gudel
Member
It's a 1911 thing, doesn't seem to care who makes it, it will jam
Send the thing back, they'll send you a mailing label.
help with feeding issues on S&W 1911
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It's a 1911 thing, doesn't seem to care who makes it, it will jam
Send the thing back, they'll send you a mailing label.
mnw42
Member
The number one cause for malfunctions on new guns, that I see, is poor lubrication. You'd be surprised how many people never disassemble and lubricate a gun (or read the manual for that matter) before brining it to the range. Some people have a hard time realizing that not all oils are lubricants.
+1 on the hybrid feed lips. I have two Colt 7rd mags with those lips and a dimpled follower. If used them to "solve" many a persons feeding issues. Here is a guy who tested a few different magazines and compared the feed geometry amongst them.
+1 on the hybrid feed lips. I have two Colt 7rd mags with those lips and a dimpled follower. If used them to "solve" many a persons feeding issues. Here is a guy who tested a few different magazines and compared the feed geometry amongst them.
George Hill
Member
This is probably a tight extractor. I've seen this on another new SW 1911.
No worries though. S&W is backing up these 1911's with an unwritten, but defacto lifetime warranty. They really want to make a name for themselves in the 1911 Game, so they will do whatever it takes to make your 1911 run.
I like the S&W 1911 magazines. They are very good and I like them just as much as I like Wilson mags.
Go ahead and call S&W.
No worries though. S&W is backing up these 1911's with an unwritten, but defacto lifetime warranty. They really want to make a name for themselves in the 1911 Game, so they will do whatever it takes to make your 1911 run.
I like the S&W 1911 magazines. They are very good and I like them just as much as I like Wilson mags.
Go ahead and call S&W.
Guys...
The ORIGINAL 1911 pistol was a military service weapon. Lubrication was a moot point. Shove in an ordinary mil-spec magazine, rack the slide, and when you pulled the trigger it went BANG! without any problems.
So why can't they do that now??
If the manufacturers that are making these poor corrupted pistols today had been World War Two contractors they would have been canned. USGI .45's did not need special lubrication nor magazines. Their extractors were fine. Fussy was out. Real reliability was in.
Today's makers have done something I would have never thought possible. They have convinced a generation of buyers that they shouldn't expect their new pistol to work, and that it's O.K. if it doesn't.
It doesn't matter if only a small percentage don't work (and I'm not so sure that percentage is that small). If it's represented and sold as a weapon, each and every one is supposed to function reliably.
And for the price these big-boy-toys cost, each and every one should work.
A real weapon is not defined by the size of its accessory rail. It is defined by the way it works - from git-go.
The ORIGINAL 1911 pistol was a military service weapon. Lubrication was a moot point. Shove in an ordinary mil-spec magazine, rack the slide, and when you pulled the trigger it went BANG! without any problems.
So why can't they do that now??
If the manufacturers that are making these poor corrupted pistols today had been World War Two contractors they would have been canned. USGI .45's did not need special lubrication nor magazines. Their extractors were fine. Fussy was out. Real reliability was in.
Today's makers have done something I would have never thought possible. They have convinced a generation of buyers that they shouldn't expect their new pistol to work, and that it's O.K. if it doesn't.
It doesn't matter if only a small percentage don't work (and I'm not so sure that percentage is that small). If it's represented and sold as a weapon, each and every one is supposed to function reliably.
And for the price these big-boy-toys cost, each and every one should work.
A real weapon is not defined by the size of its accessory rail. It is defined by the way it works - from git-go.
When I first got the pistol I field stripped, cleaned, and oiled it before I shot it and again after, thinking I may have done something wrong when I reassembled it the first time. Everything checked out.
When I got home last night it was too dark to shoot. I did load up 8 rounds of the remington ammo. It jammed as I tried to chamber the first one.
I think what I'm going to do is get a wilson mag and try that. Even if that does fix the problem, I think I will still send it back to S&W and let them explain it.
camacho, when its not jamming, it shoots great and its accurate. But it jams, way too much. That outweighs everything else. Judging by the other S&Ws I own(revolvers), I expected a great shooting, accurate, reliable gun right out of the box. What I got was a headache. Its very possible that this is an isolated lemon, but I would honestly recommend looking at something else.
Again, everyone, I appreciate the responses and advice. This is the best and most helpful forum I have ever joined!
When I got home last night it was too dark to shoot. I did load up 8 rounds of the remington ammo. It jammed as I tried to chamber the first one.
I think what I'm going to do is get a wilson mag and try that. Even if that does fix the problem, I think I will still send it back to S&W and let them explain it.
camacho, when its not jamming, it shoots great and its accurate. But it jams, way too much. That outweighs everything else. Judging by the other S&Ws I own(revolvers), I expected a great shooting, accurate, reliable gun right out of the box. What I got was a headache. Its very possible that this is an isolated lemon, but I would honestly recommend looking at something else.
