1911 Unreliable?

[mavracer]

The Glocks feed so reliably because the chamber ramp/throat is cut so deeply into the floor of the chamber, and lose head support...which, combined with the occasional headspace issue...leads to the oft-noted Glock-go-Splodey things.

Just how reliably do they feed the next round after a catastrophic case failure. Maybe being more prone to a case failure really isn't any more reliable.

One thing I like about a well built 1911 is that my Les Baer will reliably put bullet holes within a inch or so of where the sights are pointed at 50 yards.

 

[buckhorn_cortez]

A sad statement that seems to be too common these days, and the biggest reason...in my experience...is that the producers of these pistols seem to be making them up as they go.

I agree, and you need to choose guns carefully, or understand (and accept) that you'll need a 1911 savvy smith to make the gun run. Understanding that, as you have pointed out, the gun has to run - it has no other choice, it's a machine.

Again, as you have pointed out - quality magazines help the gun function properly. I have a favorite, quality magazine manufacturer, and run that manufacturer's magazines in all of my guns. They work interchangeably between guns and I never hesitate to use magazines from one gun in a different gun as I know they always work.

Either I'm "lucky" (I don't think so) - or I choose manufacturers that make guns that run. I have six 1911's and every one of them has run 100% out of the box with no tuning or gunsmith intervention.

That includes two of them with 3-inch barrels - you know, the ones that aren't supposed to work because the 1911 design doesn't work with short barrels? The first 3-inch gun I bought was in 1983 - a Detonics Combat Master. I still have it, and it runs 100% of the time with any type of bullet shape.

The 1911 is certainly not a fire-and-forget gun, and I think requires the owner to make sure it's cleaned and lubed properly - but even that is exaggerated.

I have a gun that I wanted to test so that I was confident it would work for an entire shooting course with no maintenance. I purposely did not not clean or lube it for 1,800 rounds and it worked just fine.

I generally clean and lube at 500 rounds, field strip for cleaning and lubing at 2,000 rounds, and detail strip at 5,000-6,000 rounds. I don't think the intervals are an imposition as I also using the time to inspect the guns. Springs get changed at the appropriate times as part of the inspection.

Then again, I don't have trouble with the maintenance intervals on my automobiles, tractors, (and, apparently, unlike Larry Vickers) my lawn mowers and other power equipment. I don't get the apparent aversion of some people for cleaning / maintaining a gun and the idea that the longer the interval the better.

Every piece of equipment I have (including guns) gets maintained and inspected at regular intervals. If you want to be confident that the equipment or gun will work when you need it, you maintain and inspect it. Why would you NOT do that to ensure both equipment operation and your safety?

 

[1911Tuner]

Just how reliably do they feed the next round after a catastrophic case failure?

The ones that I've seen do it generally have some frame damage from the gases venting down into the magwell. If a sympathetic detonation of any of the stored rounds occurs, it can be pretty destructive.

 

[jon_in_wv]

A sad statement that seems to be too common these days, and the biggest reason...in my experience...is that the producers of these pistols seem to be making them up as they go.

One of them was an older Colt Combat Commander. Not only did it not work reliably but several parts broke. It also had hammer follow and while loading it fired an shot a hole through my bed. I replaced the internals with aftermarket parts and sold it at a huge loss. Of the 1911s I had it was the prettiest and probably my least favorite.

 

[1911Tuner]

That happened pretty frequently during the 70s...what I refer to as Colt's dark days.

They were having labor and financial problems, and they were losing many of their very best people to retirement and cutbacks. You could buy literally two Series 70 Government Models with consecutive serial numbers, and one would be flawless...and the other wouldn't be suitable for anything but a paperweight. They nearly went under.

 

[stinger 327]

I agree, and you need to choose guns carefully, or understand (and accept) that you'll need a 1911 savvy smith to make the gun run. Understanding that, as you have pointed out, the gun has to run - it has no other choice, it's a machine.

Again, as you have pointed out - quality magazines help the gun function properly. I have a favorite, quality magazine manufacturer, and run that manufacturer's magazines in all of my guns. They work interchangeably between guns and I never hesitate to use magazines from one gun in a different gun as I know they always work.

Either I'm "lucky" (I don't think so) - or I choose manufacturers that make guns that run. I have six 1911's and every one of them has run 100% out of the box with no tuning or gunsmith intervention.

That includes two of them with 3-inch barrels - you know, the ones that aren't supposed to work because the 1911 design doesn't work with short barrels? The first 3-inch gun I bought was in 1983 - a Detonics Combat Master. I still have it, and it runs 100% of the time with any type of bullet shape.

The 1911 is certainly not a fire-and-forget gun, and I think requires the owner to make sure it's cleaned and lubed properly - but even that is exaggerated.

I have a gun that I wanted to test so that I was confident it would work for an entire shooting course with no maintenance. I purposely did not not clean or lube it for 1,800 rounds and it worked just fine.

