The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Handguns => Topic started by: garand4life on March 08, 2011, 07:44:27 AM
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Okay, I'm sorry to bog down the forum with stupid 1911 questions that I'm sure have been beat to death. In preparation of picking up my new 1911 Friday I am curious the ideas out there for this. When I had my previous 1911 I had a significant issue with it feeding non-ball ammo. Primarily if I loaded my Wilson Combat mags to their normal capacity of 8 rounds the first and sometimes second round would jam. Typically the nose of the hollowpoint would wedge up agains the bottom of the chamber. It wouldn't nose dive exactly but would hit straight on at the bottom of the barrel. Last night I picked up a box of Critical defense, remembering the more rounded contour of the bullet itself.
I've used different brands of ammo in it and both the factory mags and the Wilsons produced the issue but are there any old tricks for dealing with stubborn feeding issues? I know each gun has it's favorite ammo and I probably just haven't tested enough different loads yet but this seems like something that should be an easy fix.
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Don't talk to me about 1911 problems. I've not been able to get through a box of ball without significant problems. I'm waiting for it to be returned from SA.
As much as it pains me to say this, FQ was right. I should have just bought the Glock instead. :-[
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Can't give you any advice. I just took it out of the box and shot, shot, shot. All types of factory and reloads, it just eats whatever I feed it.
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I was just reading a review by Jeff Quinn about this particular model. Of course I had the older model several years ago from this manufacturer when they first started producing 1911. So it seems that the quality as a whole is considerably better now than it ever has been. I have some high hopes that this thing runs good. Other than the JHP issue on my old one I never really had any problems.
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It maybe the angle of the feed ramp or the finish on the ramp. It could be the magazines, though I use Wilson Combats and the work fine in both my 1911s (SA & Kimber).
A decent gunsmith should be able to tell you for sure.
My Springfield is much more ammo sensitive than the Kimber.
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Try loading the mag with only 7 rounds and see what happens.
Other wise I would second what Ratcatcher said, Have a gunsmith look at it.
A good fluff and buff treatment will probably solve the problem.
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Lock the slide to the rear on a 1911 and press the barrel to the rear and look at the relationship of the barrel throat and the feed ramp of the frame. There should be a ledge. The barrel should rest on the curved support surfaces of the frame. Look at the gap between the bottom edge of the feed ramp of the barrel and the forward edge of the feed ramp of the frame. This gap should be at least 1/32" and could be as much as 1/16". If there is a smaller gap than this, (or no gap at all), the chambering cartridge can and probably will hang up on the lower lip of the barrel’s ramp. That gap is absolutely crucial to smooth chambering. If you old 1911 that you had previously was hanging the bullet on the bottom of the barrel throat, someone had probably already removed too much of the ramp...or it was manufactured out of spec. A friend of mine had an old Llama 1911 that did that and the barrel throat had to be cut back.
As long as the above-mentioned "ledge" is there, and all surfaces are relatively smooth, and the gun is assembled properly, then most feeding issues can be traced to the magazine lips and/or follower.
JMHO, FWIW
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Polish the feed ramp. My 1st advice is usually the magazine (or ammo), but I would about bet the farm it aint the Wilson mags fault.
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Inquiring minds want to know:
- What brand was your old 1911?
- What brand/type is the new one?
- When are you going to be able to post pictures of it?
FWIW, The only feeding problems I have seen with any of the 1911s I've owned have been with .40 S&W. All of my .45acp & 9mm have digested anything I cared to feed them.
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I currently have 2 Colts and a WWII Ithaca. I have had magazines that did not work after a very long time in the Ithaca. All of the problem magazines were surplus government jobs with 200 grain lead SWC handloads. I have had good luck with Colt and MecGar magazines. I use only Colt magazines in my Commander. But I mix up which I use in the gold cup. BTW the Ithaca has a National Match barrel and bushing. No problems that I can recall from HP ammo. But I think you might be smart to use the Personal Defense ammo if it works for you. I have used Federal Hydra Shocks since 1981 for carry. But I did use ball ammo for the 23+ years I was on active duty. Say what you will that big 230 grain ball works -- I shot my first deer with it many years ago. The deer dropped in his tracks at about 75 yards with one shot.
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Mine has a integral feed ramp machined directly onto the barrel. Different in design and frankly, I don't know why more companies don't adopt that configuration.
Never an issue!
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Mine has a integral feed ramp machined directly onto the barrel. Different in design and frankly, I don't know why more companies don't adopt that configuration.
Never an issue!
Always wanted a ramped barrel 1911.
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Always wanted a ramped barrel 1911.