Again, everyone, I appreciate the responses and advice. This is the best and most helpful forum I have ever joined!
XavierBreath
Member
This is true Old Fuff. Still, a little lube, whether machine oil, graphite, or the grease off the side of your nose helps reduce friction and make mechanical devices with moving parts work longer and with more efficiency.
A new SW1911PD with a rail has a MRSP of $1,169.00. I suspect they are on the market for $800-900. Well negotiated prices are likely around $750. It has a scandium frame, making it lighter in weight, and ironically, easier to shoot over time. At least that is what I have found at the range with my SW1911PD. For some purposes, it will be preferable to a M1911A1. Try mounting a light to your GI gun so you can illuminate a target at night from your pistol. Never mind the argument of tactics, if you want to do this with a GI gun, you had better break out the drill and screwdrivers.
By contrast, the M1911A1 starts at $500 for a battered mix master of unknown origin and shootability, to around $100-$1500 for a Remington Rand that is original in reasonable condition. Other M1911A1s are higher, especially in like new condition. Of course the reason is not that they are so shootable, the reason is collectors want them. Still, if the same pistol was being produced today new, the price would most certainly be higher than the SW1911PD. How well does a M1911A1 with a standard GI magazine handle modern defensive ammunition? It's not the bang that stops the threat you know, assuming the gun will feed JHP.
Comparing the two pistols is ludicrous. One was produced in wartime from several companies with a well defined purpose, to equip soldiers and Marines with a last ditch weapon of utmost reliability. The other was produced by a single company with a well defined purpose as well. That purpose is profit for the company. Produce a product that will sell and then sell it. Of course this is what Colt, Remington Rand US&S and Ithaca were doing as well, right? The difference was they had contracts previous to production, and only had to meet the specs set forth in the contract. They did not have to sell a product to a wide range of customers in a competitive market.
If the original poster had wanted a pistol like a M1911A1, he would not have bought a beavertailed scandium framed gun with a light rail. Let's stick to the guy's problem. The "my gun is better than your gun" stuff isn't helping.
As I posted in post #10. If a new good mag doesn't fix it, send it to Smith and Wesson. It may not be built to the same purpose as a wartime 1911, but it should still run right out of the box and if it doesn't, they should fix it at their expense, not yours.
I like the Smith 1911's, even with the external extractor, and by everyones accounts they are fine pistols. I had the chance to pick up a like new, if not new, full sized SS S&W for $600 walking away money about 3 or 4 years ago. I regret not doing so.
jonboynumba1
Member
We have a few S&W 1911 guys at the club...I've seen several have finnicky performance. It gets picky on seating and camfer (or lack there-of)..then again so do many. If seen several get better and usually changing to a quallity magazine (wilson) will solve the problem or help as the gun breaks in. I have the same model in the case right now out for sale...it's a nice gun. I just can't get used to the ugly external extractor. They (S&W 1911's) originally shipped with wilson mags for a reason...if you shoot a 1911 you need 2-3 of them.
I like the steel low-profile basepad model 8 round myself. The 7 or 8 round is pretty much the same mag with a different spring/follower kit (you can swap it either-way later with the $5 kit...actually I'm prety sure the spring is the same to) The 8 rounders work well (only one I'll say that about) Eventually you may find it week feeding or FTF the last round when it's REALLY old. (the only one I've seen old enough was bought well used 5 years ago!) You pop in a new follower and spring....good to go. My newer ones have been loaded full time every day shot and carried (4K+ rounds worth) over the last 18 months and never had an issue yet...I'll probably swap out the springs and followers sometime this year though as part of regular maintenance and keep the old ones fopr spare.
I don't care what anyone else says on the internet. Nobody who is a serious professional that uses a 1911 at work is going to be running anything but wilson mags on duty. We all have range mags and every third guy has "well these here ones work just as well" NOBODY that is a serious knowledagable professional reguardless of make and model of gun runs anything else. That should tell people something about the quallity. Their guns are too dang $$$ but their mags are worth EVERY penny! If you carry it for duty or deffense go buy 2-3 wilson mags from midway or wherevere immediately if not sooner. You can't judge anything else until you have decent mags and ammo. win/rem/magtech ect 230gr ball and those mags after a couple boxes break in ought to run 100% in any maintained gun...if not send it back...you probably have an extractor issue. (which still happens even with external extractors...which is why the fad died the first time in the 70's I'd wager.
My money is on break-in with good mags= runs fine though. Most of them do...which is about all you can say for most out of the box 1911's. Anyone can have one sneak out with an issue...most are not hard to resolve by someone who knows what they are doing. Don't let anyone monkey with it that doesn't know what they are doing or you'll end up with more problems.
