Posted: 12/21/2003 1:09:08 PM EDT
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Ok, I have a springfeild 1911a1 stainless, 2003 production. so it's new. I sent the slide to mac's shootin iron to have the slide coated black, (Ilike the two tone look) and it looks great. I went to the range after I got it back (first time it has ever been shot), and I experience failure to feed...the round gets stuck halfway into battery sort of at a 45 degree angle on the feed ramp half way into the chamber. so I took it to the in house gunsmith at this range and who also sold me the gun and told him the problem..he tells me the extractor may need to be tuned. I say ok and he does the work. $55 later it still does the same thing with any brass based ammo...it shoots wolf ammo all day long with no problem and will even group at 2" at 25yds it's a very accurate weapon I like it a lot but what can i do about this feeding problem??? the breech face seems clean and smooth the ramp is polished and throated. any ideas? |
| Go here and read Bill Wilson's article on tuning extractors. Its something you can do easily. |
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$45 dollars per hour and $10 for 1 box of test ammo..pretty standard rates for gunsmithing. no it didn't shoot it had the same problem before and after he fixed it. and to add insult to injury the gunstore that also had the gunsmith in house was no longer doing smith work due to kalifornia pressure and insurance premiums too high so he couldn't even legally hounor his work..basicly, sorry dude I can't work on this, and because of that he was also leaving (quiting) the store. anyway does anyone have an idea what the problem could be? I mean for a 90 year old design SOMBODY should know what the fix is for this!!! come on, I don't want to send it on a parade of gun smiths , after a while the cost will equal a les bare coustom. it's got to be a simple fix, I just can't do it, I don't know smithing 
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This is a very common 1911 malfunction. There is about four different causes of this problem. The mag is a likely problem. Try other mags. The extractor could be the problem but your smith should have fixed that. The chamber could be rough. Sometimes polishing the chamber cures this. The breech face could be rough. It could be a combination of all of the above. Useally on a quality 1911 it is the mag. Try a few other brand quality mags. It may feed Wolf better because the Wolf has a slightly different shape of bullet compared to most other rounds. I have seen other 1911's that worked great with Wolf that would not run with brass case US made ball. |
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Just for the hell of it...Measure the over all length of the Wolf ammo against any of the brass ammo (that was jamming). If the Wolf is longer you may have "timing" problem with your mags. If the brass ammo OAL is shorter, then the lips in the magazine might be releasing the round early during chambering causing the round to tip up and jam. That's my guess. Check out this web site, they probably had this question before. www.1911forum.com |
It's a very common *Springfield* malfunction. It is an *occasional* 1911 malfunction. Mags are always the first things to check, as they are frequently the culprit. First try a good 7-round mag, as these are inherently more reliable than 8-round mags. To be doubly sure, try a good quality mag, and the only ones I would use are Wilson's. I'm not sure where Springfield gets their extractors, but I suspect it's a sweatshop in Bangladesh. I'd replace the thing in any case. Polishing the feedramp never hurts. The breech face could be part of the problem, but it's way down on the list. Just my 2 cents. Oh, yeah, any gun that *likes* Wolf ammo has got to be screwed up. Wolf is fine for an AK that clinks like a burlap bag full of loose parts, but for any firearm built to tight tolerances it is just asking for trouble. |
This is a very common problem with ALL out of the box factory 1911 pistols. People with experience with a lot of different brands of 1911's over a long period of time know this. The only 1911 one can buy that you KNOW will be trouble free out of the box is the hand fitted and tuned Wilsons and Les Bhers and such. |
Mmmmmkay. You keep on thinking that, if it gives you a warm feeling. 
