Springfield GI45 - Failure to Return to Battery

[Walkalong]

I went through adjusting and then replacing my extractor and it never cured the problem. Hope it cures yours.
The breechface can be rough and add to this problem. Again, Springfield will fix it if it is.
I took a high spot of my EMP breechface (.010 to .015 high) which was leaving dents in the brass head.( looked like a thin orange slice shape at the edge of the brass)
I have two Kimber CDP's that had this same problem only worse. It's the cutout above where the ejector comes thru. It wasn't cut down enough. I carefully cut them down to match the rest of the breechface and polished the whole breechface a bit. No more dents in the brass head and feed great. All three were brand new guns. Again, the smart thing is to let the manufacturer fix the problem unless you are used to fooling with these sort of things.

 

[Azrael256]

If the extractor really is too tight, you'll need to run 20,000 through it to make it work right.

Can you recreate the jam at home? If it's jamming up getting under the extractor and you can duplicate the problem by dropping the slide on a loaded mag (snap caps or dummy rounds might help here), there's an easy way to test it out. Basically, just yank off the extractor and try it again. If extractor = jam and no extractor = no jam, you'll have what Tuner likes to call a "clew." If the problem cannot be isolated to the extractor, there are still plenty of things to check out.

Magazines are something to look at, too, but if the nose is making it into the chamber and the head onto the breechface (and you're using the weaker stock spring), it seems less likely to be the culprit.

The gun should run fine out of the box and should not require any "break-in." What it often requires is ironing out some of the wrinkles. If it don't run right to the degree that it ain't runnin' right right now (yeah, say that five times fast), break-in won't do anything but frustrate you.

 

[Walkalong]

Amen to burning up rounds uselessly. It should work right out of the box unless it is a super tight semi custom gun.:banghead:

 

[Vic]

"?"

"If the extractor really is too tight, you'll need to run 20,000 through it to make it work right".

2. Replace barrel as needed.

 

[robertbank]

Constantly loading and unloading mags will wear the springs out. Leave the mags loaded and the springs will remain as fresh as the day you bought them. So too unloaded.

Take Care

Bob

 

[BenjaminR]

I will probably run a few hundred more rounds thru it to see what the failure rate is and what appears to be happening. If things persist then I'll send it to Springfield and I'll be armed with info so they won't be going into it blind.

While this is an exceedingly beautiful weapon, I am completely disappointed that it has any kind of problems. This gun is supposed to be one of the most reliable in the world...Springfield coulda fooled me.

Regards,
Benjamin

 

[Azrael256]

If you want the most reliable gun in the world out of the box, buy a glock. If you're willing to tinker a bit, and want to carry a gun with some style, you're on the right track.

When it's done right, the 1911 is every bit as reliable as the glock. It's just tricky to find a gem of a 1911 and still stay in glock's price range.

 

[BenjaminR]

If you want the most reliable gun in the world out of the box, buy a glock.

Don't make me do it.

If you're willing to tinker a bit, and want to carry a gun with some style, you're on the right track. When it's done right, the 1911 is every bit as reliable as the glock. It's just tricky to find a gem of a 1911 and still stay in glock's price range.

I dont think the US Army would have settled for that. Why should someone defending his person or home be any different?

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate your input...but this just isn't right.

Regards,
Benjamin

 

[Old Fuff]

While this is an exceedingly beautiful weapon, I am completely disappointed that it has any kind of problems. This gun is supposed to be one of the most reliable in the world...Springfield coulda fooled me.

Having owned, worked on, and fired 1911 platform pistols for well over a half century, I can assure you that the pistols which made the original gun's fine reputation, and the ones being made today are not the same. They just sort of look like it.

During the years of my youth people bought Colt's, took them out of the box, loaded the magazine, and went their way. Functional problems were few and far between. No one had ever heard of such a thing as a "breaking in period," and if anyone had told them any such thing was necessary they would have been very upset. It is regretable that too many of today's buyers have to discover the fact's of life after, and not before they make a purchase.

This is not to say that a current "Springer" can't be made to run. Our own "1911Tuner" took one, made a few minor modifications and adjustments, and then put it through a multi-thousand rounds torture test without a bobble. Trouble is, the factory doesn't put them together that way...

 

[Azrael256]

I dont think the US Army would have settled for that. Why should someone defending his person or home be any different?

Tell that to Springfield and maybe they'll listen. I'm done with production guns altogether. Springfield's move to MIM hammers did it for me. It's Caspian, EGW, and Kart from here on... which also means I won't have another 1911 until I learn a good bit more.

