Took a relative to the range with his 1911 today and had some issues

[Jamie Young]

I have a relative that purchases a used Colt 1911 and just shot it for the first time today. I warned him that the gun looked like it had been tinkered with because it had a non-factory trigger and a full length guide rod. He was aware that when he got it, it would have to be test fired and possible need to see a gunsmith or have parts replaced.

I had trouble taking the gun apart because all of my 1911 guns don't have a full length guide rod, do I HAVE to have a tool to take these apart? I tried to lube the gun before we took it to the range because it had never been cleaned, but I couldn't get it apart so I only lubed what I could get to.

The gun jammed several times with a Colt magazine and 2 Wilson Combat magazines, but I had both of my guns there an neither jammed. Once we actually take it apart and clean it, I'll see if there are any malfunction issues because we couldn't eliminate the cleaning issue while we were there.

Lastly, the gun wouldn't close unless we hit the slide release. I tried to rack the slide and it wouldn't fly. I asked the RO at this club if he ever heard of that problem and he said some 1911s were like that. I never heard of that before, is that true?

 

[VHinch]

I tried to rack the slide and it wouldn't fly. I asked the RO at this club if he ever heard of that problem and he said some 1911s were like that. I never heard of that before, is that true?

It happens. In a full size 1911 it's usually caused by a recoil buffer. In Commander length 1911's there are other potential causes.

 

[KyJim]

You did not mention the size of the gun so I am going to assume it has a five inch barrel.

There are a couple of different kinds of full length guide rods. You can generally start to field strip them by drawing the slide back so that the slide stop lever lines up appropriately to the disassembly notch. Push out the slide stop while holding the slide back under tension with one hand. After getting the slide stop out, place your hand over the forward part of the slide and slide if off the frame. Be careful and keep the slide area covered with your hand as the recoil spring is under tension.

If it is a two piece guide rod, these screw in and you unscrew from the front with a slotted screw driver or hex wrench depending on setup. If it is a one piece guide rod, you can generally remove these from the rear once you have the slide off. The one piece guide rods that need tools to disassemble are usually in the shorter barrel lengths, though anything is possible.

Once it is field stripped, first check to see if there is a shock buffer installed on the rear of the guide rod. This could prevent you from cycling it by using the slingshot method. They can deteriorate and cause a mess. If you have one, take it out and throw it away. They are unnecessary in my opinion 99% of the time and are just something to foul up the pistol. The only 1911s that I personally know of that do not slingshot are some Les Baer Commanch length (4.25 inch barrels) pistols. However, the shock buff will also do this.

Then make sure you clean with a good solvent like Hoppes #9 and lubricate with a good oil. There are several out there. I like using Mobil 1 5W-30 but to each his own.

Visually check for any cracks in the frame or unusual wear. Look carefully in the area around the ejection port and the slide stop notch.

Reassemble and manipulate the slide by hand. If it appears to function smoothly, take it out and shoot it.

I would also get a new recoil spring and firing pin spring, though you don't necessarily have to get them before you test shoot it again.

 

[ML41887]

1911 issues?

First...clean the gun and the magazines. If you can't get it apart from the barrel end, just take the barrel and slide off together and then disassemble them separately. Second, look at why the gun is jamming if it jams after you clean it.

It doesn't necessarily matter what type of magazine you have either. If it doesn't fit the gun well, then the gun will jam. If the bullet leaves the magazine at too steep of an angle it will stand up in the chamber and jam. If the bullet leaves too flat then it will not feed properly, especially with hollow points. Geometry doesn't care who's name is on the magazine Don't get me wrong, these mags you have are very nice but they may not be best for this particular weapon. Most gunsmiths can "tune" a magazine to a gun for $30 or so. I can't tell you how many people complain about guns jamming when all they need is a good cleaning and some minor magazine adjustments.

Also the full length guide being better thing is a myth IMO. GI guide rods shot a bunch or rounds just fine and killed a hole bunch of folks when it mattered. What may have happened is that the new guide rod may have not come with a new recoil spring or did come with one, but it's too strong or too soft...vague enough?

Here's what I'd do after a good clean and inspect... buy a 16 lb recoil spring and a GI guide rod. Go to lowes and get some emery cloth and polish the feed ramp and throat of the barrel. Get some hardball ammo, of decent quality and give it a shot. Next, if that doesn't work, I'd get a new barrel. If the gun's an old one, prior to about 1980 the barrel may have a narrower throat, which will not usually cause problems by itself but a wider throat may be forgiving enough of the other loose tolerances that the gun will operate properly.

I hope this helps,

Matt