I generally clean and lube at 500 rounds, field strip for cleaning and lubing at 2,000 rounds, and detail strip at 5,000-6,000 rounds. I don't think the intervals are an imposition as I also using the time to inspect the guns. Springs get changed at the appropriate times as part of the inspection.

Then again, I don't have trouble with the maintenance intervals on my automobiles, tractors, (and, apparently, unlike Larry Vickers) my lawn mowers and other power equipment. I don't get the apparent aversion of some people for cleaning / maintaining a gun and the idea that the longer the interval the better.

Every piece of equipment I have (including guns) gets maintained and inspected at regular intervals. If you want to be confident that the equipment or gun will work when you need it, you maintain and inspect it. Why would you NOT do that to ensure both equipment operation and your safety?

This is too bad as I always buy the factory magazines.

 

[buckhorn_cortez]

"This is too bad as I always buy the factory magazines."

I have 1911's manufactured by multiple companies and want the magazines to be functionally interchangeable between all of the guns. Buying one magazine design that has been proven to work in all of my guns ensures that I have that capability.

If you "always buy factory magazines" and that works for you - it's certainly okay by me. I've had problems with two gun manufacturers factory-supplied magazines. A number of people with 1911's assure me that they regularly buy/use magazines by the manufacturers of the factory magazines and they always work for them.

Nonetheless, that does nothing for me when my magazines by the same manufacturer don't work. I have never had a malfunction across four different guns with the magazines I currently use.

I don't want to spend my time hassling with the gun manufacturers to replace non-functioning factory magazines as it is a waste of my time when I can replace the magazines with ones that work - and will also work in any other gun I have.

I also never have ejector problems with the guns or complaints that "the slide won't lock open on an empty magazine." The guns always function, the rounds feed regardless of bullet design or the cartridge position in the magazine stack - I fail to see what's "too bad" about that.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Fair enough, I like them too but I realize when a design has been surpassed and improved upon in terms of reliability.

Improved reliability? My G20 has 120 rounds through it so far with one failure; That's one more failure than my Kimber ST II 10mm had in it's first 3 boxes of ammo.

Just how reliably do they feed the next round after a catastrophic case failure.

Usually not well at all

 

[1911Tuner]

I have 1911's manufactured by multiple companies and want the magazines to be functionally interchangeable between all of the guns.

None of the 1911 manufacturers/assemblers make their own magazines. Even Colt hasn't produced any in-house in over 40 years, and did very few even then. Colt uses three vendors. Check-Mate Industries...Metalform Company...and OKAY Industries. Springfield and Kimber probably use CMI and Metalform, depending on who the lowest bidder is. McCormicks and Wilsons are also supplied by outsource vendors, but exactly who is a mystery. I suspect that McCormicks are Metalforms. There may be a couple smaller volume vendors who add to the supply from time to time. I haven't really kept up that closely with the market lately.

 

[MCgunner]

So what? What does this prove? I've never got why people throw this in. I bet my guns would cycle M&Ms with the right mags. So what?

So both my 1911s would gag on a hollow point, let alone an empty case. My theory is it's the feed angle. Modern autos feed straighter into the chamber, barely needing the ONE PIECE feed ramp. I had one of those, the better one, 1911s polished and ported to no avail. Ball, that's all it'd feed, ball. Ball is fine for the army, what the gun was designed for, after all. But, I wanna (and do) carry hollow points. My Ruger eats the old Speer flying ashtrays like a kid eats M&Ms.

 

[Plan2Live]

Three days since original post and 6 pages of replies. Next time why don't you just kick open an Africanized Bee nest? Brave man.

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

So both my 1911s would gag on a hollow point, let alone an empty case. My theory is it's the feed angle. Modern autos feed straighter into the chamber, barely needing the ONE PIECE feed ramp. I had one of those, the better one, 1911s polished and ported to no avail. Ball, that's all it'd feed, ball. Ball is fine for the army, what the gun was designed for, after all. But, I wanna (and do) carry hollow points. My Ruger eats the old Speer flying ashtrays like a kid eats M&Ms.

I carry Gold Dots as well, and all of my guns feed them without issue, even the 1911s. My point was, feeding empty cases means exactly nothing unless you plan on carrying a mag full of empty cases. If that's the case you have bigger problems than I suspected, and you should start carry a bag of M&Ms instead.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

 

[G27RR]

So both my 1911s would gag on a hollow point, let alone an empty case. My theory is it's the feed angle. Modern autos feed straighter into the chamber, barely needing the ONE PIECE feed ramp. I had one of those, the better one, 1911s polished and ported to no avail. Ball, that's all it'd feed, ball. Ball is fine for the army, what the gun was designed for, after all. But, I wanna (and do) carry hollow points. My Ruger eats the old Speer flying ashtrays like a kid eats M&Ms.

Your feed ramp may not have been cut correctly (too shallow) and no amount of polishing would help that. Many makes don't have enough vertical distance in the feed ramp. Springfield and Kimber tend to be on the shallow side in a lot of their 1911s, among others. The barrel also needs to have been properly throated. Both should have been done at the factory. Sometimes people like Kimber will leave a very tight chamber for "match" accuracy. That can cause feeding problems, too.

