lordfarquaad
Member
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2016
- Messages
- 47
Some of you may have read my previous thread about my issues with the 1911-380 here: https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/my-1911-380-issues-troubleshooting-progress.825942/
I've cleared it up, and wanted to shared a condensed explanation for folks who may be researching this pistol, or experiencing issues and searching for answers.
BRIEF BACKGROUND:
I bought a 1911-380 and it had various issues, mostly related to feeding. The round would be released from the magazine too early and cause a jam, and the most frustrating issue was that it would release the 7th round (live) while ejecting the spent 6th casing. The live round would fly right out the top and land on the ground. You would never notice if you weren't counting shots.
I sent in to Browning, and they replaced the pistol. New pistol had same issue. Browning replaced again. So that mean's I've had 3 of these. Third pistol had same issue.
Now I had about 5 mags and had tried several kinds of ammo. Issue persisted.
SOLUTION:
By chance, I bought a bunch of PMC ammo and miraculously the issue disappeared. I had thought to rotate brands of ammo, but hadn't thought to examine ammo measurements. I put a caliper on the PMC and noted that it was loaded close to full-length (at about .976). During my previous troubleshooting, I had been testing with various American brands as well as Flat nosed ammo from places like Lax Ammo and FreedomMunitions. All of those had issues. I discovered on measuring that all of these brands were loaded closer to minimum for a .380. Especially the flat nosed ammo, which is by design shorter overall.
With this information, I started seeking out brands loaded closer to full Overall Length. Brands that do this are PMC, Prvi Partizan, Tula, and Sellier&Bellot.
With these longer rounds in hand, I have been to the range a half dozen times, with zero issues. Now, I love this gun, and would trust it as a carry weapon.
I'm sharing this experience because apparently Browning either doesn't understand it or won't mention it. They sent me two new pistols, after all, and never fixed this issue. It seems related to the magazine design, which is deep and so it releases short cartridges too soon when they are situated toward the front, which happens naturally due to recoil.
You may have found, if you have dealt with this issue and searched for a solution, that others recommend tuning feed lips to close them up. You can try this if you want, but it did not work for me. It wasn't the feed lips---it was the dimensions of the magazine front to back.
So there you have it. If you have this issue, I may have your solution, and it will save you from hating a gun that you might otherwise love. Just buy manufacturers that load on the long side, and stay far away from rounds that are short by design (flat nosed and hallow point).
I've cleared it up, and wanted to shared a condensed explanation for folks who may be researching this pistol, or experiencing issues and searching for answers.
BRIEF BACKGROUND:
I bought a 1911-380 and it had various issues, mostly related to feeding. The round would be released from the magazine too early and cause a jam, and the most frustrating issue was that it would release the 7th round (live) while ejecting the spent 6th casing. The live round would fly right out the top and land on the ground. You would never notice if you weren't counting shots.
I sent in to Browning, and they replaced the pistol. New pistol had same issue. Browning replaced again. So that mean's I've had 3 of these. Third pistol had same issue.
Now I had about 5 mags and had tried several kinds of ammo. Issue persisted.
SOLUTION:
By chance, I bought a bunch of PMC ammo and miraculously the issue disappeared. I had thought to rotate brands of ammo, but hadn't thought to examine ammo measurements. I put a caliper on the PMC and noted that it was loaded close to full-length (at about .976). During my previous troubleshooting, I had been testing with various American brands as well as Flat nosed ammo from places like Lax Ammo and FreedomMunitions. All of those had issues. I discovered on measuring that all of these brands were loaded closer to minimum for a .380. Especially the flat nosed ammo, which is by design shorter overall.
With this information, I started seeking out brands loaded closer to full Overall Length. Brands that do this are PMC, Prvi Partizan, Tula, and Sellier&Bellot.
With these longer rounds in hand, I have been to the range a half dozen times, with zero issues. Now, I love this gun, and would trust it as a carry weapon.
I'm sharing this experience because apparently Browning either doesn't understand it or won't mention it. They sent me two new pistols, after all, and never fixed this issue. It seems related to the magazine design, which is deep and so it releases short cartridges too soon when they are situated toward the front, which happens naturally due to recoil.
You may have found, if you have dealt with this issue and searched for a solution, that others recommend tuning feed lips to close them up. You can try this if you want, but it did not work for me. It wasn't the feed lips---it was the dimensions of the magazine front to back.
So there you have it. If you have this issue, I may have your solution, and it will save you from hating a gun that you might otherwise love. Just buy manufacturers that load on the long side, and stay far away from rounds that are short by design (flat nosed and hallow point).