1911 experts.... i need your help/advice

[protongun]

I finally got a chance to put some rounds down my new Smith and Wesson 1911 today. The gun is accurate but i did have an issue. Out of 250 rounds i had about 50-70 failure to feeds. The round would feed about 80% of the way and then the slide would need a little "bump" to finish going all the way forward, sometimes it would not go forward all the way and had to be ejected. Happened with both magazines, with 3 different types/brands of ammo. There was no clear pattern as sometimes there were no problems at all, then the next magazine there would be 5 in row. I did notice that when the magazine is inserted all of the way there is a couple of millimeters of "slop" in and out. perhaps it does not fit as tight as it should??
I thought that maybe the gun was just too tight from being new, but it never seemed to get any better even after 200 rounds.
This is my first 1911 and first time ever firing one. I love the feel hopefully i can get this issue figured out. Any ideas or suggestions? Im gonna call S&W on Monday.

 

[sjstill]

Lube. Don't be shy with it.

 

[theturtle06]

Are you using the factory S&W mags? Ball ammo or hollow points? What brands of ammo? Did you clean it when you got it home after buying it? Sometimes they have some grease and in turn gunk caught in the grease that may make it run badly.

If you have the milspec version it just may not feed hollowpoints unless you get some work done to it.

 

[protongun]

Are you using the factory S&W mags? Ball ammo or hollow points? What brands of ammo? Did you clean it when you got it home after buying it? Sometimes they have some grease and in turn gunk caught in the grease that may make it run badly.

If you have the milspec version it just may not feed hollowpoints unless you get some work done to it.

yes I am using the fectory S&W mags which are the ATCs with steel followers.

I used ball ammo Remington , WWB, and American Eagle and JHPs Winchester personal protections. pretty much the same frequency with each one.

yes i did strip it down, clean, and lube it before firing it for the first time.

 

[theturtle06]

You may want to try a variety of magazines. I have found Wilson magazines are quite nice but rather pricey. Chip McCormick, Wilson, Ed Brown, Metalform are all ones I have seen recommended, but I can only personally recommend Wilsons as those are the only ones I have experience with.

I can't recommend doing any tinkering with the gun on your own, but you may want to look into sending it off to a smith if even after a variety of magazines it is still problematic.

 

[AllenM]

agreed, try better mags and clean and lube before sweating it to much

 

[chizzle]

Sorry to hear you're having trouble

It's not uncommon for 1911's to be tight when new, and require more oil than you'd expect to break them in. If the gun were mine, I'd lube the following:

barrel (where it contacts bushing)
barrel hood
disconnector
rails

If that doesn't fix it, I'd polish my feed ramp with a polishing cloth in the same direction that cartridges move up the ramp. I'd also check out the mags; the Wilson Combat magazines are expensive, but typically worth the money.

 

[protongun]

It's not uncommon for 1911's to be tight when new, and require more oil than you'd expect to break them in. If the gun were mine, I'd lube the following:

barrel (where it contacts bushing)
barrel hood
disconnector
rails

If that doesn't fix it, I'd polish my feed ramp with a polishing cloth in the same direction that cartridges move up the ramp. I'd also check out the mags; the Wilson Combat magazines are expensive, but typically worth the money.

Do Wilson Combat Mags have steel or plastic followers? I broke it down again tonight poured the oil to her.

 

[theturtle06]

Do Wilson Combat Mags have steel or plastic followers? I broke it down again tonight poured the oil to her.

Plastic/polymer followers. They seem plenty strong - mine have held up to a relatively decent amount of abuse. They also have always held open the slide after the last shot if that was of any concern to you.

 

[Airborne33]

Break in is necessary, but that many ftf is uncommon. Make sure your grip is tight. holding too loose or low also causes ftf. try the wilson mags. usually the work wonders. if you still have problems you might need your feed ramp polished or corrected by a smith.

 

[Wabatuckian]

Magazines for Full Size 1911 Model + Tripp Research Inc. 1911 Magazines Super 7 upgrade kit = da bomb.

The pure polymer Wilson followers will hold up for a while though. Mine haven't gone south in two years.

Josh