1911 help (Feeding issues)

[Skpotamus]

My first post on this forum, I've been a lurker for a while and have enjoyed posts and threads by 1911Tuner and Old Fuff and all the rest.

I have a problem child... I recently traded a para 14-45 LDA for a used Springfield Loaded in Kote Green. While the gun is phenominally accurate (I've actually hit 2 liter bottles at 50 yards, which is impressive as hell if you've ever seen me fling lead all over the damned place!)

I'm having failure to feed issues with her. The round will typically chamber, but the slide will be about 1/4 to 1/2" out of battery with the extractor usually behind the rim of the case. I can usually just push it forward and it'll shoot fine. Typically the very first round in the mag (hand chambering, whether I drop the slide with the slide release or pull back on the slide and release (I'm not riding it forward at all), and usually near the middle of the magazine (shot 4 or 5) have this problem.

My first suspect was the extractor, I took off the slide, and did ye ole round under extractor check, and found that it was VERY difficult to put a round under the extractor by hand. I "tuned" it according to the instructions on the Clinic thread (thank you guys), and cut my faiulres to feed down from every third shot to once every couple of magazines. Now when I attempt the extractor tension test, it holds the round to the listed specs.

from teh 1911 clinic thread, I found this: "Round chambered, slide out of battery, extractor stopped by the rear of the case rim, usually on the last round:

This one is a magazine problem, pure and simple, and generally shows up when somebody has tuned a magazine by removing that silly little dimple from the follower. An oversprung slide will aggravate the problem. Browning the Great put that dimple there for a very good reason. Best leave it be."

I haven;t done anything to my magazines (I own 12, most 8 rounds, but 4 are seven rounders). I've been getting failoures to feed in teh middle of the magazines on both 7, and 8 round mags. I have some MecGar, Chip McCormick Shooting star mags, Colt factory, and a few Wilsions have made their way into her. All have had problems.

Ammo used has been primarily my reloads (stouter ones, designed to produce reciol equal to my carry loads). However, I started trying to put factory ammor through her too, American Eagle, Wolf, Remington, Winchester, and all have had problems.

What can it possible be? Should I just give up and take it into a gunsmith?

Thanks a lot guys.

 

[1911Tuner]

Ftf

Howdy Skpotamus, and welcome aboard.

Your problem is a magazine issue. More specifically, it's a magazine SPRING issue.

The round that's coming up to be stripped and chambered rides forward of its optimal feeding position under recoil, and the slide knocks it toward the chamber rather than stripping it. In the process, the breechface loses contact with the rear of the case, and the end result is that the round is seated in the chamber by the front of the extractor rather than being cammed under the hook. Some guns will force the hook to snap over the rim, and the gun will seem to be doing fine...until the extractor begins to lose tension or breaks off.

This happens most often on the last round, but can occur at any time, depending on a a couple of other factors...the main one being the slide's speed on the return to battery. Too much recoil spring is an aggravating factor, but underspringing can also be a player...but for slightly different reasons.

Try a 3-pack of Wolff's excellent magazine springs...available from Brownells.
There are two different springs listed, depending on whether the mag capacity is 7 or 8 rounds. The standard 7-round spring works with Officer's Model length magazines of 6-round capacity. They'll work fine with McCormick's split-leaf, Devel-type 8-round followers, but not with Wilson 47D or Mecgar.

Luck!