I like the steel low-profile basepad model 8 round myself. The 7 or 8 round is pretty much the same mag with a different spring/follower kit (you can swap it either-way later with the $5 kit...actually I'm prety sure the spring is the same to) The 8 rounders work well (only one I'll say that about) Eventually you may find it week feeding or FTF the last round when it's REALLY old. (the only one I've seen old enough was bought well used 5 years ago!) You pop in a new follower and spring....good to go. My newer ones have been loaded full time every day shot and carried (4K+ rounds worth) over the last 18 months and never had an issue yet...I'll probably swap out the springs and followers sometime this year though as part of regular maintenance and keep the old ones fopr spare.
I don't care what anyone else says on the internet. Nobody who is a serious professional that uses a 1911 at work is going to be running anything but wilson mags on duty. We all have range mags and every third guy has "well these here ones work just as well" NOBODY that is a serious knowledagable professional reguardless of make and model of gun runs anything else. That should tell people something about the quallity. Their guns are too dang $$$ but their mags are worth EVERY penny! If you carry it for duty or deffense go buy 2-3 wilson mags from midway or wherevere immediately if not sooner. You can't judge anything else until you have decent mags and ammo. win/rem/magtech ect 230gr ball and those mags after a couple boxes break in ought to run 100% in any maintained gun...if not send it back...you probably have an extractor issue. (which still happens even with external extractors...which is why the fad died the first time in the 70's I'd wager.
My money is on break-in with good mags= runs fine though. Most of them do...which is about all you can say for most out of the box 1911's. Anyone can have one sneak out with an issue...most are not hard to resolve by someone who knows what they are doing. Don't let anyone monkey with it that doesn't know what they are doing or you'll end up with more problems.
Waldo Pepper
Member
Most failures I have ever seen on the commercial tight 1911's have been operator error with failure to properly clean & lube to damaged magazines from dropping. I own a CS45 because some nut didn't clean and oil it when he bought the pistol and it developed a stiff trigger that would even make noise and magazines that were almost impossible to load or unload. After cleaning and oiling with a excellent synthetic oil it is slick as snot, no trigger funk or magazine problems and shoots like a dream. I have about $450 in the gun an my guess is the guy never shot more then a couple of magazines through the pistol. All my pistols are oiled with a synthetic oil and nothing else, Mobil 1 if you must know.
XavierBreath
Member
Best thing to do is start a whole 'nuther thread...... It all depends on the purpose you have for the pistol, and your own preferences.
Update
Well, after looking for another clip to try locally and not finding one, I sent the pistol back to S&W. It came back in yesterday after a month(with the holiday's I thought that was pretty good).
What the short letter said they did was "adjust slide to bbl fit" and "barrel modification". I guess I'll have to call them to find out exactlly what that means. Anyway, when I got home last night I put 50 rounds through it without a single problem. I will test it out some more this weekend and see how it does after a couple of hundred go through it.
Well, after looking for another clip to try locally and not finding one, I sent the pistol back to S&W. It came back in yesterday after a month(with the holiday's I thought that was pretty good).
What the short letter said they did was "adjust slide to bbl fit" and "barrel modification". I guess I'll have to call them to find out exactlly what that means. Anyway, when I got home last night I put 50 rounds through it without a single problem. I will test it out some more this weekend and see how it does after a couple of hundred go through it.
berkbw
Member
Well - this isn't " piling on", But the 2 usual "suspects" are MAG, and extractor tension. Followed by 1/2 a hord of other things. If you can do without your new baby for a little while, DO use the free warranty service provided. Make sure that you include the mag. Also be sure you send NO live rounds, eh?
So - when are you going to buy more mags? You KNOW that one is not enough.
Take the easy [high?] road. Give the mfg. a chance to clean it up. And PLEASE let the forum know how things go. Silence doesn't work after a complaint. It is either unfair to the mfg. or to perspective users.
Good fortune to you,
b-HMM NOW I find your latest post. Good-O. I hope that it has a happy home now.
So - when are you going to buy more mags? You KNOW that one is not enough.
Take the easy [high?] road. Give the mfg. a chance to clean it up. And PLEASE let the forum know how things go. Silence doesn't work after a complaint. It is either unfair to the mfg. or to perspective users.
Good fortune to you,
b-HMM NOW I find your latest post. Good-O. I hope that it has a happy home now.
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351 WINCHESTER
Member
I had a gm that was made in 1951. It had been worked on by a real pro. I shot that gun thousands of time with zero malfunctions. Mostly reloads. It was the most accurate .45 I've ever owned or shot, more accurate than a gold cup. It would feed and eject empty cases about 90% of the time when hand cycled with fired ctgs. from the gun. Like a fool I was hurting for money and sold it to someone who sold it to a Greek ship captain and later found out it was stolen in Israel.
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