New 10 mm Ruger 1911 Problem

How are you releasing the slide? Don’t use the slide retention lever. Slingshot the slide all the way back, release and he sure to NOT follow it with your hand. Let it fly fully free. There is only one slide retention lever. Not sure what you mean about multiple levers.

Start by cleaning and generously oiling the gun including the feed ramp. Use FMJ round nose ammo to start. When that is operating properly, you can try flat nose and HP ammo.

Huntolive said:

I just bought my first 1911.
also please explain the difference between the slide releases on the 1911's and on a typical Auto loader like a Glock or Springfield XDM.

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Are you trying to release the slide with an empty mag inserted? If so the gun is not designed to work that way. You can easily release the slide with a loaded mag inserted or without a mag in the gun. The gun is designed to lock open with an empty mag.

having a little difficulty figuring out what all the side levers are for.

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I'm not sure what other lever's that would be? Are you asking about the thumb safety?

Some folks new to 1911's feel a little hang up when hand cycling the slide. That is most likely the disconnector you're feeling and it is normal.

Wait, so is the gun not returning to battery during live fire? Or are you just feeling some chunkiness/clunkiness?

And there should be 2 levers on the left side of the gun. One is the slide stop/slide release (and also the takedown mechanism). The other is the safety.

rpenmanparker said:

How are you releasing the slide? Don’t use the slide retention lever. Slingshot the slide all the way back,

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My guess is the majority of 1911 shooters use the slide stop/slide release to release the slide.

JTQ said:

My guess is the majority of 1911 shooters use the slide stop/slide release to release the slide.

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Unless it doesn’t work well.

This is a 50:50 type argument. Slide release or slingshot. The two sides will never agree. But if you need the most spring force to chamber a round, you can only get that by slingshotting. In the locked open position the slide is not as far back as it can go. More retraction=more forward speed and force.

Also lefties have no choice. The great Larry Vickers really should have mentioned that. 10% isn’t a lot unless you are one of them.

I have always used the slide stop 99 percent of the time unless an instructor just forces the slingshot method on a class. Out of probably 40 semi autos and 10 of those 1911s I've never had any issue in 100s of thousands Of rounds.

crestoncowboy said:

I have always used the slide stop 99 percent of the time unless an instructor just forces the slingshot method on a class. Out of probably 40 semi autos and 10 of those 1911s I've never had any issue in 100s of thousands Of rounds.

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Let’s not turn this into a slide stop or slingshot argument. I was simply saying that OP could eliminate that as an issue by slingshotting. Once he is confident in the gun, he can use either method as he likes.

And I'm saying that if you must slingshot the slide to get it to function then that is a bandaid instead of fixing the problem in the first place
If you choose to use that method then by all means do. No problem. But if you actually have to use that method you have a problem

To the point though, what ammo and is it during firing, every round, during first round when manually releasing the slide or when?

crestoncowboy said:

And I'm saying that if you must slingshot the slide to get it to function then that is a bandaid instead of fixing the problem in the first place
If you choose to use that method then by all means do. No problem. But if you actually have to use that method you have a problem

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You are not getting it. It is a controlled experiment. At the end you can say that with full force the gun either works or it doesn’t. That is important information. Then if successful, you move to the next set of conditions to learn where the problem actually crops up. It isn’t hard to understand. We do this with ammo all the time. We often go to the easiest type to feed just to establish that result when some more difficult ammo is not feeding. Not because we would be happy to always shoot FMJ, but because the result is instructive.

I'm "getting it". I've been drilled with tap rack bang for 25+ years upon a malfunction, plus used it myself as a gunsmith to diagnose week springs. I'm not disagreeing, I'm simply telling the OP that if he finds that his gun works with this method to further diagnose the problem rather than say "oh 1911s have to be slingshot" because he stated he isnt familiar with 1911s and wondered if this was a normal thing for the platform. It's not, If Browning had wanted the gun to be slingshot method only, he wouldn't have hand filed a slide stop lever at all, and its unlikely any gun would have a lever today if he hadnt done so. IMO.

Like I said, I'm not disagreeing but realize he explicitly asked about the differences in operation from 1911 to other platforms as far as slide stops. To answer that, there is none.

crestoncowboy said:

I'm "getting it". I've been drilled with tap rack bang for 25+ years upon a malfunction, plus used it myself as a gunsmith to diagnose week springs. I'm not disagreeing, I'm simply telling the OP that if he finds that his gun works with this method to further diagnose the problem rather than say "oh 1911s have to be slingshot" because he stated he isnt familiar with 1911s and wondered if this was a normal thing for the platform. It's not, If Browning had wanted the gun to be slingshot method only, he wouldn't have hand filed a slide stop lever at all, and its unlikely any gun would have a lever today if he hadnt done so. IMO.

Like I said, I'm not disagreeing but realize he explicitly asked about the differences in operation from 1911 to other platforms as far as slide stops. To answer that, there is none.

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Your last is incorrect. Some makers of other types of semi-autos besides 1911s specifically discourage use of the slide stop for slide release. One example is the S&W M&P. That would be a difference.

I should also mention that the Ruger instruction manual for 1911s specifies slingshotting for releasing the slide. The brand that the OP is talking about. Ruger has always discouraged using the slide stop lever. Check it out for yourself.

The first question I would ask is whether you cleaned and lubricated the gun prior to first using it. I have much 1911 experience and have noted that they tend to suffer failures to feed fully if they are shot with inadequate lubrication.