I don't expect anyone to like it, lord knows I don't, but for the moment we're stuck with lowest-bidder, highest profit margin guns in a whole host of different patterns. For some reason that I can't understand, the market degraded to the point that "quality control" means barrel proofing and nothing else.

No, it isn't right.

 

[Old Fuff]

This is not to say that a current "Springer" can't be made to run. Our own "1911Tuner" took one, made a few minor modifications and adjustments, and then put it through a multi-thousand rounds torture test without a bobble. Trouble is, the factory doesn't put them together that way...

Read the links and learn.....

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=80649&highlight=torture+test

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=81244&highlight=torture+test

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=80120&highlight=torture+test

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=81444&highlight=torture+test

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=82503&highlight=torture+test

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=92635&highlight=torture+test

 

[BenjaminR]

Please pardon my newbieness but what is MIM & Investment Casting? How are these inferior to other manufacturing techniques?

Regards,
Benjamin

 

[Old Fuff]

Please pardon my newbieness but what is MIM & Investment Casting? How are these inferior to other manufacturing techniques?

Ya can find out ANYTHING on this forum...

Follow the link: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=236285

The original Colt's and USGI guns had extractors made out of spring-tempered/high carbon steel. To save money Springfield Armory uses MIM (metal injected molded) technology to make their extractors.

But MIM parts can't be spring tempered.

Other MIM parts in their pistol may, or may not be alright. I just don't want too do their Beta testing.

 

[BenjaminR]

1911 Parts?

Does anybody know of any online stores that sell hi-quality 1911 parts? Sooner or later I'm probably going to need to buy something...I might as well start looking around now.

Regards,
Benjamin

 

[daysleeprx]

www.brownells.com

One stop shopping.

 

[BenjaminR]

Not that I'm going to buy one before I send my gun back, but which aftermarket extractors work best with the Springer GI 1911? Series 70, series 80? Brownells? Wilson Combat? Nowlin? Ed Brown?

Regards,
Benjamin

 

[Old Fuff]

P.M. 1911Tuner for the latest lowdown. Some of these products change on a daily basis...

 

[Black Majik]

Benjamin,

You're thinking way too far ahead now. Just concentrate on items you need to fix/replace to get your gun working reliably. Have you bought a heavier recoil spring yet? Try that first before trying to replace extractors and extra miscellaneous parts. I seriously think your recoil spring is too light since I've seen this problem on another GI 1911.

If it doesn't fix it, you can then go to the next part until you do find a solution. Replacing all the parts all at once and you'll never find out what was the exact problem.

Good luck to you.

 

[BenjaminR]

I realize I'm a thinking a little ahead of where I'm at, but I just wanted to start exploring my options. At this point, and I said this in previous posts, I'm going to run a few hundred more rounds thru the gun and if it's not showing any signs of getting better I will send it to Springfield. I don't want to void the waranty on the thing...just yet. After looking at and feeling the top of the throat on the barrel, I'm having doubts it's a stem-bind. Perhaps it is the extractor and/or a rough breach face. But that's why I want to shoot it some more, so I can try to see exactly where it's hanging up. The type of jam has always been the same. It's never had a failure to eject, never stovepiped, never anything else...just a FTRTB about 1 in 30.

I'm not sure if I want to change out the recoil spring just yet. I recall reading somewhere on here that a stronger recoil spring is just a band-aid on the problem, not a real fix.

Regards,
Benjamin

 

[Walkalong]

ISMI for springs. I think they are the best.
Of course any name brand, Wolf etc. will fix it if it is a spring problem.
http://www.ismi-gunsprings.com/

 

[Old Fuff]

I'm not sure if I want to change out the recoil spring just yet. I recall reading somewhere on here that a stronger recoil spring is just a band-aid on the problem, not a real fix.

Often true... and a recoil spring that is too heavy can ultimately damage the gun. Folks forget that if the heavy spring slows the slide going back it will also cause it to move faster going forward...

In an extreme case it can cause the slide stop pin to elongate the hole in the frame, and ruin it.

There are better ways...

 

[Walkalong]

Don't get a stronger one, just get a quality new one. A cheap try.

18 1/2 lb. for full loads in a 5" steel gun. Original mil. spec.
Seems 16 lb. is factory standard these days.

Anybody have better info on spring wieghts?

 

[BenjaminR]

Steel gun?

18 1/2 lb. for full loads in a 5" steel gun. Original mil. spec.
Seems 16 lb. is factory standard these days.

Is a Springer GI considered a "steel gun"? I might consider getting a 18lb spring in the future...as long as it's not likely to cause any damage to the gun.

-Benjamin

 

[WarMachine]

The Springfield GI has a steel frame and slide, so yes.