? about strange Colt magazine/slide stop malfunction

[Silent Bob]

I have a Colt 1991 that feeds, fires, extracts, and ejects just fine. However, it's doing something strange every 100 rounds or so that I think needs to be addressed. For example, I inserted a loaded magazine while the slide was locked back. As I shoved the magazine home, the slide suddenly snapped forward and loaded the round automatically. A 100 rounds later, after emptying a magazine while firing, I depressed the magazine catch to remove the empty magazine and the slide snapped forward into battery. That one really bugged me because the slide slammed on an empty chamber which always makes me cringe with 1911s (the good news was that the hammer did not follow when this happened).

Another oddity with this gun is that the magazines do not want to drop free when the slide is locked back. Slide in battery = empty magazines drop free. Slide locked back = empty magazines do not drop free. These are all brand new Metalform magazines so I do not think the feed lips have spread. BTW a Wilson 7-round magazine I have does drop free with the slide locked back.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Jim K]

The symptons you describe could be caused either by the internal part of the slide stop not being long enough, or by a defective follower on the magazine(s). Either would result in the slide stop not being fully engaged by the magazine follower, so the slide is not fully locked back and can close from a slight blow to the gun. That also explains the magazines not dropping free, since the follower is going around the slide stop lug and hanging up when you try to remove the magazine.

Before you spend money on changing the slide stop, try some other magazines, maybe WWII GI, as magazine problems like that are common today with some brands of magazines. Even Colt magazines are not what they used to be, now that Colt has gone to outside suppliers.

If you want to see what is happening, remove the slide, reinstall the slide stop, and look down into the magazine well as you insert and remove magazines.

Jim

 

[Silent Bob]

I appreciate the response and advice.

 

[Dave Sample]

It's the magazine followers coupled with the slide stop. A 38 Super slide stop or better magazines will solve the problem. I had one set up that way for IPSC matches that gave the RO's fits, but they never DQ'd me. Slam/Bang/Boom/Boom was what I named it!