[sh00ter]

Hi, i am new to the field of gun ownership, and am in desperate need of help.

Back in April, i purchased a SA 1911 GI mil-spec. The first few trips to the range went without a hitch, aside from the occasional (1 or 2 in 200) round getting seated in the chamber incorrectly, which was fixed by racking the slide (and I figured was probably caused by using 10-round magazines or the gun needing to get broken in).

However, after putting about 1000 rounds through the gun, i noticed the first problem. At first, i attributed it to beginner's marksmanship, but other people that shot the weapon were noticing the same problem (however, they were beginners also :p). After putting a couple dozen rounds through the gun and getting it warmed up, the shots were always falling to the left of where the sights were pointed.

Another problem i started to have was that the first round in a 10-round magazine would get jammed after trying to release the slide catch to chamber the round. The problem was seemingly happening at random, but would happen about 60% or 70% of the time. The gun would not hang up while firing once the first round was chambered, so i am not sure what to attribute this problem to.

Finally, i took the gun to the range last night. My first few shots (about 30 or so) were great (for me), with decent groupings at 7 yards. However, after sending the target down range about twice as far, i noticed my shots were landing all over the place. I usually dont have groupings that horrible, so i decided to inspect the gun. I noticed a slight bulge in the barrel, about 1/2 inch down from the muzzle that i hadn't noticed before. There was a slight circular scratch on the bulge, im guessing from the bushing. Looking down the bore, i didnt notice any irregularities where the bulge was located on the outside, but i figured i wouldnt be able to without proper measuring tools (which i dont have).

My question is if this bulge is something that is normal that i didnt notice before, or if it is a disaster waiting to happen. Im not planning on using the gun until i get this issue resolved, and i live in California so i cant even have a CCW :cuss:, so thats not a problem.

I have used Winchester 230gr FMJ, Remington UMC 230gr, Blazer Brass 230gr FMJ, and 230gr TMJ reloads (which is why im probably not going to bother going through SA to try and get this fixed).

As i said before, i am new to all of this, so any help, advice, and wisdom that you can share with me will be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!

EDIT: I forgot to mention, I have modified the weapon slightly in the following ways: Ive installed pachmayr American Legend grips, and swapped the stock recoil spring (14lbs i believe) with a 16lb recoil spring. I had the FTF problem with the 10-round mag with the stock spring, so i thought i could try swapping the spring to fix it, but im still having the same problem.

[Jimmie]

Borrow a set of calipers and take some pictures and call Springfield with the facts. No, there shouldn't be a bulge in the barrel

[Atla]

Send it to Springfield.

I bought a SA G.I. jan of '07 and had a couple of problems with it. They were exceptionally good to work with on warranty things.

(Drat - I never did send them my S&H invoice to send to them, they were going to pay for $50!)

[sh00ter]

should i use the calipers to measure the outside of the barrel or the inside? the bulge is easily identifiable by eye, and can be felt by running a finger down the outside of the barrel

also, doesnt using reloads void the warranty? i wasnt planning on keeping the barrel indefinately (which is why i was using factory reloads in the first place), i was going to get a kart barrel fitted to the gun, but i would like to have a functional gun until i get the money to get that work done

thanks for the answers so far!

[gb6491]

Some semi autos will shoot to a different point when freshly cleaned and change, then remain consistent, after they foul (usually one or two rounds). You could also be anticipating the recoil (after firing some) and be pushing the the pistol to meet it causing your shots to go low and left (right handed shooter).

In regards to the feeding issues. Is the first round nose diving? You might want to try stronger springs in you magazines if it is. How smooth is the feed ramp?

If you are getting good groups and losing them when you move the target back I would be inclined to believe that this is shooter induced.

Next time out, try shooting off a rest to eliminate some of the human error.

To your barrel: Does the bulge start about where the wear mark begins on the left in this photo?
http://i37.tinypic.com/29w3bmf.jpg
If so, then that's fine; it is where the bell on the barrel starts allowing the bushing to lock it up tighter when in battery.

Still, if you have any doubts, have a local smith inspect it for you. The fee would be worth the piece of mind.

Regards,
Greg

[Sunray]

"...reloads..." Who loaded 'em? One of 'em was what is called a 'squib' load. Not enough powder to make the bullet leave the barrel. The bullet stops in the barrel causing an obstruction that bulges the barrel when the next shot is fired. This is why you should never use other people's reloads.
"...doesnt using reloads void the warranty?..." Yep.
"SPRINGFIELD, INC. ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR DAMAGE AND/OR INJURY CAUSED IN WHOLE OR IN PART BY HANDLOADED, RELOADED OR DEFECTIVE AMMUNITION."
Change the barrel and get into reloading yourself.

