Compact 1911 Issues

[sfl_gunner]

Update-
Shot it today with some 185gr Wadcutters. No issues at all. Going to experiment with some more 185's soon to see what other ammo it likes.

 

[jmorris]

I used 600 girt sand paper to accelerate the "break in" on the parts of the slide and frame the rub together.

Yeah, that’s not how it’s done. You want them to be lapped together as a couple, smoothing only where the two parts are binding on one another, if you do it at all. Not just take off from any surface you can contact with a sheet of sand paper.

The fact that even that didn’t do the trick but a different bullet shape made a difference would send me back to the magazine that feeds it. Like the video I posted before where a bullet isn’t even a variable.

 

[Roverguy]

Using 230 grs ball factory? If not, give that a go. I have the next size up - 4.25”.? - RIA compact. It was a little squirrelly with reloads to start with. A few hundred rounds through it and it eats anything and I have had no problems since.

 

[sfl_gunner]

Using 230 grs ball factory? If not, give that a go. I have the next size up - 4.25”.? - RIA compact. It was a little squirrelly with reloads to start with. A few hundred rounds through it and it eats anything and I have had no problems since.

Yea my 230's grains are factory loads. I'm happy to know it will at least run 185 wadcutters reliably.

 

[MikeInOr]

I had a RIA GI 9mm 1911 that was a little finicky at first. Being too impatient to just let it "break in" I took it apart and put Flitz on the rails. After reassembling I racked the slide several hundred times. After a complete cleaning and proper lube it hasn't had any feed problems since. It is noticeably smoother now.

 

[halfmoonclip]

Like the others said; a good lube and a good 300/400-odd rounds through it will hopefully be all it needs.

Others have mentioned it, but I hate burning 6 boxes of cartridges to make a gun run right, when the factory should have done it. Maybe better to get a better gun in the first place...though everyone lets a turd out the door from time to time.
Realize that more shooting sometimes solves the problem, but the consumer shouldn't have to do it.
Moon

 

[JTQ]

...though everyone lets a turd out the door from time to time.
Moon

This often happens.

However...

Others have mentioned it, but I hate burning 6 boxes of cartridges to make a gun run right, when the factory should have done it. Maybe better to get a better gun in the first place...

Some of this stuff really is just folks figuring stuff out.

Using a 1911 as an example (such as is the example with a compact in this thread), there are always folks that are new to 1911's, and in this day and age, are also new to metal framed guns, and most of these folks will significantly under-lube their 1911.

As mentioned up thread, with the link to the Wilson Combat FAQ page, folks may use ammo that isn't appropriate for the gun, or mags that aren't appropriate for the gun.

The "6 boxes of cartridges" in many instances is, "Oh, I need to use more lube", "I should probably have tried those 185gr rounds sooner", and "Maybe those 10 round mags weren't such a good idea, and those $10 gun show mags never did work right either".

 

[trackskippy]

I can understand someone new to things not understanding some of the basics, but a lot of us arent newbies here too.

Call me crazy, but if I buy a gun in any caliber, unless its specifically stated blatantly on the gun what its to use, it should feed anything commonly produced in the caliber or loaded to the same standard. It should also work out of the box.

If a gun comes with mags from the factory, you would think those mags would work with the gun. I just picked up a Tisas Army model and the two mags Ive been having the most trouble with, are the two that came with that gun. Youd figure at least those would work.

With that Kimber I posted above, the followers on the guns factory mags were tearing the feed ramp in the frame up. The steel followers impacting the alloy ramp were wearing a groove in it. What solved that was replacing the steel followers with Wilson plastic followers.

Considering how popular the 1911's have been, and for how long, they would have got things figured out by now. Seems that the opposite is more true than anything else.

 

[JTQ]

Yeah, (this is all rhetorical because I'm sure you know better) how many companies make a 1911? In a particular frame depth, how many calibers are available in those 1911's? How many 1911 companies make their own mags? How many drops of lube does the 1911 owners manual tell you to use?

