1911 will not feed SWC

[doubleh]

I am certainly no 1911 quru but might be lucky with them. I have only owned only 4 in 45 APC, a 70 series Colt gold Cup Nation Match, 2 PT 1911s, and a Ruger with the factory barrel and an Ed Brown barrel and bushing.. None have failed to feed any bullet design from any magazine including GI surplus ones. A handload using 185 gr, lead SWC bullets gave me the best accuracy in the Colt and PT 1911 guns. The Ruger hasn't been quite as good with either barrel but I will blame that on me as the first results were obtained several years before I acquired the Ruger.

If I remember correctly the 1911 was designed to use 230 gr. round RNFMJ ammo and was not tightly fitted so it would reliably function under combat conditions. There have been many modifications made to the basic design to improve accuracy and various problems have occurred. If you could find a reliable SWC shooter to compare your gun to it might prove to be a big help in solving your problem. Something as simple as a slightly rough feed ramp can interfear with feeding. I had a 9mm RIA that would not feed even FMJ ammo without frequent jams and an easy feed ramp polish solved the problem.

 

[Blue68f100]

Peaked my curiosity, and I looked around for magazines designed for feeding SWC and couldn't find any such animal. Would you attadh an example?

I will see if I can find the info later on today. There are 3 types of magazine feed lips, std (ball), hybrid ( ball & SWC), and SWC. The SWC design release the bullet sooner so it's gets a straighter shot. The followers can be different too. The extractor also plays a part in how a round feeds too.


Added link to 1911 mag lip types.

https://www.1911forum.com/attachments/45caliberfeedlips_2148_detail-jpg.154838/

 

[jmorris]

Peaked my curiosity, and I looked around for magazines designed for feeding SWC and couldn't find any such animal. Would you attadh an example?

Watch the 1 minute video in #19.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Had a police officer here who used Chip McCormick magazines. His 1911 did not feed reliably with them. Switching to Colt or USGI did the trick.

Regarding the 1911, that barrel may have to be opened up. Bob Dunlap (AGI gunsmith videos and former lead instructor at Lassen College Gunsmithing School) used to open it up such that his 1911 could feed empty cases. However, this means less case support to there's a tradeoff.

 

[gwpercle]

I damaged the original barrel when I accidentally fired a round after a squib load.

Ouch ! Did we learn something from that little experience ???

I know I sure did ... I count the holes in the target now and listen for a round that doesn't sound right !
That happened 50 years ago but it seems as clear as if it happened yesterday ...
... called Learning the Hard Way !!!

All The MecGar 1911- 45 magazines I have feed SWC just fine ... I much prefer SWC and it's about all I shoot . Try ramping and smoothing the bbl. so it looks like the old barrel throat / ramp .
Clark Custom Guns can do wonders on a 1911 ... they even make one that feeds and fires 38 special wadcutters !!! www.clarkcustomguns.com check them out , they do great work .

Be Careful and Load Safe ,
Gary

 

[Slamfire]

Seating the swc so about a fingernail (.030) of shoulder is exposed is most important. Next, using a sharp knife blade or reamer, scrape the bottom edge of the chamber opening (transition from ramp to chamber) just enough to break the sharp angle there and lightly polish with 1000+ grit sandpaper. Does not take much. Finally, polish the chamber with 1000 grit sand paper so the top of the chamber (where the nose of the swc impacts on cycling) is completely smooth.

I suggest trying these steps before more drastic measures. You may clear up your issues, and none of this will damage your barrel.

Maybe I missed it, but the OP has not stated his cartridge OAL nor the bullet he is using. OAL is critical for LSWC bullets in the 1911. My H&H type 68 200 grain LSWC, I seat them to 1.250. There is enough of a shoulder out of the case to slide up the feed ramp.

 

[BBBBill]

Trying to fit it without measuring equipment is not going to work well for you. You need a micrometer and/or good dial claipers along with headspace gauges and most likely a reamer. You can rent headspace gauges and reamers.

 

[jmorris]

This was not a problem when the old barrel was installed.

Thats the issue. “1911” covers a lot of ground, I am not even sure of the number of different MFG’s that have built them over the years or even how many there are today but it’s a lot and they are all slightly different, some quite a bit different than others.

There are a number of “right” answers here as far as modification to the firearm that makes it more feed friendly. If a mag exists that it will feed your current load, it’s not a trick, just noting what doesn’t work and trying something else.

 

[Rule3]

Ockham's razor
: a scientific and philosophical rule that entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily which is interpreted as requiring that the simplest of competing theories be preferred to the more complex or that explanations of unknown phenomena be sought first in terms of known quantities

Try the simplest things first

What ammo are you using????????????????

 

[jmorris]

By the title, I was guessing SWC’s.

 

[BBBBill]

I've owned, built, and worked on at least a couple hundred 1911s. Tight is not a problem if it's right. If it's wrong then no amount of tightness or looseness will fix it. Based on what the OP has posted so far I believe that the issue is with the chamber end of the barrel and/or the ammo. Barrel chambers almost always need to be finish reamed,. They certainly must be checked and verified. The breakover from the barrel mouth to the chamber almost always need to e slightly broken with a tiny radius (.002-.003"). The barrel mouth needs to be clear of the frame ramp by about .032" with the barrel fully down in the barrel bed and back against the VIS. Ammo needs to be in spec.