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Slide Dragging

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J

Jammer Six

member
Joined
Oct 2, 2003
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942
Location
Seattle
'Tuner, Old Fuff, my slide feels like it's dragging.

It runs fine, but it feels slow- I can feel it cycle when I fire it.

I replaced the recoil spring, and everything is great, but it feels slow, and every once in a while it fails to return to battery.

How should I diagnose what's dragging?
 
What a Drag...

Howdy Jammer! If it wasn't for bad luck... :D

If it's got a shock buff in it...take it out.

Is the slidestop walking out the left side of the frame?

Ammo in the magazine pushing up on the slidestop?

Make sure the spring guide is in the gun. (I know...I know...but you'd be surprised at the people who leave'em out after a field-strip. No kiddin'.)

If this is the pistol that you swapped slidestops in, check to see if there's clearance between the top of the stop and the bottom of the slide.
.012 to .015 inch minimum. Feeler gauges will work. File the top of the stop to get the clearance.

Push the disconnect down to see if it goes flush with the top of the frame.
Check to see if the disconnect pushes down without binding.

Hand-cycle the slide slowly without the recoil system...Spring...guide...or plug...
to get a handle on exactly where it gets tight.

If you've changed the bushing...change it back to the old one.

'Bout all I can come up with right now. Time is short late afternoons...Be back later.

Luck!
 
It actually started this back when I got it back from you.

Figuring that you wouldn't tighten anything, I've been looking for other reasons. I'll run your tests tomorrow.

Thinking back, it may be that damned ejector, because that's just about when it started.

No new bushing, it's the new slidestop.

The problem accelerates when it gets dirty, but it starts after only about 150 rounds. Since this weapon used to go a thousand rounds without cleaning the cement out of it, I've been resisting saying that's it, but cleaning always makes the problem go away.

Another thing that has me puzzled is that it seems to be getting worse- it takes fewer and fewer rounds for it to get dirty enough to be cranky.

I just don't like a weapon that is that damn touchy. Got no use for prima donna range queens. It's gotta run dirty, or I'll organize a seminar and sell it to a student.

Shock buffs!? :what:

'Tuner, are you trying to hurt my feelings? :scrutiny:

No shock buffs, no FLGR's, no Military Grade Titanium and Ballistic Nylon Pimp grips.

Haven't notice the slide stop trying to leave, but I'll look.

I'll check the rest of it tomorrow.
 
Danged Ejector

Howdy Jammer,

Had ta yank yer chain a little on that buffer. :D
Nope...I didn't tighten anything up.


You said: said:

>>Thinking back, it may be that damned ejector, because that's just about when it started.<<

Aha! Now that there's what dee-tecktives call a clew... :scrutiny:
(I had forgotten that you installed that ejector. After the fits it gave ya...how could I forget? :p

It's not common...but not rare...for an aftermarket ejector to interfere with the slide a little. The most likely place to check is at the top and inside...and the most likely point of contact is the firing pin stop. If it's at the FP stop...relieve the stop
a little and check. Don't try to get all the clearance by filing the top of the ejector
if that's the point of contact. A little...maybe .003 inch...is okay. If the contact
is in the slide itself...you'll have to get it all from the ejector.

If the gun has cycled a few times, there should be wear marks on the contact points.


Standin' by...
 
1. Get felt-tip marker.

2. Coat parts that might be rubbing with ink

3. Reassemble pistol and hand cycle.

4. Disassemble pistol and look for rub marks.

4. THEN AND ONLY THEN REMOVE METAL, and use marker to check frequently.

It is very easy to remove metal, but much harder to put it back.
 
A few times?

Yeah, it's cycled a few times...

A few hundred times...

A night...

I've probably run a case or a case and a half through it. At least 800 rounds, anyway, and maybe as much as 2,000.

300 rounds at the defensive league, and maybe 150 rounds at the plate league, every week. How long has it been since you had the slide?

Anyway, yeah, it's cycled a few times. :D

P.S. you know, after you fixed me up with extractors, there's one thing it gets right! It hasn't broken another extractor, and it extracts with what I have to call proper enthusiasm! :D
 
Last edited:
Morning, 'Fuff.

I spent so much money on dykem blue that I'm going to feel all ripped off if I don't get to use it! :p

I bought the smallest bottle of it, and I swear, I have enough to last my lifetime, and I'm particularly fond of what it does to my 'do when I get it in my hair.

That's exactly what I'm going to do, though, because this weapon never used to do this, so something's got to be dragging.
 
Dykem

Layout fluid...$25.00 a bottle

Marks-a-Lot chisel-point marker...A buck-fifty at Wally World.

Same damn thing. :cool:

Jammer...Remove the barrel, bushing, and recoil system from the slide. Slip it onto the frame and point the gun at a strong light while you peek around at the
back. You'll probably be able to see the tight spot. I just had that little problem with an ejector yesterday after fitting a firing pin stop and an extractor in a standard Mil-Spec for my step-son's boss...since yet another OEM SPRINGFIELD EXTRACTOR WOULDN'T HOLD TENSION... :rolleyes:

It was making contact with the stop. A tolerance-stack issue of about .005 inch.

