Slide Jammed Bad on 1911

Pics wouldn't have done anything.
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sure it would we could've seen the exact point in where it locked up. Is it fully locked back, is it only 1/2 of the way of the rearward cycle, etc.

No one here asked you to hit it with a mallet. Basically all you've said is 'my guns super broken what a POS'
We are trying to learn, discuss and help you troubleshoot. We've got tons of expert members here trying to guess the issue.

Perhaps at the very least your misfortune can save someone from the headache of when it happens to them.

Even the gunsmith at the range said something is terribly wrong
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Sounds like an expert smith... :rolleyes:
 
Yeah, if he had been a real gunsmith, he would have had a five pound sledge hammer, at least.
Coulda' fixed it right up.
1911s are made for it.
That's why the rear of the slides are shaped that way. :)

True story:
Guy at the match has his custom (expensive) 1911 jam up tight.
Drops a dowel down the barrel to determine that the case that's stuck is an empty one and not a live one.
Proceeds to smack the rear of the slide down on the bench as hard as he could.
Trusty 1911 pops back into battery and he racks the errant case out.
Reloads and goes back to the shoot line to continue the match.
The gun runs just fine from then on and the guy easily finishes in the top ten for the day.
Don't take that crap, show your 1911 who's boss.
Can't even count how many times folks have slammed their shotgun butts into the ground to clear them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG63PY_CDB4
 
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Quote: Dan Wesson wanted me to pay the shipping cost to send it back to them.

Pretty poor customer service, imo; especially when the malfunctioning pistol is brand new.
 
I have a Valor a year or so old and the Heinie sights are dim compared to other Trijicons I have. I think it is a fairly common issue with them for some reason. Otherwise it is a fantastic weapon. I bet the pin wasn't through the link as well.

edited. saw your other posts.
 
Pics wouldn't have done anything. It just looked like a 1911 with the slide open. I wasn't about to hit my brand new gun with a rubber mallet and chance making any marks on it. If Dan Wesson wants to hit it with a mallet to take it apart, then the liability is on their end. I'm sure there would have been marks if I was able to get the slide off
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It sucks that this is happening to you but I completely disagree with this. Pics would have helped a lot. There are a lot of people on this forum with a lot of trigger time on the 1911 platform. Experienced 1911 shooters would be able to give a lot more meaningful insight if they could have seen pics of the gun prior to it returning to DW.

I have to ask how much time do you have on the 1911 platform? Is this your first 1911? Have you field stripped 1911s in the past? I am not blaming you I am just asking for more info.

I hope that the issue is not user error but if it turns out it is I would hope you will publicly state it an clear DW of blame. :eek:
 
Here is a "maybe".But I sure could be wrong.

I'm guessing the gun is all stainless.I'm also guessing (I do not know)that DW heat treats the steel to approx. the same hardness on the frame and slide.

AFAIK,DW fits everything to very tight clearances.

You said you degreased/regreased it.I'm guessing,you maybe used a chlorinated hydrocarbon such as Brake or Carb cleaner?

A number of factors here add up to the possibility the slide/frame ways may have galled.
And,that is not necessarily DW's fault.

I used to build steel molds that had closely fitted parts which had to run many cycles under loads.Galling could be a problem.We had ways to avoid it.

Some stainless steels are prone to galling.
Tight clearances are prone to galling
Working parts of the same material are more prone to galling
Working parts of the same hardness are more prone to galling.(Hint,we used a guideline of 7 points Rockwell "C" differential)
The orientation of the "lay" of surface finish plays a roll.Best to grind surface diagonal to direction of travel.,or even leave mill cutter marks that transverse direction of travel.
Worst,both parts have a lay in the direction of travel.Such as,when tightly fitted slides are lapped.
The stainless may be a sulphurized steel.Chlorinated hydrocarbons are a bad idea on these.The solvent actually attacks the sulphur within the steel.See Schuemann Barrels website,advice on cleaning.
Some lubes are better than others for stainless.
The recoil spring has a closed end and an open end.Is the open end inside the plug?
It might be your degrease/regrease did not work out so well.
Also,any sort of guide rod or buffer things going on?
 
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Doubletapp said:
Pics wouldn't have done anything. It just looked like a 1911 with the slide open. I wasn't about to hit my brand new gun with a rubber mallet and chance making any marks on it. If Dan Wesson wants to hit it with a mallet to take it apart, then the liability is on their end. I'm sure there would have been marks if I was able to get the slide off
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As others have already mentioned, photos might have helped. They would have provided more information to the experienced 1911 shooters (and 'smiths) among the membership here.

