feeding problems

[BeJaRa]

I just picked up a Sprinfield GI "champion" and it is my first 1911 and my first 45 I love the gun but I am having abit of feeding problems with it. I have only put about 130 rounds of 230 grain RN ammo thru it to break it in a bit. The ammo was CCI blazer brass. I will be loading my own but I have to wait for UPS to bring my dies etc. I have 2 magazines, a 7 rd that came with the gun and a chip Mcormik 8 rd mag. I disassembled the weapon and gave it a good cleaning and a light oiling the night before my first range trip. the pistol feed excelent except for the first round of each magazine. I did try to load the magazines with 1 less than max but did not seem to help. BTW the chip Mcormik mag was not jamming every time at the end of my range session but the factory mag was. I also tried a friends 8rd mag from a Taurus PT1911 and it worked flawlessly. Do these guns/mags need a "break in time" or do I just have some bad mags?

 

[doubleg]

Sounds like bad mags if your buddy's Taurus magazine worked flawlessly.

 

[longeyes]

It may be normal 1911 growing pains. See how it is at 500 rounds. It could be the mags but I've had great success with my Chip McC. Power Mags on all three 1911s I own.

 

[BeJaRa]

So is it common for 1911 style pistols to have a "break in " period?

 

[Mad Magyar]

I have some sobering news for you...If you don't clear up & identify the problems you have while using factory ammo: your future reloads will not help the situation...I know the reloaders don't want to hear this, but from my experience & observation on the firing range: a great preponderance of the FTF's came from reloaded ammo minutely lacking the uniformity of factory...Sorry about that but "you know it & I know it". As far as breaking in your pistol & mag; that also is the basis for another thread. The fact that some pistols come from factories with varying quality control; the consensus seems to be "Yes".
IMHO, judging from your description I think it's a mag problem also....

 

[Walkalong]

So is it common for 1911 style pistols to have a "break in " period?

They should run right out of the box. Period. Send it back to Springfield and let them fix it. if we keep sending guns back maybe QC will improve.

If we keep accepting that 1911's are problematic or need a "break in" period they will never improve QC.:banghead:

 

[Vern Humphrey]

They should run right out of the box. Period. Send it back to Springfield and let them fix it. if we keep sending guns back maybe QC will improve

Amen!

And if they tell you it needs a "break in" period, bill them for the ammo required to break it in. They're supposed to sell guns that work.

 

[BeJaRa]

Well, I have some other mags available to me to use and if they work 100% then I will feel that the mags are definatly the problem. And Mad Magyar, I am not real sure what point you were trying to make but my question was not about reloads and I don't feel I made any claims my reloads would help the fail to feed on the first round problem.

 

[Mad Magyar]

" Mad Magyar, I am not real sure what point you were trying to make...."
My point being that until the problem has been identified, keeping the variables constant are important without adding reload ammo to the mix. Why else would you have brought up the point about reloading & waiting for your dies unless you thought the problem might possibly be ammo???
Anyway, over & out & good luck with your pistol....

 

[BeJaRa]

I see, sorry, I guess I was trying to say I didn't have too much ammo to run thru it since I was planning on reloading for it.

 

[BAT1]

Be ja Ra

This is a common problem with Champs. Here's how you fix it. Port and polish the feed ramp and barrel. I did mine with a Dremel. A gun smith can do it also. Then enlarge the ejection port. Then a trigger job. Do the port and polish before anything else. Mine works flawlessly now with even Hydra shocks. Don't mess with the extractor. Do the port and polish first. Good groups.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

This is a common problem with Champs. Here's how you fix it. Port and polish the feed ramp and barrel. I did mine with a Dremel. A gun smith can do it also. Then enlarge the ejection port. Then a trigger job. Do the port and polish before anything else. Mine works flawlessly now with even Hydra shocks. Don't mess with the extractor. Do the port and polish first. Good groups.

While you can do the job with a Dremel, if you know exactly what youi're doing, I have seen too many guns ruined with a Dremel to advise using one. Polish the ramp by hand with very fine grit paper wrapped around a dowel -- it won't run away with you.

Lowering the ejection port is another area where great care and expertise are needed -- you can't file metal back on!!

I'd stick with my original position -- if the pistol doesn't work out of the box, send it back and make them fix it. That will not void your guarentee (as home "gunsmithing" will) and you will be doing us all a service by casting your vote for better quality control from the manufacturer.

 

[cottontoptexan]

Springfield Champion

BeJaRa my Springfield Champion has been flawless since day one out of the box. I did smooth it up at bit with Jb's bore paste after a total dissasembly but it ran fine prior to that. Do not know why your pistol is malfunctioning. I use the 230 hardball by Independence. Hope you get it fixed. Mine is all steel with a feed ramp on the barrel . I think it is called the GI model. The only thing i can negative about it is sometimes the brass hits you on the cap or ejects straight back. That is the nature of the beast of not having the lowered ejection port. It should run fine after about 2 boxes of ammo or so with plenty of lube during the break in period.

 

[JiminCA]

Take out the shock buff if you're running one and load the 1st round by slingshotting the mag, not depressing the slide stop.

When you launch the slide from slide stop rather than slingshotting, the slide has less travel before it hits the round and strips it off. When cycling while firing it travells all the way back and you don't have the problem. That's why it won't work on the 1st round out of the mag.

If that doesn't cure it, send it back to Springfield. In that case I'd be looking at the extractor but like people said above make them fix it.

Also I don't have any experience with Blazer Brass but I have heard some reports of problems with it. You might want to try something else just to be sure ammo isn't the problem.

