Sacrilege???
- Thread starter cameramonkey
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jAK-47
Member
Never owned a 1911 but heard a lot about them. For CCW I have a Glock26 and always thought a 1911 would be ridiculously big/heavy. Just out of curiosity I handled a Kimber Ultra the other day and was REALLY surprised by the light weight and thin width.
I was seriously thinking about buying a Kimber or other 1911 for my cold weather CCW - UNTIL I read this thread! Thanks for saving me a lot of money and aggravation! I'll stick with my Glock. I can't throw history or beauty at a BG; I need the gun to go BANG! After I get a RELIABLE .45 for carry, I'll consider a 1911 for range/plinking; they are beautiful!
Thanks,
jAK-47
I was seriously thinking about buying a Kimber or other 1911 for my cold weather CCW - UNTIL I read this thread! Thanks for saving me a lot of money and aggravation! I'll stick with my Glock. I can't throw history or beauty at a BG; I need the gun to go BANG! After I get a RELIABLE .45 for carry, I'll consider a 1911 for range/plinking; they are beautiful!
Thanks,
jAK-47
AK103K
member
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2002
- Messages
- 7,610
cameramonkey,
Dont feel bad, I had a Loaded that had a lot of issues and was much like yours. Mine was lucky if it fed hardball. I had to replace the extractor, switch out the full length guide rod for a standard government spring, guide and plug, had it throat and polished and filed the crap out of the safety so it wouldnt cut my hand, and it still was iffy as far as reliability. It did feed hardball at this point. I like the 1911's, and of them all, my Colts are the best and have been the most reliable. I also prefer a gun that is as close to stock or GI specs as possible, especially for a carry gun. A decent set of sights and a throat and polish is about all you need. I've only had one 1911 that had a trigger that HAD to be done, but for the most part, they are all pretty good for real life work. I also think its best if they rattle a little when you shake them. Springfield has gone downhill lately, at least in my experience. I have a couple of their 1911's from the 80's that seem to be pretty much GI spec in all respects, including the frame dimensions, that have always worked fine. Its the newer models that have been not so good for me. Dont give up on the 1911's, they are great guns when you get a good one, like anything else, very frustrating when you dont. Stay clear of the souped up ones and stay close to stock and I think you'll be better off. Spend the money you save on ammo and practice more.
Dont feel bad, I had a Loaded that had a lot of issues and was much like yours. Mine was lucky if it fed hardball. I had to replace the extractor, switch out the full length guide rod for a standard government spring, guide and plug, had it throat and polished and filed the crap out of the safety so it wouldnt cut my hand, and it still was iffy as far as reliability. It did feed hardball at this point. I like the 1911's, and of them all, my Colts are the best and have been the most reliable. I also prefer a gun that is as close to stock or GI specs as possible, especially for a carry gun. A decent set of sights and a throat and polish is about all you need. I've only had one 1911 that had a trigger that HAD to be done, but for the most part, they are all pretty good for real life work. I also think its best if they rattle a little when you shake them. Springfield has gone downhill lately, at least in my experience. I have a couple of their 1911's from the 80's that seem to be pretty much GI spec in all respects, including the frame dimensions, that have always worked fine. Its the newer models that have been not so good for me. Dont give up on the 1911's, they are great guns when you get a good one, like anything else, very frustrating when you dont. Stay clear of the souped up ones and stay close to stock and I think you'll be better off. Spend the money you save on ammo and practice more.
1911Tuner
Moderator Emeritus
Buffs
Howdy tex,
Shock Buffs are one of those items that do soften the impact in a pistol, but
often bring on problems. Not always...but often enough. Some pistols will
run fine with a buffer...mostly 5-inch guns that have plenty of slide travel,
while an identical pistol will go into terminal spasms with a buff installed.
Mostly, shock buffs were designed to sell...and the marketing strategy
played on the fears of the guys who shot their pistols a lot....and suddenly
everybody had'em because they "needed" the gadgets. Sheer genius!