How many companies make a Glock? Who makes the best Glock mags? How many shoot 9mm out of their G21 or G30? If I was trying to shoot 147gr cast wadcutters in my G26, and was having problems after about a 100 round range session, should I send the gun back to Glock to get fixed or would the recommendation be that I may be better off using 124gr copper jacketed ball or hollow point ammo?

If your gun is working fine, you can use whatever lube you want, and any round you like, or any mag that fits in your gun.

If there is a problem, it may not be the gun. Do we ever have folks on the forum that have a new G17 and are using the cheapest 115gr training ammo, and in their first 100 rounds, have repeated cycling problems? Sure we do. It's like a quarterly event. Is the G17 broken? No, the problem is weak ammo that has a problem driving a new recoil spring assembly that is designed to handle NATO ammo and last probably 10,000 rounds before replacement. When new, that cheap ammo won't work in the gun. The gun isn't broken, it is bad ammo. Shoot better ammo and the gun will work, or 300 rounds later, that G17 probably shoots that cheap stuff just fine. The gun isn't broken.

 

[highlander 5]

I have many 1911s in 9mm and 45 acp and the only one that gave me problems is a Ruger commander size 9 mm had to replace the factory recoil spring with a Wilson 12 lb spring ran like a champ after that
Lapping the frame/slide may solve the problem and using toothpaste for lapping compound will probably take a while but when done not only will the slide/frame be mated but they'll have minty fresh breath as well.

 

[tarosean]

This thing is way tight. I wonder if they have made the tolerances too tight.

No its a timing issue.. The problem with short barreled 1911's is there is only so much time to accomplish everything. If one thing is off it leads to issues.

With that Kimber I posted above, the followers on the guns factory mags were tearing the feed ramp in the frame up.

What the hell are they made of?

 

[trackskippy]

No its a timing issue.. The problem with short barreled 1911's is there is only so much time to accomplish everything. If one thing is off it leads to issues.



What the hell are they made of?

The folowers were made of steel. The frame was an alloy frame. The pointy edge of the followers was digging into the ramp on the last round, and over and over, it was starting to wear a groove.

 

[halfmoonclip]

Some of this stuff really is just folks figuring stuff out.

Using a 1911 as an example (such as is the example with a compact in this thread), there are always folks that are new to 1911's, and in this day and age, are also new to metal framed guns, and most of these folks will significantly under-lube their 1911.

A lot of the folks on this forum didn't just fall off the potato truck yesterday. More seasoned members, and that includes a great many of us, cut our teeth on steel framed guns...our sin is usually over oiling Glocks.
We also understand the idea of trying different ammo, though a pistol that is ammo sensitive isn't a good sign, in terms of overall reliability.
Let's not judge everyone by the standard of the (always welcome) newbies here. We were all there once, and somehow got our guns to run without the 'net.
Moon

 

[Walkalong]

A lot of the folks on this forum didn't just fall off the potato truck yesterday. More seasoned members, and that includes a great many of us, cut our teeth on steel framed guns...our sin is usually over oiling Glocks.

Yep.

And while we may have fallen off the truck a time or two, it was a long time ago, one gets it figured out after a time or two.

 

[Slamfire]

Ive had a couple of 1911's in the past that were smaller than a Commander, and all of them were trouble. The smaller you go, the more finicky thay get. Ive always had the best luck with guns that were GM and Commander sized.

There are lots of reports of troublesome "Tankers" and "Officer Model", and "Compact" 1911's on 1911forum.com. And I have seen shooters struggling with compact 1911's at the range.

The thing is, the 1911 was developed into a reliable pistol with a 5 inch slide and 230 grain ball ammunition. Cutting the nose off, or removing sections of the slide, really changes the reciprocating weight, the slide to barrel weight ratio, slide dynamics, unlock, dwell, and slide speeds. I am skeptical these issues can be fixed by changing spring weights. Of course with a faster slide speed, cartridge rise in the magazine may be too slow.

