I just started having a problem with one of my magazine's for my Smith and Wesson 1911. I don't think it is one of the factory mags but I think it is the Chip McCormick that I bought. I still have two rounds in the magazine when the slide stays open and the slide lock is up. I have had it happen three times in the past couple times that I have shot. It happened to me during a IDPA match the first time and twice today when I was practicing. Is there something I can do to the mag like take it apart and clean it or is it just a faulty mag?
45 ACP Magazine
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BlindJustice
Member
I have a S&W 1911 - AFAIK they come with blued ACT-PRO mags that have a known problem with the mag llips cracking over time & use and the
springs getting weak. I followed threads and bought 5 Wilson Combat Elite Tcttical mags, and have no problem. I have been using one of the stock mags for every range session to give it the same work. A couple of times the stock mag left the last round inthe magazine in the mag and no feed.
SO, it's a range exercise I wouldn't trust the stock mag for HD/SD no problmes with the WC ETMs.
You might also consider having a gunsmith who knows 1911s give it a look and check out the plunger for a S&W some of the Scandium framed models have a problem showing up with owners on forums.
Study the design of the 1911 and how it's mechanical operation works so you can help your gunny figure out your individual 1911.
Every Platform has it's issues.
in
springs getting weak. I followed threads and bought 5 Wilson Combat Elite Tcttical mags, and have no problem. I have been using one of the stock mags for every range session to give it the same work. A couple of times the stock mag left the last round inthe magazine in the mag and no feed.
SO, it's a range exercise I wouldn't trust the stock mag for HD/SD no problmes with the WC ETMs.
You might also consider having a gunsmith who knows 1911s give it a look and check out the plunger for a S&W some of the Scandium framed models have a problem showing up with owners on forums.
Study the design of the 1911 and how it's mechanical operation works so you can help your gunny figure out your individual 1911.
Every Platform has it's issues.
in
jr_roosa
Member
I believe the usual cause of that particular malfunction is that the bullet of one of the rounds bumps the slide stop and locks the slide back.
I wonder if your slide stop sticks into the magazine well a little further than usual and only that one mag makes the bullet get close enough to bump it hard enough.
Maybe take your slide off, put the slide stop back in, put your questionable mag in with a round or two and see how much clearance you have compared to a good mag.
You could always toss the mag since it's proved it doesn't work right for that gun and keep the ones that do.
A more involved option is to have a gunsmith put a dimple on the slide stop where the plunger contacts it to make it ever so slightly harder to knock up unless it's actually pushed up by the follower. From what I understand, this is not easy to do right.
To make sure I'm not blowing smoke, I'll take a look on my 1911 and see what it looks like with the slide off...I've never actually done it myself.
-J.
I wonder if your slide stop sticks into the magazine well a little further than usual and only that one mag makes the bullet get close enough to bump it hard enough.
Maybe take your slide off, put the slide stop back in, put your questionable mag in with a round or two and see how much clearance you have compared to a good mag.
You could always toss the mag since it's proved it doesn't work right for that gun and keep the ones that do.
A more involved option is to have a gunsmith put a dimple on the slide stop where the plunger contacts it to make it ever so slightly harder to knock up unless it's actually pushed up by the follower. From what I understand, this is not easy to do right.
To make sure I'm not blowing smoke, I'll take a look on my 1911 and see what it looks like with the slide off...I've never actually done it myself.
-J.
Ala Dan
Member in memoriam
I can't solve your problem here, but I second the use of Wilson magazines.
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jr_roosa
Member
Follow-up:
I looked inside my 1911, which is a pre-WWI 1911 with original slide stop. With both an original magazine and a new Colt magazine, Remington FMJ just barely clears the slide stop and can easily be pushed into the stop.
I could imagine a dent or some sleaze in just the right spot in the magazine could easily cause a similar problem to what you're having, especially if the rounds you're using are slightly different shape than FMJ.
-J.
I looked inside my 1911, which is a pre-WWI 1911 with original slide stop. With both an original magazine and a new Colt magazine, Remington FMJ just barely clears the slide stop and can easily be pushed into the stop.
I could imagine a dent or some sleaze in just the right spot in the magazine could easily cause a similar problem to what you're having, especially if the rounds you're using are slightly different shape than FMJ.
-J.
wally
Member
All my 1911s started developing this problem when I was shooting the cheap Wolf FMJ, ($120/1000, those were the good old days!) because the rounds were a bit fatter in the area of the slide stop.
Remove the slide, replace the slide lock lever and insert the mags loaded with the rounds in question. As you strip the rounds see if they hit the slide lock.
On some guns it was clear that the slide lock lever protruded too far in and a few strokes of a small file was the cure.
With others it was the magazine, either the feed lips were too wide letting the rounds slop around or they were not quite centered feeding a bit left of centerline. A little force with some long nose pliers put things right.
--wally.
Remove the slide, replace the slide lock lever and insert the mags loaded with the rounds in question. As you strip the rounds see if they hit the slide lock.
On some guns it was clear that the slide lock lever protruded too far in and a few strokes of a small file was the cure.
With others it was the magazine, either the feed lips were too wide letting the rounds slop around or they were not quite centered feeding a bit left of centerline. A little force with some long nose pliers put things right.
--wally.
Update,
I went to the range again yesterday and I thought it was just one mag but it happened to all three mags that I have. It left anywhere from one to three loads in the magazine when the slide stayed open and locked. I took apart the gun to clean it and I checked the plunger, it had little resistance when the gun was together but the spring seemed to work ok when it was apart. I put some oil in the plunger and worked it some. I was using lead reloads when this malfunction was happening but I am all out of those bullets and will be using plated bullets next time I take the gun out. I don't know if it was the bullets, the mags or the plunger or something else. I am going to give it another try when I get back from vacation in a week. Does Smith and Wesson warranty this kind of problem?
I went to the range again yesterday and I thought it was just one mag but it happened to all three mags that I have. It left anywhere from one to three loads in the magazine when the slide stayed open and locked. I took apart the gun to clean it and I checked the plunger, it had little resistance when the gun was together but the spring seemed to work ok when it was apart. I put some oil in the plunger and worked it some. I was using lead reloads when this malfunction was happening but I am all out of those bullets and will be using plated bullets next time I take the gun out. I don't know if it was the bullets, the mags or the plunger or something else. I am going to give it another try when I get back from vacation in a week. Does Smith and Wesson warranty this kind of problem?
Ken Rainey
Member
Does it do it with factory ammo? Could it be that your reloads were just a little "out" of spec??? Otherwise, it's probably what wally said = just need a few strokes of a file to trim the slide stop a little bit.....
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