One thing that isn't often considered is that the plastic buffers deaden
the rebound effect of the slide and frame impact...and instead of the
slide getting a kick-start back into battery, it starts from a dead standstill.
This can be a good thing, if the magazine needs a little more time to catch up...but it can cause a failure to return to battery occasionally if the
pistol's feeding cycle isn't optimized. It's a trade-off.
There are more points in the slide travel/timing thing that I'll probably
post later on. Just some points to consider when scratchin' your head and tryin' to figure out why two (outwardly) identical pistols are so different
when ya pull the trigger.
Luck!
Tuner
Howdy tex,
Shock Buffs are one of those items that do soften the impact in a pistol, but
often bring on problems. Not always...but often enough. Some pistols will
run fine with a buffer...mostly 5-inch guns that have plenty of slide travel,
while an identical pistol will go into terminal spasms with a buff installed.
Mostly, shock buffs were designed to sell...and the marketing strategy
played on the fears of the guys who shot their pistols a lot....and suddenly
everybody had'em because they "needed" the gadgets. Sheer genius!
One thing that isn't often considered is that the plastic buffers deaden
the rebound effect of the slide and frame impact...and instead of the
slide getting a kick-start back into battery, it starts from a dead standstill.
This can be a good thing, if the magazine needs a little more time to catch up...but it can cause a failure to return to battery occasionally if the
pistol's feeding cycle isn't optimized. It's a trade-off.
There are more points in the slide travel/timing thing that I'll probably
post later on. Just some points to consider when scratchin' your head and tryin' to figure out why two (outwardly) identical pistols are so different
when ya pull the trigger.
Luck!
Tuner
wally
Member
It'll be intresting to see if the Factory Extractor in the Kimber TLE II holds up with 8-round mags that I use. All my other single stack 1911s have extractors made in the 80's or eariler. When I started having extraction problems with my Kimber Ultra Carry, I replaced the extractor with a spare gun show milspec I'd bought when the one in my Series 70 Colt broke (circa 1995) so its a somewhat new gun with an old extractor. It did need adjustment (was too tight to feed as it came) and has been 100% since.
Another thing is I try to insure that all mags function in all guns they fit in. I either fix the mag or junk it if I can't. I've no patience or organizational skill to keep this mag with that gun, believing they should be truely interchangable or they are defective. This may not be possible for a "race gun" but I don't have any of these.
The timing on my 8-rounders seems such that if I put a dummy round on top and push it so it touches the feed ramp and let the slide come forward slow enough I can see whats happening the rim is definitely behind the extractor when the feed lips release the cartridge.
I do wonder why the "shooting star" or other 8-round mags lack the little bump on the follower.
I'll measure the thickness of the FLGR vs the original plungers next time I take each down for cleaning. If they are uniformly thinner, maybe FLGR is a good thing to use for for 8-rnd mags. I rather quickly put one in my first 1911 (Series 70 Government Model) and have been adding them ever since if the gun doesn't come with one. Could be they are thinner since they are usually made to use with "shock buffers" something I quickly gave up on these when I discovered they introduce an extra failure mode where the rubber "cookie cuts" into the plunger tube and jams the gun open.
Except for when I shoot my carry piece, I just wipe the guns down and put them away until they start having problems so I can spend more time shooting and much less time cleaning. Usually its not a failure but a feeling during recoil that things aren't as smooth as they should be that makes me clean it when I get home.
--wally.
1911Tuner
Moderator Emeritus
Dimple
wally said:
I do wonder why the "shooting star" or other 8-round mags lack the little bump on the follower.
Go back to the description of the short 8-round followers forward rock...
The dimple stops the round from moving forward under inertia by snagging
lightly on the rim. If the Devel split follower had the dimple, it would be more likely to rock forward and nose-dive the last round into the ramp.
Timing of a magazine also involves getting the round into feeding position early enough to meet the slide. Too slow, and you get bolt over base (rideover) feeds. That's determined by the spring and the slide speed...
which is why heavy recoil springs can bring on feeding issues.
