1911 Slide release problem- PLEASE help

H

hbk80rice

Inactive
I have a Norinco 1911a1 and I have an issue with the slide release. When I lock the slide back or when the gun locks back on an empty mag it does the same thing. The slide release will not drop when I pull the slide back. If I put a new full mag in or if there is no mag in the gun and I try to drop the slide by pulling it back, the slide release stays up and will not function like it should. What causes this and more importantly how can I fix this problem so I can get this gun functioning perfectly.

Thank you very much for all of the help!!!
 
Awww I hate to ask the obvious but there isn't a build up of crude around the slide release is there? I won't take it personally if you say 'bleep no, I know how to clean my gun!!!' but it's kind of a question that has to be asked.

FWIW I've looked at Norinco stuff (1911 and M14 semi-auto clones) and they always looked pretty good to me.
 
I WISH!!!! Great minds think alike bc that was my very first thought so I broke it down and did a major cleaning by hand and also dropped every individual part into the ultrasonic and it still sticks in the "up" position.

No I wouldn't dare yell at someone trying to help me. No ego here, just looking for answers and I thank you for your thought and help.

Got any other ideas?
 
I once installed a Wilson Combat Shok-Buff buffer on my 1911, that's the one that fits on the recoil spring guide rod. Unfortunately, the buffer limited the reward movement of the slide just enough that it caused the exact same problem that you're having. So I removed it and my gun went back to working just fine.
 
I had a Part LTC Commander that did the exact same thing. I always prefer to use the slide stop to release the slide rather than pulling it back, but I know it would probably bother some people. Never figured out why it did that, it was a jam o matic so I didn't keep it long.
 
When the slide is pulled back from slide lock, it should travel enough farther back that the forward part of the notch in the slide overrides the slide stop and forces it down. It's not in any way spring loaded, so it won't drop of its own accord. The usual culprit when you can't slingshot is a shock buffer, which reduces the rearward travel by the thickness of the buffer.

An exception is Les Baer Commander-size pistols. He makes them so they can't be slingshotted. The reason is that he uses the same frame as his Government size pistols, and won't do the extra 1/10-inch of machining needed to make a Commander work like a Commander.

There should not be a problem with a Norinco. Are you running a shock buffer?
 
If an empty magazine is in the pistol with slide to rear, the slide stop should keep it to the rear whether you pull the slide back a little to release or you manipulate the s/s. That's by design and the Norinco is functioning properly. If you simultaneously pull and release the slide while manipulating the s/s, the slide will move forward.
 
imashooter said:
If an empty magazine is in the pistol with slide to rear, the slide stop should keep it to the rear whether you pull the slide back a little to release or you manipulate the s/s. That's by design and the Norinco is functioning properly. If you simultaneously pull and release the slide while manipulating the s/s, the slide will move forward.
Click to expand...
He's not taking about when there's an empty mag in the gun, he's referring to situations when the slide should go forward when pulled to the rear because there's a full mag or no mag in the gun (emphasis is mine):

hbk80rice said:
If I put a new full mag in or if there is no mag in the gun and I try to drop the slide by pulling it back, the slide release stays up and will not function like it should.
Click to expand...
 
An exception is Les Baer Commander-size pistols. He makes them so they can't be slingshotted.
Click to expand...
Some can and some cannot, though Les really doesn't care. I have one that can be slingshotted.
 
If it's clean, there could be a burr either on the frame or the slide stop. Has it functioned correctly before?

An exception is Les Baer Commander-size pistols. He makes them so they can't be slingshotted.
Click to expand...

Huh, never knew that about Les Baer. Seems silly to make sure it functions differently than it should.
 
OP,did you field strip your pistol and checked the slide stop for free play under the pawl,and the slide for full rearward travel before you posted?
 
when I got the gun, it did have one of those buffers on the guide rod. Like some of you are talking about I'm sure that is what cause this problem to occur in the first place. It has since been removed, and the problem has not gone away. Is this something that will just have to be lived with or is this a problem that can be fixed? how?
 
slide stop issues

As said previously have you noticed any "high spots" on either the slide and/or slide stop release?

Since this part is not spring-loaded and gravity is its only method of dropping to disengage.

With magazine removed a slight rearward pull on the slide should drop the release.

It appears to be hindered by a slight burr that can easily be removed.

Double check the release and the slide were it goes into.

Good luck.
 
No,it is not to be lived with.
If the slide travels freely then the slide stop should be replaced.
Your pistol seems to have been modified in the first place,you have to replace
whatever was installed that doesn't belong,strip it and carefully reassemble
paying attention to the slide action if you removed that rubber washer then
it should work,maybe someone installed a funky slide stop and that's why it's
still acting up in any event it doesn't sound like something that can't be fixed
with a little attention.
 
hbk80rice said:
Is this something that will just have to be lived with or is this a problem that can be fixed? how?
Click to expand...
Before you can fix it, you need to diagnose what the exact cause of the problem is. Either the slide is being prevented from going back far enough to allow the slide stop to drop, or the slide stop is hung up on something.

Try locking your slide to the rear with no mag in place. Now pull the slide all the way to the rear. Is there any noticable movement? Is the slide still contacting the slide stop?
 
A problem with the plunger spring assembly can keep the slide lock from dropping. The front pin of the plunger spring assembly puts slight pressure on the slide lock to keep it from lifting under recoil. If that pin is binding, particularly if the plunger tube is a bit loose, it can hold up the slide lock and prevent it from dropping when the slide is retracted. To test for that problem, remove the thumb safety and plunger spring assembly and see if the slide lock will drop as it is supposed to.
 
Take your slide and barrel off the frame, then place the slide stop back in. Insert a loaded magazine and see if the rounds are hitting the slide stop. If the rounds are hitting the slide stop, that might be why.
 
Aguila Blanca is correct. If everything is in spec, the slide stop is forced down by the slide; if it won't go down, the slide cannot come back. Period.

The Norinco guns are about as close to GI spec as possible, especially since they were built on metric tooling in China so, unless there is a buffer or something else involved, I am inclined to think that someone altered the slide stop or the slide itself.

Jim
 
I guess if it were mine I'd reassemble with just the slide plus the SS, now, the only spring in play is the plunger spring. I'd slowly pull the slide back when the SS is engaged and see if the camming surface at the front of the notch is camming the SS down as it is supposed to.
I owned only one Norinco, and the hood fit up was way too sloppy for my liking, so it's fine to talk about Norinco as a foundation of an assembly but as an assembled 1911 I'd not assume it was done right.
One pistol I had that was doing that I found making a very tiny dimple for the detent at the back surface of the SS when it is in the down position, if you make it too deep though you can make a SS that won't go up, and so it will not hold the slide back when needed.
Brawnell's sells a long drill bit with what amounts to a tiny ball endmill on the end, you take the detent and spring out, position the drill through the detent housing and carefully cut a detent nest with the SS down, just a tiny one is all that is needed.

That said, many hundreds of thousands of 1911's worked well without doing that, so it seems like a solution to a problem that resides elsewhere.
 
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