Wilson sells some but I didn't see .45 ACP on the list. Don't know why...Most Para Ord have them along with that monster extractor that chucks brass a country mile!
I'm still quite please with that little Para. At 700 bucks, it's never failed me. My only complaint is the finish, could be a bit more durable but I carry the darn thing, shoot it every time I'm at the range and abuse it like I would any other.
Still would like a nice Colt though. Now that I'm in CT, that's been on the list.
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If I ever get a small milling machine, my first project will be a ramped barrel in a 1911.
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I'd seek out the services of someone at Wayne Novak's shop in Wheeling.
JMHO
Richard
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Inquiring minds want to know:
- What brand was your old 1911?
- What brand/type is the new one?
- When are you going to be able to post pictures of it?
FWIW, The only feeding problems I have seen with any of the 1911s I've owned have been with .40 S&W. All of my .45acp & 9mm have digested anything I cared to feed them.
I have intentionally withheld the maker because the automatic response I get most places is that every problem is a result of the maker being who they are. I will say it is a lower cost 1911 in the $550-$700 range and is imported in most cases.
Ellis, I though he was in Parkersburg WV but that aside, how easy could it be to see one of the most in demand 1911 specialists walking this earth?
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I have intentionally withheld the maker because the automatic response I get most places is that every problem is a result of the maker being who they are. I will say it is a lower cost 1911 in the $550-$700 range and is imported in most cases.
I don't think you'd get that response here though I could be wrong. There are plenty of 1911 guns on the market that are reliable and function properly without breaking the bank. I have one of those myself as do several other regulars on this forum.
I've seen 2500 dollar guns choke on every other mag loaded into them but my little pistol just runs like a cheap Timex watch....
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It doesn't matter here what the brand is g4l, a good break in, and a fluff & buff of the feed ramp with some Flitz, should do the trick on 99% of 1911's.
My S&W 1911 "tweaked" was so darn tight, when new, with Wilson P47D 8rd. mags, that with Federal JHP's, (only) it would load the next round straight into the feed ramp, and fail to go into battery.
100 rds. of target ammo, 10 rds. of brand "x" JHP, 10 rds. of brand "y" JHP, 10 rds. of brand "z", another 50 rds, of ball, a good cleaning, a little "love" with Flitz on the feed ramp, and the pistol has yet to not shoot anything.
Even Wolf .45 Now, the gun just eats everything.
As they say on the golf course, "Grip it, and rip it"....it'll be fine.
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If I ever get a small milling machine, my first project will be a ramped barrel in a 1911.
I've got a bridgeport, bring it on over...
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It's been 20 years since I got a ramped barrel installed. My memory is kind of fuzzy but Cylinder and Slide may have done it. I know they did some other work for me. Now it feeds everything incluiding flying ashtrays.
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Right, Parkersburg...my bad. You probably wouldn't talk to Wayne but he has a very gifted staff.
Richard
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This is a Taurus PT1911AL. My original was the original PT1911. I carried the PT1911 a good bit but this time round I really want to ensure the best functionality I can get out of it without unreasonable expense. I wanted a Springfield but I'm getting this one for dirt cheap so I can't argue too much.
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I've got a bridgeport, bring it on over...
For what it'd cost in gas I could probably buy a Bridgeport. ;D ;D
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For what it'd cost in gas I could probably buy a Bridgeport. ;D ;D
brand new with all the bells and whisles... they are just under 20k like that. 14k for bare bones.
on yeah and a bunch of tooling.
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I haven't heard anything except good reports about the PT1911
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It doesn't matter here what the brand is g4l, a good break in, and a fluff & buff of the feed ramp with some Flitz, should do the trick on 99% of 1911's.
+1 !
And on many other guns as well. My "Baby" Desert Eagle .45 ACP had a really rough feed ramp. In fact I'm surprised it made it out of the factory in that condition. I took a pencil air grinder with a small 1/2" dia. Cratex Wheel I dressed down slightly to around .460 dia., and gently started it in an up and down motion along the center of the feed ramp. I continued this until the entire ramp was smooth and void of any tool marks or rough spots.
I then switched to a hard felt wheel of the same diameter and applied a liberal coating of Flitz Metal Polish. Using the same up and down motion until the entire feed ramp was polished to an almost diamond polish, mirror finish. Afterward I gave everything a good wet cleaning with clean Kerosene, blew everything dry, gave it a good lube job and it runs like a scalded dog with any ammo I stick in it.
The trick to doing this correctly is to use no more than a Cratex Wheel and take your time! Too many guys will Bubba a job like this because they remove too much material with too coarse of an abrasive. Stay away from sanding drums and the like. They'll ruin a good barrel in no time at all. Be patient and stop every few seconds to check your progress. When you're done you'll have a weapon that will feed most any ammo without any issues what so ever. Bill T.
