1911 Double Feed

[dak0ta]

Hello,

So I shot my Norinco 1911A1 Commander today for the first time. It has been tuned and tightened with a skeletonized hammer and Videcki trigger.

First 4 mags of 230 gr FMJ were flawless and I was hitting the targets at the 7 meter mark. However, the 5th magazine I got a feeding problem on the 5th/6th round. It looked like the round being fed missed the chamber and was lodged above it keeping the action open, so I would remove the mag and lock the action back to drop the round out. I'm wondering if this is a magazine problem (factory Norinco magazine not angled properly) or the gun is dirty? All subsequent magazines had the same problem around the 4th-6th round. I only have the one Chinese magazine. Also I noticed from then on after, I was having a hard time hitting anything I aimed at. I am really confused as to what is happening.

I hope it's an easy fix of just getting higher quality magazines.

 

[1911Tuner]

About 95% of all failure to feed issues can be traced to the magazine. Does this look like your malfunction?

 

[1911Tuner]

Re-reading, I noticed this:

It looked like the round being fed missed the chamber and was lodged above it.

That's called jumping the magazine, and the usual cause is the magazine spring. If the recoil spring is too heavy, that'll make it more likely to happen.

 

[dak0ta]

Your picture describes exactly what happened! Do you think it's the mag spring or the way my friend and I were loading the magazines? I know my friend was not familiar with seating the rear of the bullets at the front of the mag lips and then sliding them back, but rather trying to force them down at the narrow part. I wonder if he made the lips wider causing the round to be fed to prematurely jump out of the magazine and get stuck during cycling/recoil.

Next, which are good mags to get? Wilson Combat, Mec-Gar, Chip McCormick? And do the bottom rubber plates do anything besides extra capacity and protect the mag when dropped?

 

[1911Tuner]

That's called a "Bolt Over Base" misfeed, and it comes back to a weak mag spring. It most often happens on the last round, so that spring must be pretty soft.

The mechanical explanation is that the slide literally outruns the magazine, and catches the case in the extractor groove instead of at the rear of the rim.

Look closely at the picture and you can see it.

 

[dak0ta]

Ok good to know! Thanks.

Which mags would you recommend to get?

 

[wally]

Which mags would you recommend to get?

Just replace the springs in your mags with 11 lb springs from Wolff.

 

[dak0ta]

I only have 1 magazine, so I need more anyways.

 

[bigfatdave]

Yes, you do.

For inexpensive and relaible simple range mags, MetalForm is my choice.

For carry mags, I mostly use Wilson

 

[rcmodel]

but rather trying to force them down at the narrow part. I wonder if he made the lips wider causing the round to be fed to prematurely jump out of the magazine

Very possible.

Look for a tiny crack on the back of the magazine where the feed lips are cut out.

rc

 

[9mmepiphany]

For inexpensive and relaible simple range mags, MetalForm is my choice.

That is a good recommendation.

I like the ones with the round top followers

 

[1911Tuner]

I'd go with a conventional 7-round magazine with an original design flat follower and a Wolff 11-pound spring.

And if you've installed a heavy recoil spring...heavier than an 18 pound rating...that can make the problem worse.

I wonder if he made the lips wider causing the round to be fed to prematurely jump out of the magazine.

Your problem isn't the round jumping the magazine. It's a Bolt Over Base misfeed. Two completely different problems with two different malfunctions.

 

[Greg528iT]

7 Plus 1 on the MetalForm standard magazines. I have 3 in 45 acp and now 2 in 9mm. (not counting the OEM mags that are made by MetalForm so make that 5 and 3)

 

[dak0ta]

So I think I know why the mis-feeds were happening. The guy who sold me the pistol had cleaned the pistol, but he didn't tell me that the magazine was brand new hence the thing was stuffed full of preservative grease from Norinco! I opened up the mag and there was grease everywhere. That explains all the greasy rounds being fed into the chamber, and most likely why accuracy was so random after a few mags. Anyways, the mag is bone dry now except for some light oil on the outer surface. I think that should fix the problem.

Still going to pick up some extra mags though!