ArthurDent
Member
Hello all
I need some help! Any advice from 1911 experts would be appreciated. Please reply.
Last month I bought my first 1911. It is gorgeous!
It is a Sprinfield "Loaded" Model PI9132LP. Here are some links for this model:http://www.springfield-armory.com/armory.php?version=24, http://www.springfield-armory.com/assets/pdf/SPRINGFIELD_Book_armory_PI9132LP.pdf
I finally got to the range today, and immediately had problems with it. It did not make it through the first two magazines before I stopped and put it away.
The gun fired and had reasonable groups, but it did not cycle properly. I had 3 or 4 malfunctions in the first 12 rounds. A couple of times the slide would be blocked open by the spent casing. These were not stovepipes... the casing was still aligned with the bore, and the mouth of the casing was resting on the chamber. A couple of times the slide either didn't cycle, or else the brass didn't eject and the empty casing was re-chambered. In all cases, the brass (when I could find it) was exceedingly dirty on the outside, and the mouth seemed to have had a shiny edge rubbed into a ring around the edge, about 1mm wide.
I was using Winchester white box.
After I got home I did a field strip and ran across an interesting effect. Can some of you tell me if this is normal? (Sorry, I don't know... its my first 1911.) I took out the barrel and bushing and slide spring and guides and all. I just put the naked slide on the frame. It slid beautifully and freely up until it got to the sear disconnector. That seemed to block the slide, and it was about as hard to push past that as it was to cock the hammer with the slide... maybe harder. It is hard to move the slide in either direction. I tried testing the normal 1911 feature that If you have dropped the hammer and hold the trigger in while you cycle the slide it should hold the sear disconnector down inside the frame. This function does work on this pistol, but even with the disconnector held mostly inside the frame it is still very hard to move the slide over it. I'm wondering if this might have blocked the slide and prevented or slowed normal cycling.
Other than that, everything looks pristine. I don't have any snap-caps to play with chambering and cycling, and I'm not about to test it with live rounds. But the extractor and ejector look fine at first glance. Also, the slide spring seems awfully stiff, but I'm comparing it to smaller caliber guns so it might be just right for the 1911.
Here's a little more background information that probably has nothing to do with this problem, but I'll throw it in anyway. This gun was not "new" when I bought it, but it sure looked that way. I bought it from a local dealer who specializes in estate sales and downsizings. He seems like a standup guy. This gun had all the features I had been wanting, and I had not seen this model elsewhere. The 1911 looked brand new... never fired. The dealer said he suspected it had been bought and put away in the safe and never used. Before I took it to the range, I did a field strip and lubed everything well with Rem oil. I did not take apart anything on the frame. While I was doing the initial cleanup I did notice some dirt on the breach face that indicated it had been shot, at least at the factory. There was an outline of the base of a round, and a light ring around where the primer would have been. Other than that, the whole gun looked brand new.
If you're still with me, thanks for reading! I'd appreciate any help you all can offer.
ArthurDent
I need some help! Any advice from 1911 experts would be appreciated. Please reply.
Last month I bought my first 1911. It is gorgeous!
It is a Sprinfield "Loaded" Model PI9132LP. Here are some links for this model:http://www.springfield-armory.com/armory.php?version=24, http://www.springfield-armory.com/assets/pdf/SPRINGFIELD_Book_armory_PI9132LP.pdf
I finally got to the range today, and immediately had problems with it. It did not make it through the first two magazines before I stopped and put it away.
The gun fired and had reasonable groups, but it did not cycle properly. I had 3 or 4 malfunctions in the first 12 rounds. A couple of times the slide would be blocked open by the spent casing. These were not stovepipes... the casing was still aligned with the bore, and the mouth of the casing was resting on the chamber. A couple of times the slide either didn't cycle, or else the brass didn't eject and the empty casing was re-chambered. In all cases, the brass (when I could find it) was exceedingly dirty on the outside, and the mouth seemed to have had a shiny edge rubbed into a ring around the edge, about 1mm wide.
I was using Winchester white box.
After I got home I did a field strip and ran across an interesting effect. Can some of you tell me if this is normal? (Sorry, I don't know... its my first 1911.) I took out the barrel and bushing and slide spring and guides and all. I just put the naked slide on the frame. It slid beautifully and freely up until it got to the sear disconnector. That seemed to block the slide, and it was about as hard to push past that as it was to cock the hammer with the slide... maybe harder. It is hard to move the slide in either direction. I tried testing the normal 1911 feature that If you have dropped the hammer and hold the trigger in while you cycle the slide it should hold the sear disconnector down inside the frame. This function does work on this pistol, but even with the disconnector held mostly inside the frame it is still very hard to move the slide over it. I'm wondering if this might have blocked the slide and prevented or slowed normal cycling.
Other than that, everything looks pristine. I don't have any snap-caps to play with chambering and cycling, and I'm not about to test it with live rounds. But the extractor and ejector look fine at first glance. Also, the slide spring seems awfully stiff, but I'm comparing it to smaller caliber guns so it might be just right for the 1911.
Here's a little more background information that probably has nothing to do with this problem, but I'll throw it in anyway. This gun was not "new" when I bought it, but it sure looked that way. I bought it from a local dealer who specializes in estate sales and downsizings. He seems like a standup guy. This gun had all the features I had been wanting, and I had not seen this model elsewhere. The 1911 looked brand new... never fired. The dealer said he suspected it had been bought and put away in the safe and never used. Before I took it to the range, I did a field strip and lubed everything well with Rem oil. I did not take apart anything on the frame. While I was doing the initial cleanup I did notice some dirt on the breach face that indicated it had been shot, at least at the factory. There was an outline of the base of a round, and a light ring around where the primer would have been. Other than that, the whole gun looked brand new.
If you're still with me, thanks for reading! I'd appreciate any help you all can offer.
ArthurDent