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+1 !
And on many other guns as well. My "Baby" Desert Eagle .45 ACP had a really rough feed ramp. In fact I'm surprised it made it out of the factory in that condition. I took a pencil air grinder with a small 1/2" dia. Cratex Wheel I dressed down slightly to around .460 dia., and gently started it in an up and down motion along the center of the feed ramp. I continued this until the entire ramp was smooth and void of any tool marks or rough spots.
I had the same gun in .40 with the same issue. I was like quality control took a vacation that week. I ended up just getting rid of it. Bad move now that I think of it. But, it was my first handgun and I figured there were better fish in the sea and so far I think I've been right.
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I don't think you'd get that response here though I could be wrong. There are plenty of 1911 guns on the market that are reliable and function properly without breaking the bank. I have one of those myself as do several other regulars on this forum.
I've seen 2500 dollar guns choke on every other mag loaded into them but my little pistol just runs like a cheap Timex watch....
That is the hallmark of a true 1911. They are basic, functional and reliable. My range experience has told me that nine times out of ten a 1911 that has issues from the start is one that has been either constructed or modified "too tight." I can not think of ever seeing a 1911 that was too loose or sloppy to run, but I have seen several highly smithed guns that lost their ability to be reliable.
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My only problem with a 1911 was with a SIG GSR that wouldn't run through a full mag without a faliure to fire.
Sent it back to SIG and they replaced the series 80 type levers with longer ones. The original wouldn't push the firing pin block all the way up. It worked after that.
A trip to my gunsmith for a proper trigger job, and it has been 100% ever since.
My Gold Cup and the Taurus PT1911 have never given me any problems.
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That is the hallmark of a true 1911. They are basic, functional and reliable. My range experience has told me that nine times out of ten a 1911 that has issues from the start is one that has been either constructed or modified "too tight." I can not think of ever seeing a 1911 that was too loose or sloppy to run, but I have seen several highly smithed guns that lost their ability to be reliable.
thats pretty much it right there...
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I'm calling Taurus Monday to ask about this... There is some pitting in the top of the slide rails. Everything moves smoothly but I am curious whether this should be happening at all.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_WcUJzXWBjtk/TXz5NuWhPxI/AAAAAAAAAyc/QGa4E-bhkb4/s800/photo%203.JPG)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_WcUJzXWBjtk/TXz5NlWo_qI/AAAAAAAAAyY/AtGSzfc7DUM/s800/photo%201.JPG)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_WcUJzXWBjtk/TXz5Nr0E5oI/AAAAAAAAAyQ/mvHaNFii6sg/s800/photo%202-1.JPG)
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Looks more like peening than pitting....if you are talking about those divots in the top edge (right above the slide-stop plunger tube). I can't say 100%, but I have seen marks like that before, and they were from dropping the frame onto a hard surface while disassembled (no, it wasn't me ;) ). Those really should not have come from shooting, IMHO. It is hard to say where they may have come from, though. If the gun is new, it could have happened during manufacturing. If the gun is used, it could have come from something as simple as a butter-fingered person dropping it during cleaning or a home gunsmith trying to work on the ejector with a hammer and missing (?).
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It could have come from handling during manufacture as well, getting banged around in a tote full of receivers or some such.
Maybe someone got careless with the stoning or deburring process.
They are not shaped right to have been caused by shooting.
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This was purchased used. They don't seem to be affecting the gun but again, I wasn't sure if they would be something that I should worry about. It doesn't seem that they are going to be any kind of problem.
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The preening is just the price of having an aluminium frame (the AL in PT1911AL). I can't say why some 1911s are particular about their diet, while others aren't, but I can almost garantee that the prior owner sold it because of that. Polish up the feed ramp and the lower lip of the chamber, and put a few hundred rounds through it for a proper break in period. If it still gives you FTFs after that, use the Taurus lifetime warranty.
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Or trade it for a Rock Island Armory ;D
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I can not think of ever seeing a 1911 that was too loose or sloppy to run, but I have seen several highly smithed guns that lost their ability to be reliable.
This is the same reason the AK-47 is considered to be more reliable than the AR-15 / M-16 platform. When tolerances are tightened, accuracy improves. Unfortunately that is usually offset with decreased reliability, especially when dirt is infused into the equation. Bill T.
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This is the same reason the AK-47 is considered to be more reliable than the AR-15 / M-16 platform. When tolerances are tightened, accuracy improves. Unfortunately that is usually offset with decreased reliability, especially when dirt is infused into the equation. Bill T.
+1
That can be applied to many things mechanical.