Defender, revisited

[51Cards]

After all sorts of fun with this gun, it now ingests and expels (almost) everything. In its lifetime I've chronicled some of the stuff I've been through with it. Now that the barrel ramp is a-la-Browning, the extractor replaced (Cylinder & Slide, with a wonderfully under-sized pin block slot --- the original Colt one had about .008 "slop"), filed to a light press-fit --- no more "clocking!"

BUT...
Last-round (live) stovepipe about every third mag. Part of it has to be me, but the local wizard tells me it is almost definitely the magazines. A new mag awaits testing.

So, three questions:
1) WHY is the Defender follower so weird? It flexes around, misses the slide stop when it feels like it, and has no "speed bump." Huh??? (I've put standard "dimpled" followers in --- six rounds is enough.

2) The last-round pipe. Magazines, me wimping out at the bottom of the mag, or 3"-1911 Madness?

3) What would cause this lovely event?




The mainspring housing has developed a nasty fracture. Since it's essentially wedged into the frame, I figure it probably won't fail until the next detail strip. Gonna see if Colt will freebie me a new one.

A nice word to folks who don't like to pull the "whole dang thing" apart --- you'd never see this coming unless you pulled it out.

 

[BBBBill]

...3) What would cause this lovely event?

Core shift in the mould causing a weak spot?

 

[51Cards]

One more thing driving me (more) loony. Can't believe I never noticed it before --- the magazine follower in the manual's parts diagram looks nothing like the ones that shipped with the gun. (The manual shows something that looks more like a Wilson plastic follower; the shipped ones were those horrible little orange things.)

 

[orionengnr]

FWIW--My Defender had the orange mag followers too.

 

[Old Fuff]

Well the mainspring housing appears to be molded out of something - plastic perhaps? I'm pretty sure Colt will give you another one - made exactly the same way as the one you have.

I think you went in the right direction when you changed the magazine follower - and hopefully the spring. You may find getting decent magazine is a problem. The clue here is last-round stovepipes. It sounds like you need a stiffer magazine spring, and a small-radius firing pin stop.

 

[1911Tuner]

Helpful Hint:

The same Wolff 11-pound spring will work in the shortened magazine as in the standard 7-round magazine...assuming that the follower is the standard 7-round follower. This isn't a super-secret voodoo trick passed down in visions by ancient druids. The 7-round GM/Commander magazine and the 6-round OM magazine use the same springs and followers. Always have.

Your last-round stovepipe is known as Bolt Over Base misfeed...and it's caused by the slide literally outrunning the magazine. A weak mag spring coupled with the uber-short runup and speedy slide velocity in the Defender is a near surefire recipe for that malfunction.

Fuff mentioned the small-radius stop...Funny. I just cured a doublestack Para Ordnance with a Commander-length slide and Officer's Model-length grip of that very problem...with a small radius stop, new mag springs, a 16-pound recoil spring, and a 25-pound mainspring.

Did it almost every mag...now does it none.

 

[51Cards]

Well, Colt sure did send me another mainspring housing.

First, they sent me a "blued" (black) one, in GM size.

Then, to correct this, they sent me a gray one. Also in GM size.

"Free" replacements will, it seems, be costing me about $45 --- when I order a nice METAL one from Wilson.

For whatever kinds of flak I might get for this part: the Mec-Gar magazine and follower work perfectly. Not only do they eliminate the ridiculous amount of vertical play of the Colt mags in the grip, but they (if my eyes and calipers don't deceive me) also present the cartridges fractionally higher, helping with the Great Spring Race.

A new C&S extractor, filed a bit, now fits without "clocking" at all --- unlike the original Colt part, which fit poorly in nearly every dimension.

It will not surprise me (although t will greatly disappoint me) if Colt shuts down their consumer division. I hope the military contract stuff is better. (The frame, slide, sear and hammer are beautiful, though.) The devil is in the details.

I hope I never write another word about this gun, and just plain wear it out.

 

[fearless leader]

Colt's ain't what they used to be. I sent my Python in for binding issues, and after, I think 75 bucks or so, they returned it, still binding, but not quite as bad.
The only time I shoot it is when I qualify each year!

 

[51Cards]

Spoke with a guy at Colt the other day. He told me the Defender parts they ship the most of is recoil springs. Well, gee --- that figures.

Anyone have a good conservative idea of round count per set???