1911 Questions

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GaryK

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I traded for a Colt Series 70 Government model this weekend. Someone had installed a full length guide rod. It was the type that has a buffer between two metal plates. The problem that I had when I took it to the range was that the ejected case would sometimes stovepipe behind the next round before it could be chambered. This would happen after firing 2-3 rounds and would only happen with a couple of the magazines that I have. I suspect that it may have something to do with the slide not going back far enough because of the thick guide rod end. What do you guys think? I am thinking of buying a stock guide rod and recoil plug to see if that clears up the problem.
This gun has the split barrel bushing. I seem to remember reading about problems associated with these. Should I leave it in the gun? Thanks.
 
Questions

Hi Gary,

Does the guide rod have a buffer between two plates....or a plate beetween two buffers? The Comminoli system uses two buffers. I made one that has a buffer between two plates, but have never seen one commercially made.
You may well be on the right track with slide travel being the problem in your malfunctions...and it could also be partly due to extractor tension.

The collet-type bushing that your gun has could be a problem if one of the fingers breaks off during the cycle. Snce I've always been anal over nipping a potential problem in the bud, I replace the bushings with a solid-type or advise the owner to do so. Some have seen thousands of rounds with no problems...Some have broken early on...and some have broken after years of trouble-free operation. IMO, I think they're a crapshoot, and don't trust'em.

Ed Brown markets a standard guide rod and plug...Available from Brownells for about 25 bucks. MGW makes a nice drop-in replacement bushing for 20 dollars that will probably require very little fitting...if any. If you measure the slide bore and barrel at the muzzle flare, EGW will cut a bushing that will fit
nicely for a nominal extra charge. Note that MGW and EGW are two separate companies. Give EGW a call and see what their price is for a custom-made bushing.

Luck!

Tuner
 
Tuner, it is a buffer between two plates. The plates are held together with a screw that screws into the guide rod end. When I first broke the gun down it had a white plastic buffer. I replaced it with a Wilson buffer. The Wilson Buffer was a little thicker so it may have contributed to the problem. This gun was dirty. Have you ever aquired a used gun that was clean? :confused: Once I cleaned it the extractor was held in it's channel with moderate tension. The last time I replaced a barrel bushing I measured the slide and barrel OD and picked the bushing from Brownells that was closest. It worked out pretty well so I will try that approach again.
 
I'm putting my money on the buffer being the problem. The buffer is not letting the slide come back far enough, a bigger problem if you are not using an extended ejector, and (I have been called rediculous for thinking this) the space the buffer takes up is usually occupied by the recoil spring. Now the spring also has less travel distance, this increased the effective weight of the spring slightly and more importantly, the spring may be going into coil bind and possibly going solid and preventing the slide from making its full movement.
 
Sounds more like a tension problem with the extractor to me. Does the slide stop function correctly? If it does lock back the slide, I would say the buffer is not too thick. The extractor should have enough tension to hold a loaded round. If there is no tension, or too little, the cases will fall out of position as they are in the process of being ejected sometimes and cause the problems you are having.
 
I once installed a full length guide rod with shok buffers in my Colt ORM 1991. Had nothing but problems with it all jams. Put the original guide rod back in and it was fine. Since then whatever the 1911 comes with from the factory stays in the gun.
 
Well, if it only happens with a couple of your magazines doesn't it seem like they could be the problem? You may have other problems inside the gun as others have mentioned but I like to look at the simple things first. What is different about these two mags? Are they built the same? (i.e. G.I, Wilson, etc.) Maybe the springs or followers are getting old. Maybe they are just dirty. Maybe they have been dirty and the insides are scratched and rough now...
 
If you will read the stickied thread titled "Headspace",you might get an idea of why Dave Sample posted that.
Click to expand...
I know the history. I don't understand the need to deliberately stick in a comment, just to say 'no comment'. It adds nothing and serves only to stir up the feces.

<sigh> I guess it was a rhetorical question - nevermind....
 
I ordered a stock recoil plug, recoil spring guide, and 16lb recoil spring from Brownells. When they get in I will install them and report the results. I am not a big fan of FLGRs anyway.

The reason that I am here is that I enjoy talking with people who have similar interests. I appreciate the help given by those of you more experienced than me. It is unfortunate that some people choose to be diagreeable. I find that the best way to deal with it is to leave it to the moderators. It is just not my fight.
 
Thanks Dale. I have just returned from basking in the fellowship of folks I have known for a while at The Shot Show. We all like and respect each other and it's great fun for the unknown smith (the little corporal from arizona) to spend time among his peers. The difference from that experience and coming back to this place is night and day. I found a lot of new and exciting stuff, but I am sure no one here would be interested in that. My headspace was cramed full by the tine I left.
 
Dave Sample;
I found a lot of new and exciting stuff, but I am sure no one here would be interested in that. My headspace was cramed full by the tine I left.


Dave, don't start off with those kinds of comments. Doesn't serve any purpose.

Please start a thread about all the new stuff, I'd like to hear about them...............
 
Mr. Sample, you may not be "starting off with anything", but you obviously didn't take my warning to heart. Please check your e-mail. Goodbye.
 
At least Mr. Sample had the HAIR to put up his work and to show his way of doing things. Good enough to be published in American Handgunner.
 
If J.M. Browning

felt that the 1911 needed buffers, he would have designed it with them.

They are a waste of money and time.
 
Well, I think that I will take this thread back to it's original topic. I replaced the FLGR with a stock recoil plug, spring guide, and 16 lb spring. I took it ot the range and it fired with out any malfunctions. I used Wolf ammo and used several different types of magazines. It worked with factory Colt, WWII Colt, Meggar, Norinco, and several no-name mags. The only other thing that I noticed was that after I installed the stock recoil system it shot an inch or so to the right.
 
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