[sh00ter]

You could also be anticipating the recoil (after firing some) and be pushing the the pistol to meet it causing your shots to go low and left (right handed shooter).

Thats exactly what i figured it would be, and what i hoped it would be. I would rather be able to fix myself than have to fix my gun :).

In regards to the feeding issues. Is the first round nose diving? You might want to try stronger springs in you magazines if it is. How smooth is the feed ramp?

The first round is getting stuck on the upper part of the chamber, opposite of the feed ramp. The ramp is pretty clean, so im thinking its not that, but im not sure. Its always the first round of the magazine when the slide is locked back, after I release the slide catch to chamber the round.

As for the photo you posted, it starts exactly in the spot you are describing, about 1/2 inch from the muzzle. There is a definitive circular scratch where the bulge starts, which is similar to where the leftmost scratch is on the barrel in the photo above. Ill see if i can get some photos of the barrel, just gotta find a camera :P.

As for the reloads, i purchased them from a gun show here a few months back, from this vendor: http://www.miwallcorp.com/miva/merchant.mv

They are supposedly factory reloads, using winchester powder and primers and such. The ammo wasnt as good as brand new factory ammo, but i didnt notice any problems while i was shooting, aside from not being able to hit the wide side of a barn (but thats probably just me :)).

Although im not ruling out the possibility of a "squib" load goin through the gun, im not noticing any cracks or stress marks on the barrel, besides the "bulge" that is almost identical to the picture posted by gb6491.

[jr_roosa]

SA barrels have a larger diameter at the muzzle end where the bushing covers it. If the "bulge" you're describing is uniform all the way around, then that's probably the normal profile of an SA barrel, and you are probably only noticing it now because the parkerizing is worn off a little. Go to the gun shop and feel the barrel of a new SA 1911 and see if it's the same. You should feel a step up all the way around when you run your finger down the barrel with the slide locked back. Other brands don't usually have this and the barrel feels smooth all the way to the muzzle.

If it's only on one side of the barrel, that's bad and you shouldn't shoot the gun until you have a smith figure out what's going on.

As for accuracy, shoot from a rest and see what it does because that takes some of the shooter error out of the equation. At 7 yards the gun should put all the bullets in about the same hole. These guns are designed to hit a paper plate sized target at 25 yards and a man's chest at 50 yards even when they are worn...my 95 year-old 1911 can still do this (although I can't without a rest) and yours should be much better. Put it on a sandbag and sloooooooooooooowly squeeze the trigger while focusing all of your attention on the front sight and you'll be amazed at how much of the error is you.

As for reliability, get some quality factory ammo (winchester white box from walmart is an inexpensive option) and swap the 10 round mag for a 7 round factory mag, and see if the problems go away. Cheap ammo and aftermarket magazines both can cause poor functioning in a 1911, and both together can be a mess.

Rather than spend money on a "target" barrel, you'd be much better off on either shooting coaching, which will improve your accuarcy with all of your guns, or a trigger job, which will make your 1911 easier to shoot accurately. You don't want a hair trigger, but just something crisp around 4.5 to 5 pounds.

Good luck.

-J.

[jr_roosa]

EDIT: I forgot to mention, I have modified the weapon slightly in the following ways: Ive installed pachmayr American Legend grips, and swapped the stock recoil spring (14lbs i believe) with a 16lb recoil spring. I had the FTF problem with the 10-round mag with the stock spring, so i thought i could try swapping the spring to fix it, but im still having the same problem.

It's probably the mag not the spring. Stock should be 16lbs anyway.

The best thing to do before swapping parts is to get it working in stock configuration. The 1911 design is particular about the magazine. Get a good factory mag (I like Colt mags from Brownells...not the gun show) and put the stock spring back in and start from there with factory ammo from a reliable factory.

Once you convince yourself it works in stock mode, you can try different ammo, OR try a new spring, OR try a new mag. If you change more than one thing at a time you can't figure out what went wrong.

If it doesn't work the way it came from the factory with factory ammo, have springfield go over it on their dime first. Might want to forget to tell them about the reloads.

-J.

[sh00ter]

looks like i got my barrel question answered, thanks jr roosa. I guess i never noticed the size increase at the muzzle until the finish started to come off.

as for the inaccuracy, im almost positive that it was all me. im going to buy some factory ammo, take my time, and try to go for all surprise breaks. I was shooting a .44 blackhawk the same day and noticed that i was unconsciously trying to compensate for the recoil :(. I usually dont do that, i guess i was having a bad day.

i swapped out the 16lb spring with the stock spring, and im gonna try again with the 3 7-round springfield clips i have. i also bought some snap caps to cycle through with the 10-rounders, i didnt want to mess around with live ammo. I just figured that since the 10-rounders were all factory OEM from springfield, that they should work ok with the gun.

Ill try to keep you posted, thanks for all the info!