Quick 1911 Question

[2HOW]

Isn't it great to have a forum where guys actually know what they are talking about!

I concur with Peg and Solus

[jaybet]

One other idea, and I'm not trying to be a wise guy, but perhaps the lever was not fully installed prior to shooting...left partially installed after cleaning, or some other mishap. If you can't slide it out while it's in battery, then maybe it was a one-time screwup.

[tombogan03884]

One other idea, and I'm not trying to be a wise guy, but perhaps the lever was not fully installed prior to shooting...left partially installed after cleaning, or some other mishap. If you can't slide it out while it's in battery, then maybe it was a one-time screwup.

Things happen.
The darkest day of my freaking life was our last inspection at Parris Island.
The inspecting officer took my rifle and I heard a clatter.   
He suggested I look down, where I saw my right hand guard lying on the ground   
It had not been fully seated when I last cleaned the rifle.   

[PegLeg45]

One other idea, and I'm not trying to be a wise guy, but perhaps the lever was not fully installed prior to shooting...left partially installed after cleaning, or some other mishap. If you can't slide it out while it's in battery, then maybe it was a one-time screwup.

I could have been a Colt Gold Cup NM owner because of this once. A guy at a gun show was trying to sell one that had been traded to him for some paint work. He didn't know what he had and had taken the stop out and didn't have it all the way in and thought the gun was "broken".........he wanted $300. I asked him if the gun were in working order would the price go up and he said no, all he wanted was what the guy had owed him and no more. All I had was a checkbook, because I had already bought a Ser. 70 for cash, and because he didn't know me, he wouldn't take a check......(it was on a Sunday, and back before everyone under the sun had ATM cards to get ready cash).........
Sooooo, I fixed his gun for him and told him not to take less than $500 for the gun.      

[robheath]

Thanks for all the good info.  The lever was seated all the way. This happened several times at the range.  I would reseat it and give it a good going over and about 5 rounds later it done it again.  I did notice that their is a little mor material on the Wilson than the Para lever.  I thought that their should be a small divit in the lever for the plunger to ingage.  The take down notch on the slide passes the point of takedown on every shot.  What keeps this from happening if not plunger tention.  I will check the deminsions cloesly.  I have callipers but they are metric. ( all my equipment I work on is from Norway ). Durring take down, you simply pull the slide back and align the notch and press out the slide stop/release lever.  And I know you guys know that I'm just going thru it in my mind.  What I am trying figure out is what has worn or loosened up to cause this.  I have owned 1911s for some 30 years.  They are by far my favorites because I can do a lot of the work on them myself.  So needless to say I want to figure this out.  I've never had this happen before.  I'll let y'all know what I find out.

[Sponsor]

[jaybet]

From what you describe you should look at the other end of the lever. I don't know (I'm no gunsmith) but there is some kind of detent at the other end of the lever that holds it horizontally. Maybe that area has worn.

[Solus]

There doesn't seem to be anything holding the lever horizontally on my Gov. Model but the friction of the plunger on the flat face of the lever.  Mine has no detent.

With the slide removed the lever is easily pushed out. 

Perhaps the inside lip on the lever has been worn and is able to get partially under the slide so that the force of the action cycling is enough for that little push into the take down notch.

[robheath]

Ok, guys. Tech support at Para USA says the only thing holding the slide stop lever is the plunger and spring adn that their is no divit in the slide stop.  Their is a divit in the thumb safety but we knew that.  I asked if the bbl link could be worn or streached.  He said it could be but that would not cause this.  That would lead to poor timeing, lock up of slide to frame and accuracy.  He said to first change the lever, then the plunger and spring if the new lever did not fix it.  If the new plunger and spring don't do the trick, it will have to go to Para for a new plunger tube.  Paras are not staked in, they are part of the frame.

[tombogan03884]

Take a flat tip screw driver with the slide stop out and push on plunger it should move back out freely .
If it doesn't take the plunger and spring out, clean them and run a pipe cleaner through the tube then try it again.

[robheath]

Take a flat tip screw driver with the slide stop out and push on plunger it should move back out freely .
If it doesn't take the plunger and spring out, clean them and run a pipe cleaner through the tube then try it again.

Thats exactly what I did lastnight.  I have pipe cleaners for my gas tubes on my ARs.  I have replaced the slide stop with a Wilson Combat that I already had.  I'll get it to the range this weekend and let y
all know what happens.

Thanks guys,  I had never had this happen and I consider myself pretty good with JMB's greatest design (IMHO ) so this was an eye opener for me.