand where that came from. It's to promote a better slide action from the blowback function of the frame. The round (even a .45 ACP round) has so much force that the slide will still cycle though. (Ace said you can fire ACP rounds without changing out their springs for standard springs. After cutting my spring to fit, I can see what they were referring to.)

So yeah I'm not the idiot firing .45 Super with no mods (I've heard of it and what I gathered from the Ace site is that you CAN do it it's just not smart to feed it a steady diet of .45 Super. Can't wait for those idiots to see the results of frame battery, I will laugh.)

I also went a step beyond. I cut that spring to operate with a shock buffer. While some may dispute needing them with .45 ACP rounds, this is .45 Super, not ACP.