1911 feed problem

K

knzn

New member
 I have discovered a problem with my Springfield 1911-A1 .45 ACP.
I purchased it brand new some where around 1990, give or take a couple of years. The
modifications made to it, are beaver tail grip safety, hammer and sear, and Videkki (sp?) Trigger.
I do not believe that these mods have anything to do with the problem, and every thing else is
stock.
Before I get to the problem, thanks to bowling pin matches, IPSC, and IDPA, I will say that I
have fired approx. 2,500 absolutely trouble free hand loads through it. They are 200gr SWC’s of
the Hensley and Gibbs mold style. I am talking complete reliability.
I decided I needed some factory ammo on hand for it, and purchased a box good old hard ball.
230gr. FMJ. Before I had made it to the range to try out my new factory ammo, quite by chance I
loaded a magazine with it, inserted it, and dropped the slide from slide lock. Right away I could
tell the round did not chamber smoothly. Instead of one nice smooth “ clank” into battery, it was
more like “clank clank.” I ejected the chambered round, and could see that the bullet was now
seated deeper than normal. Somehow in the process of being chambered, the bullet is being
shoved deeper into the case. The factory ammo out of the box measures from 1.264 to 1.266.
After being chambered once and ejected, it measures 1.250.
I removed my barrel, and the ammo drops into the chamber freely. And my old standby 200gr.
SWC’s can be chambered over and over from slide lock, and measure the same the last time as the
first.
I know there are several big name 1911 experts I could send it to, but I was hoping first to find
someone who maybe has had this problem, and could direct me to fix it myself.
Thanks for any ideas/suggestions in advance.

Bill
(knzn=kansan)
 
I had exactly the same problem with a Springfield Armory about 2 yrs ago, cartridges coming out shorter than when they went in.

Is the slide failing to fully lock into battery?

What brand of ammo were you using?

I could not figure the problem out. The feed ramp was smooth as it could be, and everything looked normal. I sent it back to SA twice, and they could never get it fixed. I think they polished the feedramp once, and adjusted the extractor, according to the invoice they sent back with the gun (they did it free of charge, it was a new gun). But it didnt solve the problem.

If you figure it out, let me know, and call the people up in Geneseo and let them know too.

The only thing I could figure out to do was to use cartridges with a shorter OAL, they didnt seem to get any shorter after being chambered.
 
SPRINGFIELD 1911's HAVING A BALL (230g BALL)

Perhaps the chamber is too short, or the leads are too close.

When actually mounted IN THE GUN.

Can you try swapping barrels? I mean, with a Clark, Kart, Jarvis, Brown, Briley, Nowlin, Schuemann, or BarSto?
 
The magazines have not been altered, and I have both Wilson and Chip McCormick.

The slide is going fully into battery, and the ammo is Winchester white box, and PMC.

I have checked chamber depth, and no way is the bullet reaching the lands.
 
IME

I have seen this exact trouble before.

Seriously, try swapping barrels (maybe with someone at your local IPSC/USPSA club?).
 
knzn: I've also had the same problems with my Springfield. I'm thinking it must be something about the way the mags release the round into the feed ramp. I tried using Wilson, McCormick and also Mecgar, all with the same results. Right now I'm having a real hassle with mine due to a re-finish by Bearcoat. The pistol now won't reliably feed a round from slide lock. Once the pistol is up and running, no problems. How about yours? I'm wondering if the round chambered from slide lock, or by hand(?) gets short but not the following one. Would this make any sense? Maybe a different barrel will solve the problem but this is a pricey fix, eh? I did notice that Wilson mags tend to hold the round a little higher, thus more in line with the chamber. But still have problems. Sheesh, 1911s, you just gota love 'em! Stay safe.
 
I just got home from a friends house, and he has two .45,s, one Springfield, and one Kimber. Guess what. They both did the same thing as mine, maybe to a slightly lesser degree. Maybe I have created a problem in my head that doesn't really exist.
I think my next step is to measure some rounds chambered by firing the gun. If that should prove to be OK, then all I have to do is develop confidence in them by firing 500 or so to see if they will run, and if they do, then all these sleepless nights were for nothing! :)

thanks all---but if anyone else has anything to say on the subject, please feel free to keep the thoughts and comments comming!
 
The .45 ACP is a low-pressure round, so I don't think that pushing the bullet 14 to 16 thousandths of an inch into the case would create an over-pressure condition.

However, I would not repeatedly chamber the same round every time you unload and load the pistol. I rotate the round to be chambered and shoot-off my carry ammo at least once every two months.

I don't think that you have a problem.

-Mk.IV
 
Check to make sure that your magazine catch isn't worn. If so it'll allow the mags to seat in the gun a hair too low. A lot of cast mag catches in new production guns wear out after a few hundred mag seatings.
 
dsk may have hit on the problems. At the range today I was once again experiencing failures to feed the first round from slide lock. I tried pushing the mag up into the mag well before I drop the slide and....presto! Rounds would chamber every time. I'm calling a couple of the makers tomorrow and ordering a couple of different mag catches. Probably a McCormick and a Wilson, or maybe an Ed Brown. I've got a good feeling about this...I hope!
 
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