ruger sr1911 breach face

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Hopefully head space won't be changed drastically.

It'll depend on the static headspace dimension as it is now and the thickness of the step.

Definition:

Static headspace is determined by the distance from the breechface to the chamber stop shoulder. This is fixed and only changes through wear or damage.

Dynamic headspace is the difference between the static dimension and the length of the case, and it changes from round to round unless all cases are trimmed to exactly the same length.

The .45 Auto cartridge has a pretty generous static headspace range. The GO minimum is .898 and the NO GO maximum is .920 inch...and most case lengths run to about .885-.890 inch...so you can wind up with an average dynamic headspace of nearly a 32nd inch and still be in the allowable range.

Headspace excess can come from two directions. If the chamber is just a little too deep, it's pretty much a non-issue as long as the firing pin can reach the primer and fire it reliable. If it comes from the rear...such as happens when lugs deform or the breechface itself is set back farther...it lets the case back up in the chamber. If it backs up far enough to lose chamber support forward of the case head...it can be serious problem.

Gauging the headspace only tells you whether it's within the allowable range...or not. If it's excessive, it doesn't tell you why. The gauges can show a condition of excessive headspace, and the gun can be perfectly safe to shoot...or not.
 
I wouldn't want a pistol with .020" of headspace.

Take a .45 Auto with a mid-spec static dimension of .910 inch...which is about average for an ordnance-spec pistol...and factor in the average .45 case length of about .888 and you've got .022 inch headspace right there.

Even with a barrel hand-fitted for minimum headspace of .898 inch...with the average case length...you've got half of what you deem unacceptable.
 
Indeed I do. This is my second SR1911. The first I returned after the very first range session (post purchase) as the brass was being so badly mangled as to make them unserviceable for reload. This second pistol performs well leaving a small indent on the brass and now that you have pointed it out I do indeed see a very minutely raised portion of the breech face opposite the extractor.

Otherwise she's is a great shooter..
 
Spoke with a Ruger service rep, Told them about the damage to brass and protruding primer, They issued a next day delivery tag for return and a RA#.
We will see where it goes from here.
 
Take a .45 Auto with a mid-spec static dimension of .910 inch...which is about average for an ordnance-spec pistol...and factor in the average .45 case length of about .888 and you've got .022 inch headspace right there.

This is the reality, yes, but I don't have to like it and my pistols don't have to reflect it. They don't.
 
But a 45ACP case would sit well below flush with the barrel extension. So I had that amount of headspace plus whatever they added by resurfacing the breechface.

Sounds like at least 1 of your pistols might reflect it.
 
Mine has the same mark on the breech face. My smith measured it as .006. I too noticed it from what it was doing to my brass, and sent it back to Ruger. It was promptly returned to me with nothing done. They said they fired 25 rounds and it worked flawlessly. This is true, except for the brass damage. The gun is currently at my smith who will remove the extra material and of course check headspace. His opinion was that it should not be a problem. :banghead:
Other than this, it appears to be a great shooter and a great value.
 
Got my Ruger back today:D They re surfaced the breach face to match and took care of the problem and sent me another 1911 for my troubles.Yeah twins.

O.K. that second part was B.S. But the raised portion of the breach face is now flush all the way across. Their is no measurable difference between the barrel hood and the breach face from what I noted before sending it in. Must say Ruger did me proud on this one. Good to have her back. They did send me a ruger cleaning cloth.
 
Just came back from the dirt mound. Shoots great, accuracy hasn't changed.
Now I'm gonna have to reload all the brass I just emptied.
 
My SR1911 was fine from the box. All my Ruger's have been fine, w/o regard if I bought it new or used.

I'm glad Ruger stepped up in a timely manner and made it right! :)
 
That is really great that they fixed your gun. It really peeves me that they chose not to take care of mine. I think it is letter writing time. From other SRs that I have seen and some pictures posted on various sites on the net, this appears to be a fairly common problem. Is this the stuff of recalls?
 
Well, I wrote Ruger customer service a (nice) letter and sent it via email one morning last week. Within 3 hours I had a reply. They wanted the gun back so that they could make it right. On the Waaay! My smith still had it in the queue, so nothing had been done yet. We'll see when it gets back. Thinking positively.
 
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Well, I wrote Ruger customer service a (nice) letter and sent it via email one morning last week. Within 3 hours I has a reply. They wanted the gun back so that they could make it right. On the Waaay! My smith still had it in the queue, so nothing had been done yet. We'll see when it gets back. Thinking positively.
Good deal, I had a feeling they would make it right, they must have misunderstood the problem the first run through. They had mine for about two weeks. Also in an attempt to stay in best graces with the tech,I sent a little bit of a but kiss letter with mine. Told em about all my rugers and how much I enjoyed them. Hope your back to shooting soon.
 
The Before Picture

981bmw
 
Nice pic CoRoMo. That is what my slide looks like. Yours may be a bit worse, but it is hard to tell from a picture.

I got mine back from Ruger today. ..... No Joy.
To quote the customer service guy when I inquired, "The raised area on the breech face must be within factory tolerances." Meaning: they will not take care of mine. My smith will get out his stones or riffler files, and fix it. I think my SR1911 was beginning to get a little air sick.
 
Tuner said not to take 'no' for an answer. Walkalong concurred. Whether Ruger could be forced to correct it? I don't pretend to know.

So klausman... how much will this breech work cost you?

Because I might have to take my slide to the same smith. :eek:
 
Very often the breechface is addressed in a package deal labeled reliability tuning or similar. Before having any such work done make sure the smith both understands and has tooling to fix what's wrong.

Remember with value priced firearms there are often shortcomings but this is not an acceptable one. I had my smith correct one of mine after doing what I could to minimize it but there was no lack of trust in his skill before or after.
 
Hi Guys, I have no illusion that the SR1911 is a "value priced gun", and not a Les Baer Custom. It seems to me however that any competent maker can and should provide a smooth and FLAT breech face.
It is clear to me that when the slide was mounted in the CNC machine the two cuts were set at different depths, or the slide was mounted differently for the two cuts, leaving the "ledge" on the one side.
From the response I got from the customer service person it was clear that he and by implication Ruger was done with this issue. This appears to be true despite his insistence in his response to my letter that the problem would be taken care of.
I wonder if they are running the production line a bit too fast to keep up with demand at a cost to quality.
I am hesitant to mention names of others on a forum, but since I'm saying nice things, I'll give it a go. Please don't hold his or my feet to the fire for for it. Bart Miller at BassPro here in Denver has had a really fine reputation for many years. He has worked on other guns of mine. I trust that he knows what he is doing in this case (and with 1911s in general). The gotcha with gunsmithing, as with practically all precision work, there is a bit of artistry involved, and that takes time. Thus far, since taking delivery, it has been in the hands of others more that it has been in my hands.
In terms of $$$, Bart ESTIMATED that it would take between $45 and $65 to clean it up. Because I reload, I want the breech face flat, so that my brass doesn't get beat up so badly. I really don't think that is too much to ask, and I must be willing to pay for it.
For the record, I really like this gun,despite this particular problem. I really like all my Rugers. It is just a terrible disappointment that this event has occurred.
 
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That is basically what my Kimber slide looked like. If you are handy with your hands and finishing metal, you can fix it yourself. Stay off the 90% that is OK, and only work on the high spot.... slowly.

There are a couple of other places there that need to be cleaned up.
 
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