Springer GI: so close to USGI reliability..

[OPTIC19]

evening all! been enjoying this forum for quite some time and now need advice. bought a new Springfield GI and have had more fun just trying to learn "1911" and get the thing to feed, function & fire. wanting to get the stone axe reliability of the pistol I had to qualify with so many yrs ago. based mostly on the writings of 1911tuner, I have gone to Colt 7rd mags w/Wolff 11# sprgs; 23#mainspring; Ed Brown firing pin and oversized stop w/Wilson std. extractor. using a Wolff 16# recoil spring there were maybe 6% bolt over base stoppages so ordered 14# Wolff and just now failed to finish a mag full of 230gr Hornady FMJ over 6grs of Unique (clocks about 830f/s). this gun is soooo sweet, smooth and accurate but I'm short of that legendary reliability. HELP :banghead:

 

[KodiakBeer]

How did it function before all the aftermarket changes?

 

[DT Guy]

Change it all back to stock and shoot it. If reliable, make one change at a time to isolate the variables; you can fix problems more directly that way.

I'm a tinkering guy, too, but you're asking for trouble to make a bunch of changes without checking between each.

Larry

 

[OPTIC19]

sorry for the confusion. I didn't make these changes at once, but rather as problems occurred. having read about the GI on various forums I bought it hoping I'd have a reasonable copy of a trueblue 1911-A1, rock stock and reliable. let's see, can't remember the exact order of malfunctions but I do remember it would not chamber most JHP's from full mag, the stovepipes started early, both vertical and horizontal. putting a little bend in the extractor worked for a bit then stem bind came from out of the blue. the new extractor and firing pin stop cured all of that. the steel FP and extra power Wolff FP spring were just to match up with the 23# mainspring, not completely necessary, just wanted to change it. I went to the 16# recoil spring to compliment the 23# mainspring and because "that's what is supposed to be there". I knew the gun was built on really good metal and close to if not right on original specs but wanted Wolff springs and original spring rates. anyway sometime along here I started to get ride overs aka bolt over base failures and lost all my "special" eight rd mags and went to Colt w/the semi tapered lips and could now feed ANYTHING. more bolt over base problems led me to 11# Wolff mag springs and things are starting to look real good. then a few B over B stoppages with some hotter JHPs and once again after going back to research what 1911Tuner says I put the lighter Springfield recoil spring back in and viola! she runs great SO THEN I know my slide speed was too fast and get my 14# Wolff to somewhat match the softer original and I get another B over B and come to the source to ask for help.....
please understand I think this Springfield GI is the most wonderful thing ever and I sure don't mind a very few bucks worth of what I feel are worthwhile updates and I have had more fun tinkering with this thing. I know I'm close to reaching the reliability I want but the gun right out of the box was anything but reliable, even with ball ammo.

 

[rondog]

First things first - did you dismantle it and clean it first, lube it, then run about 500 rounds of regular ol' FMJ ball through it to break it in? Can't expect 100% reliability right out of the box, gotta give 'em some range time to get 'em limbered up.

 

[Bluehawk]

Rondog that would have been my first question too...a minimum of 500 rounds to break it in before changing anything on the gun. I think I ran 1,500 rounds through my Springfield before I switched from ball ammo to 200 grain SWC...luckily for me this was back in the mid-1980s when they were making them with the polished feed ramps and lowered ejection ports as standard on their 1911-A1's. Price back then for the parkerized model was $279 !!!!!!!!

 

[bigfatdave]

the stone axe reliability of the pistol I had to qualify with so many yrs ago

How many rounds of "break-in" do you think that old warhorse had eaten and spat out?
And did that old warhorse ever have to try to digest HP ammo?

 

[1911Tuner]

99% of the time, a Bolt-Over Base misfeed is a magazine problem. If it only happens on the last round, it's usually the spring. If it happens at any point in the magazine at random, it's the magazine itself. There's a small chance that the leading edge on the center slide rail is beveled too heavily. Check that. Also a chance that the slidestop lug is contacting the side of the bullet nose and slowing the ascent of the next round.
Usually comes with occasional premature slidelock, and will happen on all magazines insterad of being isolated to just one.

 

[OPTIC19]

Thanks Tuner, right on the money. zeroed in on the magazines and found one that was the source of the misfeeds. there never was premature slidelock and the stoppage was never on the last round, usually on the 4th or 5th and as the mags were new Colt with new 11# springs I was consumed with the recoil spring weight and not paying attention to the magazines.

Last questions: ideally should I stay with the Wolff 14# or go back to the 16; and when checking reliability is just shooting ok or is it better to run thru magazines rapidly or does it really matter?

Thanks so much for everyone's feedback. not knowing me, my experience or possible lack of, and what led up to my request for help I think that all of your responses were worthwhile and very much appreciated. my Springfield GI is now 100%...Great Forum

 

[KodiakBeer]

Been there, done that! Sometimes you overlook the obvious.

 

[1911Tuner]

A 16 pound spring in a 5-inch gun is a little oversprung, but that seems to be the trend these days. If the magazines are good, and nothing else is wrong with the gun...it should do fine with either one.

It should be reliable no matter how fast you pull the trigger. The gun can't run any faster than its cyclic rate...so the only thing that changes is the time between the gun returning to battery and the shot.