Tip for Shooting Star magazines: To effectively turn a SS into a Powermag,
install the Wolff extra-power magazine spring. The Wolff mag springs are
different for 7 and 8-round capacity mags, so be sure and get the right one,
or you won't be able to get 8 rounds in it. The extra spring strength will
go a long way toward keeping that last round nailed to the feed lips and
prevent its riding forward of the optimum feeding position. Wolff mag
springs are money well-spent. I can't remember how many "bad" magazines that I've "fixed" with those springs.
I've also got a clear suspicion that Colt used some left-over GI spring steel extractors in their commercial pistols as late as the last of the pre-Series 70
pistols. It makes sense...They had a blue million in stock in anticipation the renewed military contract that never came after 1945. I never remember problems with Colt extractors until close to the middle of the
Series 70 run...about the time that quality started slipping away at Colt.
Possible that they sold a few off to other manufacturers during the rush
to jump on the 1911 bandwagon..and Colt already had the Series 80 redesign in the works. Wo knows?
Could be that you were one of the lucky ones on the GI extractors.
Later on!
Tuner
wally said:
I do wonder why the "shooting star" or other 8-round mags lack the little bump on the follower.
Go back to the description of the short 8-round followers forward rock...
The dimple stops the round from moving forward under inertia by snagging
lightly on the rim. If the Devel split follower had the dimple, it would be more likely to rock forward and nose-dive the last round into the ramp.
Timing of a magazine also involves getting the round into feeding position early enough to meet the slide. Too slow, and you get bolt over base (rideover) feeds. That's determined by the spring and the slide speed...
which is why heavy recoil springs can bring on feeding issues.
Tip for Shooting Star magazines: To effectively turn a SS into a Powermag,
install the Wolff extra-power magazine spring. The Wolff mag springs are
different for 7 and 8-round capacity mags, so be sure and get the right one,
or you won't be able to get 8 rounds in it. The extra spring strength will
go a long way toward keeping that last round nailed to the feed lips and
prevent its riding forward of the optimum feeding position. Wolff mag
springs are money well-spent. I can't remember how many "bad" magazines that I've "fixed" with those springs.
I've also got a clear suspicion that Colt used some left-over GI spring steel extractors in their commercial pistols as late as the last of the pre-Series 70
pistols. It makes sense...They had a blue million in stock in anticipation the renewed military contract that never came after 1945. I never remember problems with Colt extractors until close to the middle of the
Series 70 run...about the time that quality started slipping away at Colt.
Possible that they sold a few off to other manufacturers during the rush
to jump on the 1911 bandwagon..and Colt already had the Series 80 redesign in the works. Wo knows?
Could be that you were one of the lucky ones on the GI extractors.
Later on!
Tuner
Plinkerton
Member
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2004
- Messages
- 477
I say have Springfield fix it. If they do a good job, you will most likely have a wonderful gun, and will like it a lot. It would be a shame to lose a great gun, because of some initial problems. Don't give up on it yet. You may be able to reach that reliability you are seeking.
Oh, and I shoot a revolver, and drive a Honda...
Oh, and I shoot a revolver, and drive a Honda...
It sad to say, but these days 1911 manufacturers look at the 1911 as a toy, not a true combat weapon. I was lucky to find a reliable Springfield WW2 Mil-Spec, and it shares time with a rebuilt original USGI Colt as my carry gun. The others, I simply don't trust.
quantico
Member
I tend to like 1911's that are maybe a bit looser that some of the fancy stuff available from the super tuners... my pistols tend to work.... first ... and last shot and the thousands inbetween. I tend to run my 1911's oily and keep them clean... running a few thousand rounds through a 1911 gives all the parts a chance to get to know each other and get worn in.... I think folks expect things to work perfectly out of the box.... I can understand that desire... but the things you might learn finding out a bit about extractors or timing and springs is valuable to know.... .... the more I learn the fewer failures I have... funny how that works.
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