Posted: 4/4/2009 6:44:05 PM EDT
| I bought my first 1911 a springfield mil-spec and I have been having issues with it not chambering a round sometimes. When the slide goes to move forward the round gets stuck halfway and I have to push the slide with my thumb to get it to chamber. Any advice would be appreciated. |
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With each of my new Springfields, there were a "few" failures-to-feed in the first 100 rounds or so. After that they all "fixed themselves" and have functioned properly since.
If you've got a couple of hundred rounds through it, and its still unreliable, a call to Springfield might be in order. They will probably ask if you've been using factory ammo as they wont react to problems with reloads. |
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Quoted:
With each of my new Springfields, there were a "few" failures-to-feed in the first 100 rounds or so. After that they all "fixed themselves" and have functioned properly since. If you've got a couple of hundred rounds through it, and its still unreliable, a call to Springfield might be in order. They will probably ask if you've been using factory ammo as they wont react to problems with reloads. I've fired over a hundred rounds through it..probably 400. Is there anything I can do to fix it or is this something I need to send back to springfield? |
| Most common causes are too much extractor tension or a weak recoil spring. If you don't want to send it back just yet, you might consider putting in a 17lb or 18lb spring and see if that helps. You can read up about extractor stuff here:http://www.ar15.com/content/page.html?id=289 |
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It doesn't sound like a magazine issue 'cause you've had the problem with both factory magazines. You might try another quality magazine, however, to totally elimnate magazines as an issue.
There are some things that can be done to the pistol itself and suggest that you search "failure-to-feed" in the gunsmithing forum. Depending on your gunsmithing skills, however, you could end up doing more harm than good and void your warranty in the process. I assume that you're using standard commercial factory ammo. Suggest that you call Springfield customer service and give them your story. Your problem sounds pretty common and fix involves extractor tuning, barrel throat polishing, and other pretty menial stuff. Springfield will pay for shipping both ways as well as fix the problem(s). The process will take about three weeks, door to door. |
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Send it back to Springfield, I have a Mil-spec that did the same thing from time to time. I thought it was ammo, I thought it was mags, I thought it was extractor, I bought a wilson combat extractor and put in it. Everytime I thought I had it licked, it would do it again.
I finally gave up and sent it back to Springfield, they did some "stuff" to it, and sent it back and it has run perfectly since. It really is the best thing to do, because it could get real aggrivating and expensive tinkering and throwing parts at the problem otherwise. Just my 2 cents. 
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I'd start with a high quality magazine or two. If that doesn't work I agree with the above poster, send it back. Unless you have experience or great mechanical aptitude don't try the extractor yourself, you'll just end up chasing your tail. I would never try to fix a malfunctioning gun by over-springing it. The pistol was designed to run with a 16lb recoil spring, if it won't run with that putting an 18lb spring in is just a band-aid. Even if it helps, your gun still has a problem.
I do agree that it's probably extractor tension, a tight chamber or bad mags. |
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Not a week goes by, it seems, that someone doesn't come in here with a similar problem with their Springfield.
Extractor tension is the first thing I would check because it's usually the problem. http://www.ar15.com/content/page.html?id=289 |
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interesting write up excerpt: "*As already noted, Springfield now uses a .38 Super firing pin in all models, which has a narrower tip than a .45 firing pin. Again keep this in mind if you need to buy a replacement. In addition, the factory firing pin is made of titanium and uses an extra-heavy firing pin return spring to allow Springfield's guns to pass the laws in California regarding drop-test safety requirements. While Colt and other 1911 makers use a firing pin safety block system to avoid discharge should a loaded pistol be dropped, for now Springfield has been able to avoid this by using the titanium pin/heavy spring setup. As a comparison, Colt's new Series 70 and WW1/WW2 replica pistols use a standard steel firing pin and spring, and therefore are not certified for sale in California. Whether they will actually likely discharge if dropped is subject to debate, but for now Colt hasn't been willing to submit their guns to CA-DOJ for testing and find out. full article |
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If you send it back to SA, they will polish feed ramp, throat and ream the chamber. That is most likely what it needs, but polishing the ramp area and chamber edges with metal polish and a barrel patch will probably fix this problem. I do it to every semi auto I own, started doing it in 1992 to them. Since then, the only guns I have ever bought that run out of the box with no failures are Glocks. The only thing I have to do to them involves the trigger.
I don't understand why the manufacturers can't put in a spot in the assembly process where a person sits and hits the feed area with metal polish to remove the milling lines and rough edges that the bullet profiles get trapped on. All you have to do is look at the forces involved, think about the different densities and bullet profiles available and it is easy to see why this is by far the most common problem with semi autos. |