To ensure that this is not a problem you might place a couple of drops of oil on the outside of the barrel and on the outside top of the chamber as well as a few drops on the rails. to ensure smooth function.

Good luck,

Flatbush Harry said:

The first question I would ask is whether you cleaned and lubricated the gun prior to first using it. I have much 1911 experience and have noted that they tend to suffer failures to feed fully if they are shot with inadequate lubrication.

To ensure that this is not a problem you might place a couple of drops of oil on the outside of the barrel and on the outside top of the chamber as well as a few drops on the rails. to ensure smooth function.

Good luck,

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And also on the feed ramp.

1911 pistols were designed for hardball ammunition, some do not feed hollow points very well. A little trial and error when selecting magazines is always possible . ( Wilson Combat makes great magazines)
I like to ensure my rounds are fully seated into the rear of the magazine, once loaded I’ll tap the mag into the palm of my hand once or twice.
They seem to feed better or at least I think they do.
Another point is not to pussyfoot when racking the slide on a 1911 they are plenty rugged.
A few hundred rounds it should be broke in until then drive it like ya stole it. Edit- as pointed out they like oil
SPJ

It probably just needs to be lubed & shot in. Maybe the recoil spring is not heavy enough or the feed ramp is in need of some polishing. It is true that 1911's and others were designed for ball ammo, but that was a very long time ago. Even Colt started throating their feed ramps 40 years ago while they were the only game in town.

I have the same Ruger as you OP. Mine was fairly dry when I got it and I still shot it as was. Just wanted to see how it functioned minimally lubed. I've shot it twice without doing anything to it since I got it and have had zero problems through a few hundred rounds. I will break it down and lube before I shoot it again.

I used to use the slide lock release for everything all the time. After some research I now slingshot most all of my pistols. The only ones I practice using the slide lock release on now are my HD and EDC guns which are Glocks, not that the brand means anything.

I think that all pistols should work using the slide lock as a release, but the only ones I care about actually regularly doing so are SD guns, as you may not have a second hand available during a reload in the moment.

Your Ruger should operate either way though, as most pistols should.

K.I.S.S.

1. A- Tear the gun down and give it a good cleaning and lightly oil parts of contact. B- Look the ammo over and be sure there are no obvious problems. Try some of it in your Glock 20 if you haven't already to be sure the ammo is fine. C- Look the gun over and be sure there are no obvious problems with the feed ramp.

2. Try a different bullet design. Preferably a fmj round. Break the gun in with something easier to digest. After several problem free mags, then try some jhp and/or hot loads.

3. Use a sharpie or something to mark the round, release the slide with the slingshot method (if Ruger specified) and if the round hangs up, check the round to see where contact is being made.

4. If all else fails, let Ruger take the gun back to the mothership.

Sounds like a good cleaning and light libe is in order. I have the same pistol and have had no problems with functioning with both factory and handloads with jacketed and cast bullets.

Sorry you are having problems with your new pistol.

Spending $800 on a new gun only to have it not function 100% out of the box like a $200 Taurus manages to do is why I still don't own a 1911.

The fanboys can make all the excuses they want. Facts are facts and 1911s are a finicky design.

rpenmanparker said:

And also on the feed ramp.

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I've never seen any suggestions to lube the feed ramp and I can't see as how that would help.

Constant use of the slide stop to release the slide can cause peening of the slide stop notch.

Trey Veston said:

Sorry you are having problems with your new pistol.

Spending $800 on a new gun only to have it not function 100% out of the box like a $200 Taurus manages to do is why I still don't own a 1911.

The fanboys can make all the excuses they want. Facts are facts and 1911s are a finicky design.

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Sorry but they aren't a finicky design. If you build one to the original specs and feed it ball ammo they run like a violated ape.

Where you start getting into problems is all the manufacturers try to "improve" the design. Imagine how well that would work with ANY firearms design.

Most all the other firearms on the market come from a single source. There are dozens of companies that build a 1911. All with their idea of how to "improve" it.

Imagine if Glocks were built by 30 different companies all using their own equipment, blueprints, and ideas on how to "improve" the design.

Also the 1911 has a bad rap because for years Colt was the only real source and their quality control during the '70's and '80's wasn't the best. This era is where the whole "buy it and take it to the gunsmith to get it to work" came from.

I've seen many new 1911 pistols in the past few years that are 100% out of the box.

Hell, the OP couldn't even be bothered to RTFM, if he had he would know what all (both) the side levers are for. If they're that clueless about the 1911 then they're sure to have problems.

Opinions vary. I find 1911s simple and trouble free. Any gun can have an issue—out of the box or otherwise.

rpenmanparker said:

You are not getting it. It is a controlled experiment. At the end you can say that with full force the gun either works or it doesn’t. That is important information. Then if successful, you move to the next set of conditions to learn where the problem actually crops up. It isn’t hard to understand. We do this with ammo all the time. We often go to the easiest type to feed just to establish that result when some more difficult ammo is not feeding. Not because we would be happy to always shoot FMJ, but because the result is instructive.

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Some like to argue for arguments sake.

I bought one when they first came out and brought it to the range within the first week.

I shot around 100 rounds of ball, 20 Hydra-Shok, and 50 very spicy reloads. I used the 2 mags that came
with the pistol and 2 Wilson Combat 10mm mags. I had no problems.

I did not clean and oil the pistol prior to my range trip.
I have been shooting 1911s since the early 80's, and I do carry them often.

JMO...YMMV