LW Cmdr. FTF's

[1911WB]

Got a used LW Cmdr. that appeared in good shape, but experienced numerous FTF's (nose-up jams) with a variety of mags. So I put in a new Wilson 20 lb. recoil spring, and Brown extractor, and went back to the range with my 230 FMJ reloads and new Win. 230 FMJ ammo. Function was better- now the FTF's are failures to fully chamber rather than nose-up jams, and they were less frequent (sometimes I actually got off a partially loaded or even a full mag without problem). These FTF's occurred both with the reloads & the factory ammo. Also, fired cases have a 3.5 mm long notch cut into the outer edge of the rim face (where the caliber markings are). What would likely cause this, and what is the cure? BTW I read Tuner's old posts on stem bind, polishing the extractor,etc.; but, I don't know if I'm competant to do this without ruining my new Brown extractor.

 

[Old Fuff]

I suspect that your new extractor needs to have the tension adjusted. It sounds like the cartridge rim is binding as the round is pushed up and out of the clip. Brown makes an excellent part, but it doesn't necessarily "drop in" and work.

As a test, remove the extractor and see if DUMMY cartridges work O.K. when they are hand fed. Use a pencil or cleaning rod to push the round back out of the chamber.

Last but not least, look up some of 1911Tuner's previous posts on fitting a extractor. It will save rehashing the subject again. You can adjust the extractor tension without removing any metal.

 

[1911Tuner]

Commander Problem

Ahh...Thanks for the vote of confidence there Fuff!

1911WB said:

Also, fired cases have a 3.5 mm long notch cut into the outer edge of the rim face (where the caliber markings are). What would likely cause this,


If it's on the rim's edge...it could be the bottom edge of the extractor
digging in as the round slips under it, but since the Hardcore extractor
is pre-relieved in that area, it's not likely.

If the notch appears to be cut in a forward direction, you may have
a condition called "push-feed", where the round gets ahead of the extractor, and the hook is being forced to climb the rim. That will
cause failures to feed. If you've had any failures to go to battery,
and the extractor wouldn't pull the round out when you racked the slide,
this might be your problem. This is a magazine issue, and is aggravated
by too much recoil spring in conjunction with insufficient magazine spring
tension. If you just noticed those cuts after going to the 20-pound spring,
that's likely the problem.

If you have a dial caliper, remove the extractor and flip the slide over.
If you look closely, you'll see two parallel "rails" just below the area
of the breechface that the cartridge centers on.

Measure the width of those rails carefully with the caliper. If that width is
less than .480 inch, that could be the problem. Ideally, it should be no less
than .484 inch across. I like to see .488-.490 on that distance to allow
for variations in rim diameter.

If it's too narrow, you can open it up a little with a square needle file with
a protected edge. Use the toothless side against the breechface, and cut only the rail opposite the extractor. Easy does it. Be careful to keep it
straight, and when you get the distance set, a very light bevel at the
bottom will help the rim slip into place. Light bevel means just breaking the sharp corner.

If you're not comfortable with this operation, be sure to call attention to the
distance to the smith that you hire to fix it. You'd be surprised at how many overlook this area when looking at a feeding problem. You'd also
be surprised at how many factory slides are too narrow there for optimum feed reliability. This goes a little beyond the "Simple" theory, but not by
much.


Luck to ya!

Tuner