Altering a John Browning design with a chop saw is like painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa. You may think you are the better artist, but hubris comes before a fall. Browning designs worked in ways that many do not understand. A Nov 2023 article in the American Rifleman described vibration testing John Browning's BAR and comparing against a chattery M240 machine gun and said "In contrast the BAR whispered throughout its cycle, smoothly drawing a round up out of the magazine followed by a precise chambering and bolt lockup. It seems that the more we analyze Browning's firearms, the more we are amazed by his mastery of gun design"

People are not going to like what I am going to say, but if you want a super compact 45 ACP, you are better off finding a new pistol that was designed from the ground up, not some shorty 1911 designed to sell to customers who have nostalgia for the 1911. The reliability of the five inch 1911 does not scale down.

 

[Walkalong]

The reliability of the five inch 1911 does not scale down.....

successfully if not done very well.

 

[halfmoonclip]

successfully if not done very well.

No doubt correct. A late buddy (who forgot more about guns than I'll ever know) was firmly of the opinion that a 5" 1911 was the way to go with .45 Caliber. Nines seem much better in Commanders and even Defenders.
Concur that it takes some good work to make the .45s run right; my Officers has been good, but I have it for grits and shins.
Moon

 

[jmorris]

If I was trying to shoot 147gr cast wadcutters in my G26, and was having problems after about a 100 round range session, should I send the gun back to Glock to get fixed

Probably not.

 

[Jim Watson]

If I was trying to shoot 147gr cast wadcutters in my G26, and was having problems after about a 100 round range session,

I would say that getting any wadcutters through a Glock is an accomplishment, not a problem.

 

[doubleh]

I am not well versed on 1911 problems as all but one I have owned work well. It was an RIA compact I bought because it would fit nicely in the cubby hole on my vehicle's console but was in 9mm. It had 2 problems tight out of the box, the second which I was unaware of until I fixed the first. I spent quite a bit of time attempting to contact RIA customer service with no luck at all. No one would answer the phone and their message box was full with repeated attempt and the same with e-mails. It would fire a shot OK but the magazine dropped on the ground when I did. A new magazine latch was required and with that problem solved I discovered that it would jam about every third shot or so with any ammo I tried to use. The feed ramp was rather rough. No tool marks but not finished smoothly. A cotton polishing bob in a cordless drill (more controllable than a dremel) and fine Clover valve grinding compound slicked the ramp right up and I had no more trouble with it. This is to point out that RIA guns aren't fool proof.

In your case I would first contact RIA until something was done and failing that, strip the gun, give the slide rails a light coat of fine Clover compound, replace the slide, and work it back and forth quite a few times. Clean off the compound, lube, reassemble the gun and see what it does. Baby steps with polishing until it works dependably. More work for you but at much less cost than shooting it enough to loosen it up.

Apparently I have been lucky with magazines. From old GI issue to new ones, I have never had a problem that was caused by a faulty magazine.

 

[sfl_gunner]

Thanks everybody.

 

[262madmike]

I had a Colt compact 1911 45acp.I had to get rid of it and now I will never get any 1911 less than 4 inches long.Commander is thecsmallest.Now I do have a S&W Shield that is very reliable but is a handful.

 

[halfmoonclip]

A buddy snagged a bright stainless Officers (actually, helped him get it), and, being green with envy, went looking for one. Already had a 9mm Deffy, which I liked. So I got the .45 version, and it ran. But it was wearisome to shoot. Finally found a real, steel Officers, and it was bunches more pleasant to shoot. Mine has always run, but, full disclosure, the round count isn't terribly high.
The Defenders make great carry guns, and the 9 is even fun to shoot. I'd want to test one, thoroughly, with my designated carry ammo.
Moon

 

[Jim Watson]

My OACP does well, but it is considerably removed from factory stock.
In addition to two generations of visible modifications, FLG had an OACP tweak which he did not reveal.

 

[Charlie98]

Ok, everyone has covered just about everything... so I'll throw my .02 worth in...

Have you cleaned and lubed it? I can always tell when my 4" Kimbers need a little attention... the slide starts to hang, and the cases eject a little weakly. Like an M1a or a Garand, there are some 'clean and lube' points on any 1911 to insure they work reliably.

Like some of the others, I'm not a fan of the 'break in' concept as an absolute. I think you should shoot any new piece to become familiar with it, but not as a matter of 'final production fit and finish,' so to speak. A weapon should shoot right, right out of the box.