Jammed 1911 Guide Rod?

[Beren]

It's a Commander-sized gun.. not sure what the exact barrel length is, but it's under 5".

The Wolf ammo fed fine before I modified the gun, fwiw, but your advice is well taken regarding the quality of the ammo manufacturer. I guess I've always had a soft spot for Wolf. Besides, the howls of rage when the brass-scavangers come across steel casings are priceless.

I'll burr the dovetail this weekend and give it a whirl. I don't plan to drift the sight around much, I just want to get it back on centered and keep it there.

By problem child, do you mean me or the Griffon?

 

[1911Tuner]

Problem Chillun

Beren, he's referring to the guide rod. sm...I like that fishin' lure
analogy. That old smith sounds like my brother from another mother.

Okay...The "standard" recoil spring for a Commander-length gun is
18 pounds. Most will do fine with that spring load/rate, depending
largely on your magazines. Since the slide will move faster on the
feed, the magazine timing is more critical than with the 5-inch gun and
16-pound spring.

When you install a new spring, be sure to check for coil bind. If the
spring goes into a solid stack before the slide hits the guide rod head,
things will break. Maybe expensive things.

Install the spring and rack the slide briskly. If you hear a sharp metallic
"clack", it's probably okay. If you hear a dull thud or a "crunch" sound, you have coil bind. If you're not sure, remove the spring and spring plug, and put a piece of masking tape on the dust cover. (Leave the spring guide
and barrel bushing in place) Pull the slide fully rearward, and make a mark on the tape that lines up with the end of the slide. Use a straight edge to get it closer to dead on.

Replace the spring and plug, and pull the slide back again. If the mark
lines up with the end of the slide, you're golden. If the mark is behind the
end of the slide, you have bind. Clip a half-coil at a time until the mark lines up. Stone the burr off the end of the spring and go.

Luck to ya!

Tuner