Oh No! My new Remington R1 is having problems...

OP,a stronger recoil spring is not going to help,first the pistol is oversprung
(methinks) and then it is only going to return to battery with even more force
making things worse.
Please check the extractor it only takes a few minutes and it could save you a
lot of aggravation.
 
Polyphemus...

I have not had a chance yet but I will check the extractor. Obviously I will check it for damage, but how exactly do you go about checking for proper tension?
 
Checking the tension.The claw should be holding the round with 1.75 Lb.+/- an
ounce or two.
Take a spent brass case and tie a loose thread around the extraction groove,on the other end the weight you want to hold (I use bullets in a little hardware bag).Now push the case into the extractor and carefully lift,no rocket science but it works well enough.Alternatively you can pay somebody a lot money for a
gadget that don't work much better.A proper tensioned extractor is the next best thing to godliness.
 
Expendable is correct, but in the original design, the magazine angle was such that the rim of a round locked into the extractor groove of the next enough that the round would not be kicked forward. (The last round locked into the little "tit" in the follower; since some magazine makers didn't know what that was for, they left it out and wondered why they got failures to feed.)

But here the problem is not happening with the last round, so the problem is more likely to be the angle of the feed lips. If they are properly hardened (and many today are not) they should not bend or change with use.

Jim
 
Did I miss something?

I don't remember him saying he had an extraction issue.
If I understand correctly the fired round ejects, there is a loose live round on top of the live round feeding out of the magazine.

I don't think it's a extractor problem.

Kurt
 
The M1911 was designed to have a controlled feed, which means that the round is under control right until it is in the chamber,the extractor has a critical role
in this cycle as does the magazine design.The extractor functions are to help control the round into the chamber and to extract the case after firing.
John Browning designed M1911 parts to have multiple functions the,extractor is
just one example of his genius.Incorrect extractor tension is often a cause of chambering issues.
 
The nub or raised dimple seems to have been designed to engage the case
cannelure,it actually makes the round jump over it as the rim hits it.In some
cases it hurts more than it helps.It points the last round several degrees higher
than the previous rounds as it is being stripped from the magazine and this is
cause of last round stoppages.
 
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Nevertheless, under some circumstances the slide will kick the top round so it jumps forward and fails to feed. GI magazines have feed lips that allow the round to rise up under the extractor, but they can cause problems with short rounds. New style magazines have longer, non tapered lips that release the round abruptly. These are intended to hold onto short rounds until the bullet is on its way into the chamber, but if the round is very short or releases too soon, a jam will still result.

Jim
 
Yes the 1911 does have controlled round feeding, but as you can see by his picture the slide is behind the second round down and would control the feeding of that round if the top round wouldn't have popped out of the magazine prematurely and gotten in the way.

Kurt
 
So I finally cleaned the gun tonight... I took the slide apart and checked the plunger and extractor for damage, everything looks and feels right as rain. I did a really close visual inspection and thorough cleaning on the pistol. I also took a close look at the two factory magazines and everything looks good.

For the life of my I just cant imagine what would be happening beyond what expendable has said, which was actually my original thought of what might be the problem before I even started this thread. It's literally as if the round is popping out of the magazine before the slide comes forward to push it out of the magazine and then instead is catching the back of the next round in the magazine and jamming it against the one sitting on top. The magazine springs feel good and strong.

For example, my last failure was a loose live round sitting on top of an empty magazine with maybe just the tip of the bullet in the chamber if that, and the slide was being held open by the magazine as if the last shot had been fired.

polyphemus... I'm not sure what specifically you mean by this...
Take a spent brass case and tie a loose thread around the extraction groove,on the other end the weight you want to hold (I use bullets in a little hardware bag).Now push the case into the extractor and carefully lift,no rocket science but it works well enough.
Click to expand...

Could you elaborate a little? I understand the first part, but once you talk about having the case hooked by the extractor and then lifting, I'm not sure what you mean, what do I lift? What am I trying to achieve? :D Thanks. It will be a good thing to know in the future I'm sure.

Just for the hell of it, I'm going to take a stab at what you mean to say... Are you saying I should have a loose thread, like something you would sew with, have it wrapped around the extraction groove, but have it tied like a loop and loose enough that it can lay over the extractor and slide rather than being caught up in there... Then having the "goal weight" of 1.75lbs tied to the other end, then with the side of the slide facing the floor, carefully and slowly lift the weight with the string secured to the case, and if it pulls out the case, the extractor may be too loose, or if it holds tight, the extractor may be too tight? So you keep adjusting the weight of the bag to see what weight it takes to pull the case free from the extractor with out any bouncing or interference from jerking or momentum? And if that is correct, then how would I adjust it if it didn't break free at the recommended 1.75 lbs. do you just bend it?

Good stuff though, thank you sir:)

Despite any problems I may be having or ever have had with any of my 1911's I'm finding that there are still another 2 or 3 I would like to have;)
 
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You got the idea and if you find that it is either too tight or too loose then bend
it,it takes more effort than what those videos show but once you get the feel of
it you can get it right everytime.Believe it or not my R1 also acted up,they are
production pistols and they need a little tweakin' sometimes,I discarded the
magazines immediately after the first stoppage and then looked a bit deeper
it's fine now.
 
I wanted to follow up with this thread for anyone who is interested.

I recently took both of my Remington R1's to the range again. This time I experienced the same malfunctions as before, with both pistols, and with 3 out of the 4 factory magazines. I also fired a Chip McCormick Shooting Star magazine from both of them and had no failures from that magazine.

Today I gave Remington a call and explained my experience. The guy I talked to said he's heard of the problem I'm experiencing before, and he agreed that it was likely the fault of the magazine. He said I could ship back the 4 magazines and once they received them he would send out 4 replacements.

I also told him about the R1s shooting about 4 inches low at 25 yards, I asked if they could send me a shorter sight... he said they had matching "short" sights in stock and he would send me one.

So.... I've slightly bobbed the hammers on both guns because I was getting some hammer bite, I only took off one grove from each hammer and it was enough to solve my problem, I smoothed them out and they look and feel good. I ordered and received 5 Chip McCormick Shooting Star magazines for EACH gun, 5 black and 5 stainless, and I have inserted each one and pulled back the slide to see that it would hold open, and drop free, so far so good. And I have a shorter front sight coming for the R1s which after I install it will hopefully bring my shots right to the point of aim.

I'm debating on if I should take the new replacement magazines and just sell them to my local pawn shop, or if I should try them out first. I think I might sell them with the idea that they are new and I don't know if they work or not where as the old ones I kind of knew had some problems.

I'm also still waiting on my 2 $75 rebates. I think once I test all my new Shooting Star magazines, install and test the new front sight, and all the smoke clears, I'm going to end up very happy with these two pistols, especially for the price!!!

Also still trying to decide if I should polish the flats of the slide of the R1s... and if It's worth it to add some longer solid triggers.
 
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I hope that after 7 years he sorted it out.

Fun fact this thread is started prior to my period of firearms ownership.
 
Polyphemus, the triggers? No, they ain't broke :D I just prefer the feel of a longer trigger on a 1911 vs the short ones that come from the factory on the R1.
 
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