All 8 of my 1911s will feed JHP without a problem, including my Springfield.

 

[1911Tuner]

My Ruger eats the old Speer flying ashtrays like a kid eats M&Ms.

I've got an original 1919 Black Army Colt that'll do that...and a 1945 Remington Rand...and a 1943 Ithaca...and a pair of Union Switch & Signals...and a 1925 commercial Government Model. They'll all do it, and they don't need fancy magazines to do it, either.

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

I've got an original 1919 Black Army Colt that'll do that...and a 1945 Remington Rand...and a 1943 Ithaca...and a pair of Union Switch & Signals...and a 1925 commercial Government Model. They'll all do it, and they don't need fancy magazines to do it, either.

But will they feed empty cases?

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

 

[jon_in_wv]

Glocks will not only feed empty cases, they will FIRE them too!

(Please note sarcasm/joke)

 

[rodinal220]

All of my Colts run just fine.They gobble LRN,harball and SWC no problem.I had one old IPSC gun back in the day(customized Series 70) have a plunger tube come loose and put some Krazee glue in the rivets and it has held for 25 years!Most people who have problems with 1911s are ones that were monkeyed with or lower quality examples,bad mags and crap ammo.So many are making a 1911 platform gun now and they all have their own specs that do not jive with JMBs/Colts original specs.Those war time produced guns shoot just fine.

 

[Deputy25]

I have a series 70 Colt that I bought in 1979, a Combat Commander from a couple years later, and a Springer Mil-Spec stainless that I bought last year. All three of them run flawlessly with quality ammo. The Colts have a thousands of rounds each without malfunction, and I'm sure the Springer will do the same given the time to do it. I read a lot about cranky, unreliable 1911s. I've been fortunate to never experience it.

 

[mavracer]

The ones that I've seen do it generally have some frame damage from the gases venting down into the magwell. If a sympathetic detonation of any of the stored rounds occurs, it can be pretty destructive.

Every one I've ever seen or read about even if the frame was ok, either the mag catch or the magazine base let's go and there are no rounds left in the magwell to feed.

 

[FIVETWOSEVEN]

Glocks will not only feed empty cases, they will FIRE them too!

Must be one helluva striker to launch them at those speeds!

 

[stinger 327]

Must be one helluva striker to launch them at those speeds!

This is true.

 

[jwr_747]

I have a 1911 US Property Colt built in 1917 that I have been shooting for 51 years,my dad shot it before me,always went bang when the trigger was pulled,still goes bang every time.What more do you want...jwr

 

[stinger 327]

I agree, and you need to choose guns carefully, or understand (and accept) that you'll need a 1911 savvy smith to make the gun run. Understanding that, as you have pointed out, the gun has to run - it has no other choice, it's a machine.

Again, as you have pointed out - quality magazines help the gun function properly. I have a favorite, quality magazine manufacturer, and run that manufacturer's magazines in all of my guns. They work interchangeably between guns and I never hesitate to use magazines from one gun in a different gun as I know they always work.

Either I'm "lucky" (I don't think so) - or I choose manufacturers that make guns that run. I have six 1911's and every one of them has run 100% out of the box with no tuning or gunsmith intervention.

That includes two of them with 3-inch barrels - you know, the ones that aren't supposed to work because the 1911 design doesn't work with short barrels? The first 3-inch gun I bought was in 1983 - a Detonics Combat Master. I still have it, and it runs 100% of the time with any type of bullet shape.

The 1911 is certainly not a fire-and-forget gun, and I think requires the owner to make sure it's cleaned and lubed properly - but even that is exaggerated.

I have a gun that I wanted to test so that I was confident it would work for an entire shooting course with no maintenance. I purposely did not not clean or lube it for 1,800 rounds and it worked just fine.

I generally clean and lube at 500 rounds, field strip for cleaning and lubing at 2,000 rounds, and detail strip at 5,000-6,000 rounds. I don't think the intervals are an imposition as I also using the time to inspect the guns. Springs get changed at the appropriate times as part of the inspection.

Then again, I don't have trouble with the maintenance intervals on my automobiles, tractors, (and, apparently, unlike Larry Vickers) my lawn mowers and other power equipment. I don't get the apparent aversion of some people for cleaning / maintaining a gun and the idea that the longer the interval the better.

Every piece of equipment I have (including guns) gets maintained and inspected at regular intervals. If you want to be confident that the equipment or gun will work when you need it, you maintain and inspect it. Why would you NOT do that to ensure both equipment operation and your safety?

So again 1911's require more training because it isn't a fire and forget gun?

 

[MachIVshooter]

So again 1911's require more training because it isn't a fire and forget gun?

All small arms are fire and forget; You cannot control the bullet once it's left the muzzle.

 

[stinger 327]

All small arms are fire and forget; You cannot control the bullet once it's left the muzzle.

I thought that term mean't like a revolver you pick it up and shoot and it's as simple as that. No decocking etc. like on autos.