Question for 1911 Tuner?

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drf

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I asked this question a few weeks ago and was hoping you would chime in.
Anyway I took my new Colt Government XSE out a few weeks ago and when I Loaded a full mag when the slide was locked back it would chamber a rd without using the slide release...
Also when the last rd was fired it wouldnt lock the slide like it is supposed to...
I was using 8rd colt magazines....
Any advise or information would be appreciated.....drf
 
drf, does your 8rd mag have the Devel type follower (like the CMC Shooting Star mags)? After the slidelock failure, was it difficult to remove the mag from the magwell, as if the follower was hung up on something? These are symptoms that I experienced when using CMC Shooting Star mags in my 1911's. The Devel type follower seems to move about somewhat liberally, sometimes skipping up over the slide stop, instead of engaging it. I've never ever had a problem while using 7rd mags with the flat dimpled follower (Metalform). Bet Tuner would recommend you use such mags.
 
Tuner is in the process of moving from one house to another, and won't be around as much as usual. However those with a problem (such as this one) may use the forum's search feature and research the many previous threads and posts Tuner contributed. I doubt that many will have a problem for which they can't find an answer if they do a little digging.

It is possible that the slide stop is at fault, but I suspect changing to a 7-round magazine with a 11-pound spring from Wolff will prove to be the solution. In an attempt to make room for that 8th round too many magazine makers have used too light a spring and a questionable follower.
 
Just to make sure, have you tried it using standard seven round magazines?

There are several things which can cause this.
But first we need to discern if yours is or is not a magazine related issue.
 
Movin' On...

Fuff, mah fren...I wish it was just a simple house to house move. I'm tryin' to pack up, clean up, sell, give away, and move two houses into one! Whew!
In addition, I've had to liquidate assets to pay for the new hacienda, (I just
HATE house payments!) and there's all the red tape that goes along with that mess. One house has a tenant ready to move in as soon as I can get it ready, and the other needs work before I can sell it for what it's worth. Since I spent too much money, I'm gonna be doin' most of it myself.

I need a 30-hour day and an 8-day week... :banghead:

At any rate...The funky slidelock issue is magazine related. The combination
of that short, soft spring that Colt installs (for reasons known only to the bean counters) and the shortened, Devel split follower is the problem. The
short leg on the rear of the follower lets the front nose-dive, which reduces the amount of lift that the follower provides to the slidestop. The wimpy spring aggravates the condition. A stronger spring will probably help...as with the CMC Powermags...but it may not be a sure cure. Adjustment of the follower angle may also help. Best approach is to to simply use a flat, 7-round follower and enough spring. Wish i had a nickel for every malfunctioning pistol that I've "fixed" with that combination.

Shoot Jammer Six a PM and see if he'll send ya that magazine I loaned him last year...Hopefully he ain't got it wore plum out yet. :D
 
I would have suspected the slide stop when it happened to me, but I had put thousands of failure-free rounds through the pistol before the problem started to appear. Plus, my other 1911 exhibited the same problem when these mags were used. This led me to suspect I may have worn out the mag springs by storing them loaded, so I ordered up Wolff extra power springs. This did nothing to solve the problem. I remembered having read, during my research on the problem, some of Tuner's thoughts on the mag subject, in which he alluded to the 8-rounds-in-a-mag-meant-for-7 problem, but at the time I read them, I sort of blew it off, because he wasn't saying what I wanted to hear. I thought, "Pshaw...surely the old curmudgeon just doesn't like new-fangled, stainless 8rd mags. Surely all these guys who say these mags are trouble-free can't be wrong." When the Wolff springs failed to remedy the problem, I thought it through, and finally deduced that, since the problem didn't appear when the mags were new, it must be caused by the Devel follower's tendency to dive forward, exacerbated by a subtle spreading of the feed lips over time, which was likely the result of keeping 8 rounds stored in a mag sized for 7 :rolleyes: . In other words, I realised that Tuner had been right, and that I should have had more respect for his superior (to mine) experience. I did a search specifically for posts authored by Tuner, on the subject of 1911 mags. This time, I heeded his wisdom concerning the 7rd mags with the flat dimpled follower. As a slight variation on his recipe, I organized a group buy, and ordered up 15 Metalform blued steel 7rd mags, with removable locking floor plate (eliminating the rumoured potential problem of welded base plates popping off), part# 45-273, at a little less than $8 per. What I got was 15 100% reliable magazines for the price of 4 Wilson mags. Thank you very much, Tuner, sir.
 
