Colt 1903 issue

[Avenger]

I have a 1903 Colt Pocket Hammerless in .32ACP, produced in 1923. All parts are original, and it has always been properly cared for. The last time I took it to the range, I tried a variety of brands of .32 through it. Everything was fine, until one round stovepiped. Now I'm getting failures to feed. The round is either ending up positioned vertically in front of the chamber, preventing bolt closure, or occasionally the case mouth is catching on the upper part of the chamber mouth, resulting in a round jamming the bolt as it comes forward.
Does this sound like a feed lip problem? I've read that the lips on the .32 mags are "problematic", is this type of thing what they refer to. Will tightening the lips, i.e. bringing them closer together, solve the issue?

 

[Jim K]

It sounds like the stovepipe round spread the magazine lips. The lips on the original Colt mags were hardened, but after market mags rarely are. You might try CAREFULLY pinching the lips inward using padded pliers.

Jim

 

[Avenger]

This is a factory mag, one of two serial matched that came with the pistol. I pushed them in a tiny little bit with hand pressure, and everything seems to be fine.

 

[rcmodel]

Carefully look over the mags for developing cracks.

Look along the square bends at the back where the feed lips begin.

rcmodel

 

[1911Tuner]

Could be the magazine spring has gotten weak and you're getting bolt-over base misfeeds. Essentially, the slide is outrunning the magazine and instead of stripping the round from the rear, it rides over the rim and catches the case on the side, just forward of the rim.

Normally happens on the last round or two in the magazine, and most often on the last one.

 

[Avenger]

1911Tuner, when that happens, doesn't the round typically jam with the bullet itself between the bolt and the feed ramp area, with the case also jamming between the bolt and the forward edge of the mag, i.e. the round doesn't make it far enough out of the mag to chamber? On mine, the round was typically jamming with the base caught between the chamber and bolt, with the bullet projecting out the ejection port, i.e. the round was making it TOO far out of the mag to chamber. And it didn't seem to make much difference as to which round in the mag it was, but then again, after the umpteenth time I had to clear, I ended up putting the pistol away for the day.

I'm not sure how strong the mag spring is supposed to be, in terms of actual pounds, but it seems just as strong as most other mags. The seventh round is always a little difficult to do, I've never done eight though. Grandpa always loaded six, he spent a lifetime with revolvers, guess he got used to "Six Bangs, Then Reload."

 

[1911Tuner]

1911Tuner, when that happens, doesn't the round typically jam with the bullet itself between the bolt and the feed ramp area,

The bolt-over misfeed usually stands the round straight up, with the side of the case caught between the breechface and the barrel. Sometimes, it's a full rideover, with the bottm of the slide trapping the case in the magazine. Sometimes it angles the round up and catches the bullet nose in the roof of the chamber, close to the rear.

When it happens, look closely to see if the breechface is against the back of the rim, or just forward of it. If it's the former...it's not a bolt-over misfeed.

Still could be the mag spring, though. If the spring is weak, it often doesn't force the rear of the round up smartly enough to get under the extractor.