 

[BeJaRa]

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I figured someone might be curiouse. the feeding problem is fixed. I got 2 chip mccormick power mags and the feeding problem has disappeared. Wish I could have done that sooner, but father first, range junkie second.

 

[Idano]

Who boys hold the phone!

Originally posted by Mad Magyar
I know the reloaders don't want to hear this, but from my experience & observation on the firing range: a great preponderance of the FTF's came from reloaded ammo minutely lacking the uniformity of factory...Sorry about that but "you know it & I know it".

Mad Magyar I am calling you on that statement you made. I would definitely like to see documented facts that reloads can not be more consistent and accurate then factory reloads. I guess those bench rest shooters have been wasting their time all these years, go figure. Quality control may be an issue off your bench providing you even reload, but guaranteed quality control is not an issue off of my bench . I trust my reloads far more then any factory round, I'll stake my life on it, oh yea already do that!

 

[Glockfan.45]

The ammo was CCI blazer brass.

Theres your problem. CCI Blazer runs fine in some auto loaders but not 1911s. Look at the rounds that fail to feed next time and compare them to other rounds in the box. You will see that some of the CCI bullets are set deeper into the case than other rounds. Blazer has lousy QC compared to others. I have had this problem in my Kimber and finally figured it out. When I stopped using Blazer I stoppped having FTFs. I know after I post this a dozen people will chime in about how I am wrong and that Blazer is fine, but trust me. Try a box of UMC or WWB and see the difference. With cheap ammo you get what you pay for. Or you could just get a Glock, they will eat anything including Blazer .

 

[BeJaRa]

the ammo was fine and the problem occured with not only the blazer brass but WWB, Magtech and Winchester WB JHP. Pretty much any ammo I tried had the same jamming characteristics until I tried the Chip McCormick Power Mags. Now my champions works flawless. If I was SA I would ship my product with better magazines, this is the kind of problem that leads to bad reputations. My G.I. Champion has IMHO a very nice fit and finish along with being amazingly accurate but it shipped with a POS mag that made it seem like a jam-o-matic.

 

[Mad Magyar]

Mad Magyar I am calling you on that statement you made. I would definitely like to see documented facts that reloads can not be more consistent and accurate then factory reloads.

Idano, no point in bursting a "blood vessel"....So you know up front, I am not a reloader...I do weekly shooting with many that are...You talk about misfires, I see it all the time....No, they are not "boobs", but too many variables in the process to go wrong....I'm happy for you and your ammo...My keyword was "consistency"...Some are so caught up in shooting competitions, they use light wadcutters, light loads to reduce recoil to emulate Doug Koenig that they often misfire...
I will say most shooting authorities will tell you that: yes, you can vary your bullet/load selections; but will not duplicate the "consistency" of factory ammo...

 

[Franco2shoot]

feeding

I'm a casual shooter, but I want to relate my experinces with a fairly plain Jane 1911 A-1.


I've owned this for more years than I can count, and its the primary HD weapon so I'm always anxious over the reliability. This Christmas a friend of mine gave me a box of FMJ .45 ammo with the Lawman label. The box also called the contents "practice ammunition" whatever that means. At any rate, although all the specs seemed like normal ammo ie. 230 grain. and the shape of the bullet looked identical. It absolutely would not Feed correctly, each time it would stove pipe. I got all concerned and went to the front counter purchasing my usual brand American Eagle.

Back on line both my magazines functioned flawlessly. Bottom line, my 1911 will eat and spit out American Eagle all day long without a jam, but there is something different when its Practice ammo, especially Lawman.

I am guessing that the Eagle brand might be a little hotter, and so the slide slams back with more force and extracts the spent casing with ease. But that's just a guess, and I didn't get a good nite's sleep at a Holiday Inn.


KKKKFL

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I would definitely like to see documented facts that reloads can not be more consistent and accurate then factory reloads.

The question is not whether reloads can be more consistent and accurate than factory loads, the questions is whether all reloaders actually do produce such loads.

I'm sure none of us here would pick up a reloaded round we found lying on the ground at the range and try to shoot it, or would buy reloads from an unknown source.

 

[Idano]

Mad Magyar

Once again you make an unsubstantiated claim without a single fact to back it up, who are these shooting authorities:

Originally posted by Mad Magyar
I will say most shooting authorities will tell you that: yes, you can vary your bullet/load selections; but will not duplicate the "consistency" of factory ammo...

It was pretty obvious that you were not a reloader from your statement that you don't understand anything about the process of reloading and I am not taking about those that crank out rounds. I am not busting a blood vessel but I am definitely going to speak out when some one spews misinformation like you have been doing. Sure your passing on the same information that was given to you, but since you don't reload or are bench rest shooter you have no experience to give advice on reloads.

 

[Mad Magyar]

Idano, do you use new brass? If so, I have no argument with you. If not, I certainly do....You are playing "Roulette" with what the eyes cannot see...You actually think I spout-off this kind of info w/o some research? I can name-drop those who stand by my premise; but I don't think that would satisfy you....I'm sure you are a careful in your reloading pursuits; but unfortunately many are not.....What surprises me is that only Vern understands & posts where I'm coming from.....

 

[fineredmist]

How do you charge the pistol? Do you insert the mag and pull back and release the slide or do you lock the slide back, insert the mag and then release the slide with the slide release? If it works properly after the first round then give the second method a try.

 

[Walkalong]

Reloaders are like any other crowd. Some of them do an outstanding job, most are quite adequate, some are terrible and give reloads a black eye.