As to your earlier complaints about shipping and this comment regarding liability, IMHO I respectfully submit that it is premature to decide that Dan Wesson should pay the cost of shipping both ways, and it is premature to suggest that any liability is on Dan Wesson. Certainly, if disassembly shows that the stoppage is due to a mechanical defect with the pistol, then the responsibility lies with Dan Wesson and they should return it to you in pristine condition. If, on the other hand, the stoppage is due to the slide stop pin having missed the hole in the barrel link, that's operator error. The manufacturer is not and should not be expected to be liable for operator error. If they have to beat the slide off and that's what they find, then I don't think they have any responsibility to return a pristine pistol. They should, of course, take care to minimize marks and to polish them out if they make marks, but if they can't make it perfect ... that's occasionally part and parcel of unsticking a stuck slide.
 
From WVSig,

I have to ask how much time do you have on the 1911 platform? Is this your first 1911? Have you field stripped 1911s in the past? I am not blaming you I am just asking for more info.
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See the original post. It is his first 1911.

tipoc
 
I hope that the issue is not user error but if it turns out it is I would hope you will publicly state it an clear DW of blame.
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I do aswell granted if it is the case I doubt we will hear of it.
 
Just for information. Missing the link when inserting the slide stop pin is pretty common. When that happens the slide stop often is at the wrong place in the slide and cannot be removed so the gun is "locked up."

The best and easiest way to tackle the problem is to use a hand grinder (Dremel tool or the like) with a cutoff wheel to very carefully cut the slide stop in half. Padding the frame with masking tape and inserting a thin piece of steel under the slide stop at the cutting point will help in case of a slip.

The front half of the slide stop can then be pushed out from the right side and the slide removed, after which the rear half can be pulled out.

Of course, the slide stop is sacrificed and has to be replaced, but that is a better alternative than hammering on the gun or trying to drill out the slide stop pin, techniques that are sometimes suggested.

Jim
 
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I'm guessing the gun is all stainless.I'm also guessing (I do not know)that DW heat treats the steel to approx. the same hardness on the frame and slide.
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I don't think so, typically frames should be 24 to 28 and most slides should be 38 to 42 on a Rockwell C scale.

Without seeing the gun it's hard to guess what exactly happened as it could be several things.
The first thing I would check would be the slide stop to see if it walked out enough to wedge the slide stop between the slide and frame, next I would check the disconnect, then I would go to the lower lug and link.
 
Just for the heck of it I tried missing the link with the slide stop crosspin and I
can't even get it to fit together again never mind cycle or shoot it.
Maybe there's a special way to miss it so that the pistol works afterwards.
 
The first thing I would check would be the slide stop to see if it walked out enough to wedge the slide stop between the slide and frame,
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How 'bout this? Long COL and bullet pushing up the slide stop.
 
The problem of a bullet ogive activating the slide stop is dealt with by dropping the magazine. To hang up the gun, the slide stop pin has to be inserted between the barrel foot and the link. Usually, that means the slide stop is not at the right point to be installed, but with the sloppy tolerances of many guns today, the slide stop will go into place but be difficult or impossible to remove, tying up the gun.

Jim
 
TheFineLine said:
...I have a Valor a year or so old and the Heinie sights are dim compared to other Trijicons I have.
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Only somewhat related -- but I had a similar problem with a Gray Guns SIG P228, recently.... the night sights (bought through and installed by GG) were about 3 years old, and had dimmed to dark.

Gray Guns sent the sights to Heinie, who replaced them under warranty. They're still not that bright -- but brighter than before they were replaced.
 
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A few years ago the slide locked back on my Colt MK IV, the usual methods and kind words (the other never work for me) had no effect, I disassembled it almost completely, found residue had built up in the trigger area. A thorough cleaning and proper reassembly, it's working fine now.
 
the slide stop will go into place but be difficult or impossible to remove
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We'll never know whether the slide stop was wrongly reassembled,OP had already decided to ship it back.But he did write that he cycled it a hundred
times and then shot a magazine+ one round before the pistol stopped.
All this with a crosspin jammed between the link and the bottom lug?
 
That is, of course, not possible. The thread sort of wandered, and I was discussing, in general, one of the possible causes of slide hangup. FWIW, a 1911 will sometimes function for a few shots with no link at all, but not with the slide stop pin behind the link.

Jim
 
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