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My "thinking" comes from over 25 years of gunsmithing experience with the 1911 pistol. I have no "feelings" about it one way or the other. I am just stating facts. Facts you would also know IF you had this experience. The problem the origional poster is having is a COMMON problem found in some examples of ALL brands of 1911 pistols and it is one of the hardest one to correct because so many different things cause the same exact malfunction. This problem has been with us since the early part of the century long before Springfield ever built a 1911. |
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well, all of my mags are 7 round, all 12 of them. it happens with all of my mags. so I am thinking it may not be my mags...but still possible. is there a way I can polish the chamber and breach face myself? I'll check the OAL of the ammo but even so I don't want a gun that is so ammo senstive. maybe if I shoot enough of the wolf ammo the gun will losen up some (break in) to where I will be able to shoot more brands of ammo later. ball ammo is fine for me, I know hollow points cause more problems for the 1911 over other types of pistols. |
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If you have a sharp edge between the feed ramp and chamber on the barrel itself, I'd be inclined to radius that edge a bit. Try chambering some rounds without the extractor installed, that should prove or disprove that theory. If Wolf is steel cased, it won't dent as easily as it makes it's way from the mag, around the corner and into the chamber. What say, cornbread? |
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What brand mags do you have? Are they all the same? Different brand mags tend to feed the round into the chamber at different angles. Another brand of mag may give you the angle that is suited to your chamber size and feed ramp shape. It has been my experience that the Mec Gar mags are the best cheaper mags you can buy and the Wilson mags are the best of the best. Wolf sometimes feeds better into an out of spec or rough chamber because of the slick coating on the cases. I have seen a couple of 1911s that would only run with Wolf. You can polish the chamber yourself with a Dremal tool IF you have experience with these tools. If not you can ruin your barrel. There has been many 1911 pistols ruined by improper use of Dremal tools. There is also a chance that if you keep shooting your pistol burrs and sharp corners could wear off and it may start working correctly. I have seen that happen many times. |
If they are all the same brand ----yes Do not mess with the gun period. It is most likely the mags, also the gun needs about 200-300 rounds to break in. If it still does it then, try different mags, Wilsons are good. If it still does it send it to Springfield with a detailed letter explaining what is wrong. Or if you really do not want to send it in to Springfield, put a 20 lb. recoil spring in the gun, it most likely has a 18 lb spring now. Damn it -- had to come back and warn you if you put in a 20 lb recoil spring make sure you put in a stiffer firing pin spring also, it "should" come with the 20 lb spring, but if it doesn't make sure to get one before you use the gun. |
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Increasing the recoil spring weight is a fix, but it basically just fixes the symptom instead of the root cause. Like someone mentioned, it might be a way to get the gun to run reliably until it breaks in. The standard weight is 16 lbs, and I wouldn't recommend anything higher than a 18.5# replacement. If you need a stronger spring than that to make the gun run, the spring isn't your problem. Make sure your breechface will easily accept the head of the case. I had one 1911 that was pretty tight in this area and needed to be widened a bit before it would feed all my reloads ... apparently some of my older cases had slightly enlarged rims and the breechface would not let them slide up into position. I have also seen an overly tight extractor cause problems. Remove the slide and insert a round under the extractor manually. It should go in fairly easily and pull back out about the same way. The extractor should hold the round securely in place by itself. If it's a tight squeeze, the extractor may be too tight. Also, check for burrs on the bottom of the extractor hook. I doubt there are any at this point but it never hurts to look. It's not the most scientific way to troubleshoot, but it will probably uncover any specific problems with the extractor, and maybe allow you to rule it out as a root cause. |
Cheap magazines have always brought problems no matter what gun you are using. Get a Wilson or a Shooting star magazine and give them a try first. If there is still a problem call Springfield and let them know about it, since this pistol is brand new. |
.....well at least I have a place to start 
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If you think that's the problem, hold the mag upwards in place while shooting and see what happens...I tend to doubt it, all my 1911's have up & down "play" with all mags. Like I said, try removing just the extractor, reassemble everything else and try chambering some dummies or unprimed rounds. (a quick & easy check) As a sidenote, IMO, to me it's best to test fire a new gun before any work is done to it, not only for warranty purposes, but to make sure it works before any modifications are made. At least take it back to the gunsmith that "fixed" it...he didn't. |
 There is a thread in the Springfield forum about 1911 mags and I posted my experience there with my latest Springfield WWII. Short story: wasn't the mags in my case, but about 400 rds. seemed to clear it up with round ball. I just put a 18.5 spring in it and will try JHP's next, but I think it 'fixed' itself mostly. YMMV |
My NIB glock 22 lasted 52 rounds before catastrophic failure. My M1911 is pushing 25K+ and I cant remember the last time it malfunctioned other than with a grossly out of spec reload. Good mags and proper extractors are absoloutly key to proper functioning. btw, my Glock would group decently but my 1911 will shoot exactly 1 bazillion times better.  note: if you ever buy a glock with the serial number AC*65*US run like hell it's a POS!!! ....edited as some idiot might find a way to cause me trouble with the whole serial number 
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Kickass reference, Lumpy! Thanks! 
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owwwww...boy did I feel stupid....
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The only problem I've ever had with my 1911s was the exact problem you are describing, but it was with a new Sig GSR. I sent it to Sig and 9 days later they had it back in my hands with a reshaped feed ramp. The Sig is essentially a custom built parts gun made with Caspian frames and this is fairly common. I will also say that I have exactly 1 Springfield armory mag and it the the only one that will not feed any of my guns correctly. It is one of the stainless 7 rounders with the bumper pad. Its a complete POS and a friend of mone gave it to me. It came from a new MC Operator so its a new production mag. |
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I bought a SA v10 about a year ago. Sharp looking 1911 IMO. Nicely ported as well. I had failures left and right. FTF , FTE, the slide stop rounded off so it would no longer lock the slide back. The two tone finish started to oxidize. I sent that POS back they fixed, sand blaster it and got it back to me in under a month. When i opened that case up it was so shiny and pretty. I was so happy,I traded it from a Glock G32 the next day. I have spoken to 3 other v10 owners who had the same problem. Shame SA doesn't operate like it looks. J |