Yeah, Tuner's guns do run. I had the pleasure of meeting with him last week at his range for him to test out my NRM that I can't hit beans with. Figured it needed to go back to Colt, but darn it, he fired good groups with it.

Afterwards, his young trainee starts unloading hugh heavy boxes of stuff. Poor kid needed a wheelbarrow. He took the lid off and I never seen so many mags in all my life. Loaded too. Then he proceeded to rip off a zillion rounds or so, fast drawing and double tapping metal plates, using about a half dozen 1911's.

And there I was, slow firing, and could hardly hit the paper. Ruined my day! :)
 
Yup, what Seraph said about Devel followers, my experience exactly.

Yup, what Fuff said about the guns, my experience exactly.

Yup, what ulflyer said about the range, my experience exactly.

Sell or give away!?! :D Put me in line for the 1919 USGI, (or was it 1918?) the Rand, (not that one, the good one!) and the blonde Colt. I'd hate for anyone to haul all of that scrap iron around. Just tryin' to help. :D
 
Thank you 1911 Tuner and everyone else for your helpful information..

1911 Tuner, its great to have an expert at your finger tips....
I hope your move goes well and stress free.... I'm going to be moving into a new house soon also....
I cant wait to be able to go out my back door and target practice when ever I want...drf
 
Re:

LOL Ted...The day you met us down there was about the worst I've shot in 10 years. I was definitely off my game... :rolleyes: Did ya hear us down there today? We burnt up about 900 rounds...then my hand wore out.
Tim is gettin' better, and his Nork ain't missed a beat. 2500 rounds, and we
detail-stripped it and cleaned it today. I sweetened up the trigger for him a little. He shot one of my Colts and said: "Heyyyy!" His broke pretty clean at about 7 pounds. He likes 5 better...Can't wait to try it out next week. :cool:

2XS...I'm givin' stuff away...but it ain't gonna be that old Colt, for sure. :neener:

Fuff...I'm doin' my level best to shoot those two early 1991A1s apart....so far without any conspiciuous success. :p

Chitty-Chitty, bang bang!
 
Junkguns

>> Fuff...I'm doin' my level best to shoot those two early 1991A1s apart....so far without any conspicuous success. <<

Oh sure … I have it from a reliable source that those ol’ 1911’s were so bad that during World War One they threw them away in the trenches. I hope you don’t waste too much good ammunition shooting those junkers … they just ain’t worth the effort …

Instead send them to Fuff’s Disposal Service and they’ll be taken care of…
 
Fuff’s Disposal Service
Click to expand...
There is a branch office in AR I know of - be a bit less sending fee than going all the way to AZ :D

Yeah at the BIG gun show, some fella buying all them OLD 7 rds mags and other OLD parts...
His buddy kept "trying to tell 'em" about all them new-fangled guns and places to get more mag capacity...

Fella just wouldn't listen tho'... ;)

grinning - sittin' on that sack of seed...
 
Worn Out Colt

Billy Sparks said:

>Tuner if you need money you can always sell me that old worn out Colt.<
**********************

:neener:

By the way...When are ya gonna bring my Commander home? You realize that the gun is really mine, and you're just takin' care of it for me...Right? :evil:
 
Grip Safety

Billy said:

>I don't know whoever put that grip safety on for me made such a mess of it I doubt you would want it.<
*********************

Well...I'll make allowances for it. Tell ya what...Knock off a hundred bucks and I'll learn to live with it. :neener:
 
Nah would want to put you out like that. Anyway the guy who put on the grip safety is really a nice guy and I might offend him. Hopefully I will get a chance to shoot it this weekend to see how much it helped.
 
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