The Art and Science of Keeping Your 1911 Running

[Archer1440]

Ran a Steel Challenge 5-stage match with the 9mm Colt today. Functioned perfectly with one specific ammunition.

Yes, this is what it took to get the ejection to run properly. Winchester M1152. (These numbers were confirmed with a LabRadar unit running at the same time, so yes those are real- this is very nearly 9mm Major.)

That tells me all I need to know about the spring rate in this thing.

Obviously I'm installing a proper GI guide rod and a 10# IMSI spring tomorrow. That should make it a bit more tolerant of more normal 9mm ammo.

[HeavyDuty]

I’m realizing I much prefer the flat triggers in my DW ECPs and want to put them in my other 1911s. I haven’t fitted a 1911 trigger in 30 years, I want to say it was a Chip McCormick carbon fiber shoe one in my Enhanced Government. I’m sure I can figure it out.

[theJanitor]

Does the 9mm mag recommendation vary, depending if the pistol has a ramped or standard barrel?

[Robinson]

Does the 9mm mag recommendation vary, depending if the pistol has a ramped or standard barrel?

Some folks might have specific recommendations, but I've used Wilson Combat, Ed Brown, and Metalform 9mm magazines in guns with and without ramped barrels with good success.

Of the above, the Metalform mags seem to work well but eventually they can start failing to lock the slide back on empty.

I will say that I think a 9mm 1911 should have a ramped barrel, but there are some good guns that don't have one.

[Elwin]

I’m realizing I much prefer the flat triggers in my DW ECPs and want to put them in my other 1911s. I haven’t fitted a 1911 trigger in 30 years, I want to say it was a Chip McCormick carbon fiber shoe one in my Enhanced Government. I’m sure I can figure it out.

There are a lot of good options out there, but I'm a huge fan of the 10-8 flat trigger and have put it in every 1911 that I did any serious shooting with (three so far). It has a fixed overtravel screw, which has two benefits. One, once you adjust the overtravel by filing the screw down, it's done and you don't have to worry about thread locker or the screw backing out. Two, I hate having a hole in the front of my trigger as it causes a blister on my trigger finger. Apparently most people don't have that problem but for me a 10-8 trigger is a requirement for any 1911 I'm going to shoot more than just occasionally.

[Ethang]

I have read every page of this thread. Great information. Recently I dipped my big toe into the 2011 game with a Tisas Duty. Feeding with it has been nearly flawless, couple bobbles in the first few magazines but great after that.

Ejection is what is giving me fits right now. It fails the 10-8 test even after replacing the extractor with a properly tensioned EGW. Once or twice with every magazine the spent case comes straight back to the face or the chest. A few times on the last round the case would not get out of the ejection port and would either be laying on the top of the mag or caught between the slide and the barrel. I have tried 3 different kinds of factory ammo, the factory recoil spring, a 9 pound and 10 pound Wolf.

There is just a tiny bit of clocking with the factory FPS, with both extractors. The factory ejector is tight in the frame. Research says to modify the ejector nose, but I am debating putting the factory extractor back in and sending it back for evaluation. I am at or over 500 rounds and likely have 1500 or more hand cycles in dry fire.

Thoughts?

[Shorikid]

Any contact with the extractor claw and the web of the case? Extractor nose contacting the case? Profile and polish are as important as tension. I'd change out the fsp to get rid of the clocking as well. Inconsistent angle and tension are the bane of good controlled feed.

Have you checked the breach face? Bit of very smoothing it out can't hurt.

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