Luck!

Tuner
 
re: P.S.

Lookin' back...Jammer said: (Didn't see it before)

P.S. you know, after you fixed me up with extractors, there's one thing it gets right! It hasn't broken another extractor, and it extracts with what I have to call proper enthusiasm!
____________________

That there's why they call me..."The Tuner." :cool:

Dave, Dave, Dave...The "Gravity Test" ain't gonna work unless the hammer, sear, disconnect, and mainspring housing is pulled out too. Didn't you know that?
:confused: :scrutiny:
 
Thanks Tuner.

In MY mind I was thinking... Jammer most likely inspects and maintains his firearms. I don't know, but guessing he does a Field Strip often and a Total Take-down less often.

Some ammo is more prone to deposit dirt and grit in the disconnect , this may or may not be evident or be removed with just the cleaning when doing a Field Strip.

The other thought I had - Is the Firing Pin Stop the original? Any burring that might hang up? We all have seen FP stops "drop down" and tie up the gun.

Hey, I'm still learning after all these years - always will be.

Somebody has to ask the dumb questions, give incorrect answers - so others can learn from dumb stuff.

Disconnect and FP stop is what I would be looking at ( probably wrong, but I'd be looking at these anyway) :)
 
I presumed that he would know enough to do that. Of course I know that Tuner. I invented that test! Jammer has always seemd to have a mind, but I did presume too much with him. Buying a $25.00 bottle of Dykem is another CLEW. I am going to give up on this one and leave it to the experts. Rule Two: "Your Blue Pen Is Your BEST FRIEND". Rule One: "Metal is very easy to remove but very difficult to put back." Now you know all the rules for the 1911 Online Classes!
 
I am going to give up on this one and leave it to the experts.
Click to expand...

Again?

Aw, Dave, I'm bummed!

'Tuner, I spent $25 so I could save $1.50, but it sounded better before I had coffee.

S&M, no, the firing pin stop is the one 'Tuner put in- my old one was slightly loose, and after playing with it I sent it down to 'Tuner, and he worked all manner of magik on it. The firing pin stop was one of the things he replaced.

I may have found part of it.

The damned ejector is loose. Again.

I don't know if it's rubbing, but it's loose, and it could be rubbing.
 
Loose Ejector

Jammer said:

I may have found part of it.

The damned ejector is loose. Again.

While it's loose...take it off and see if the tight spot is gone. A thought: Is there a chance that the ejector pin is stickin' out past flush in the frame? That'll do it too.
________________________

Dave said:

Of course I know that Tuner. I invented that test!

The "Gravity test"?? :scrutiny:

You ain't THAT old! :D The AMU armorers were doin' the gravity test back in the 30s...or before. SOP for a match-tightened gun.
 
You ain't THAT old! The AMU armorers were doin' the gravity test back in the 30s...or before. SOP for a match-tightened gun.
Click to expand...

"I INVENTED the internet!"

Oh, wait, I'm getting him mixed up with someone else... :D
 
'Tuner, Gore claimed to have invented the internet during his run for president.

It was the ejector.

It was loose, and the nose was actually bent up a little, to where it was rubbing on the slide.

The funny part is that when I went to drive the pin out to replace it, as I started to tap on the pin, the ejector tightened down, and became as solid as a rock!

I have no theory for this, other than perhaps the end of the pin had been peened just enough that as I drove it into the hole, it wedged tight.

Anyway, with the ejector tighter than it's ever been, I filed it down to where it had clearence- only took half a dozen strokes.

Now the slide hesitates slightly when it hit the hammer, but that's all. The disconector is fine. The slide doesn't even notice it.

How do I tell if the hammer is exerting more pressure than it should?

I'm going to force myself to go to the range, and see if the ejector will stay tight.

Thanks, guys! :cool:
 
Hammer it!

Howdy Jammer,

You asked:

>How do I tell if the hammer is exerting more pressure than it should?<
--------------------------------------

Refresh my memory for me...Did I fit a small-radius firing pin stop when I tweaked your extractor? If I did, it tends to delay the slide a little due to reduced mechanical leverage against the hammer. It has to work harder to compress the mainspring. The .075-.080 radius was originally the way that firing pin stops were designed...later changed on request to make it easier to rack the slide with the hammer down. As a rule, I use that radius on the stop so I can use a 14-pound recoil spring without beatin' up the stop surfaces in the slide and frame.

The other thing that'll make the slide hard to cycle is if the middle leg of the sear spring gets kinked at the top and hits the 48 degree angle on the disconnect too low. It will be REAL hard to cycle the slide if that's the issue though...

Rx...Go shoot the gun and see how she does. If you filed from the top of the ejector, your ejection pattern will likely change.

Standin' by...
 
It's a solid pin.

I'm back from the range. Only had time for 60 rounds, but everything is running fine.

It feels like it's old self.

I haven't checked the ejector, but it no longer felt like it was lagging.
 
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