The Art and Science of Keeping Your 1911 Running

[farscott]

The fact that ball ammo feeds and JHP does not combined with the pictures showing the extractor contact seems to eliminate the extractor. If it is the extractor, I would expect different extractor channel dimensions in the brass for the different ammo. The ammo that does not feed passed the plunk test. That should eliminate a tight chamber as a root cause.

My next check would be if the loaded magazine is striking the ejector, forcing it upward. That would be a concern with a fully loaded magazine with the spring having the most upward force when fully loaded and also stresses the magazine feedlips.

[RJ]

My next check would be if the loaded magazine is striking the ejector, forcing it upward. That would be a concern with a fully loaded magazine with the spring having the most upward force when fully loaded and also stresses the magazine feedlips.

Good idea but - It is not. That's one thing I've checked previously on this gun. I recall hearing about this from a Hilton Yam video, so I made a mental note to check with a completely disassembled frame (without trigger or mag catch). There was quite a bit of clearance, even with the mag shoved as far up as I could get it (checked all three of my mag types).

At this point absent a stunning revelation, I'm not going the file on anything. I have reached my limit of knowledge. I put the gun back together, and will get busy with dry practice until the new ammo arrives. If the HST runs, awesome, but if not, I have a bunch of FMJ I can use. And it's also possible the 18.5 recoil spring will make the Hi-Shok run fine as well.

Appreciate the inputs, definitely.

[JAH 3rd]

I have a Springfield 1911 Loaded that had a feedway stoppage with the nose of the bullet jamming on the frame ramp. I bought the EGW mag catch referenced above. It raises the magazine a wee bit to facilitate a better angle of bullet to feed ramp. Solved the problem. I know it’s a band-aid approach but so far it’s working. Just a thought. If it’s been suggested, I’ve overlooked it.

[farscott]

The info on the round stopping on the feed ramp suggests a call to SA for an RMA is in order. This may be of interest. https://rangehot.com/1911-feed-troubles-part-2/

Failure to feed is usually caused by either the feed ramp angle…too steep…or the magazine…nose-diving the round into the feed ramp and refusing to go further. In this one, polishing the feed ramp rarely ever changes anything. The feed ramp angle is critical. If it’s wrong, it’s wrong.

Failure to go to battery is usually caused by feed ramp angle not being steep enough and sending the bullet nose straight into the barrel ramp…pushing the barrel forward and up into the slide too early. The front corners of the barrel lugs crash into the rear corners of the slide lugs…and it all comes to a screeching halt. This one is known as the “Three Point Jam” and it’s a doozy.

The slide very often can’t be pushed or bumped to battery…but not always. What always does happen is a case with a gouge about 1/8th inch long and about 1/8th inch below the mouth…and a definite “Ka-Chunk” sound and feel if the round gets past the jam and feeds. For the ones that do manage to chamber, the sound is present on the first round or two, and often absent on subsequent rounds. Long-term damage to the barrel lug corners also shows up.

[RJ]

Just adding another data point. I decided to use some snap caps and practice the 10 8 Feedway Testing protocol video posted by @JohnO, above.

I used Wilson ETM Magazine "A", loaded to full 8 rounds with 4 S&B 230 FMJ topped off by 4 A Zoom Snap Caps (all I had). Performing the slide lock protocol, the gun was 10/10 (pass). The A Zoom Snap Cap looked a bit banged up, though. Top round at right after 10 chamberings, round under it (never chambered) at left:


Clearly the case is whacking onto something, causing these gouges. Hmmm.

I went on to try the second protocol. You set it up the same, but allow the slide to advance slowly until the breachface contacts the case, then let it go. On interation 6, this happened:


What you are looking at is the top A Zone snap cap, nosedived into the feedramp. The pistol slide is not moving. It is being held open by the snap cap, only, which appears wedged in. Just after I took this picture, I picked up the gun and tapped the back of the slide, and it jumped / closed the rest of the way. Moar Hmmm.

[RJ]

On we go...I got to wondering, since the above seems to revolve around the position/angle of the snap cap, what do I have for frame ramp angle and what I gather is called bed length. Took a quick measurement of the distance of the flat ramped surface on the frame where the round impacts. The overall length is more or less 0.366", which from some hasty research is within spec?

Then I wondered about frame bed ramp angle. Since I don't have a protractor handy, I took a picture of a straight edge (Armorer's tool), being held resting flat against the ramp, sideways, and used that to sketch up a drawing. I put a green segment at an angle in the middle of specification ramp angle allowance (min (30) and max (31.5) off vertical.) This is the result:


Comparing the green segment, and the angle of my Armorer's tool, they are about the same. It would seem Springfield made the frame ramp to spec?

I then started looking at where the mag feed lips ended up, since the problem appeared to be the top round dipping. So if it were higher, this would help, no? Putting a caliper on the mag at rest on the mag catch, and then again if I held the mag firmly up as far as it could go, I got about 0.030" of play in the mag. Meaning, I can wiggle the mag up and down, when seated, about 30 thousandths. I removed the mag catch (SA factory part) and didn't see anything obvious why it allow so much slack. I'm wondering if I am running into a tolerance stacking issue, of this mag, with this mag catch, with this mag catch location, with this frame, where "sometimes" during slow feed the round hits the feedramp the right way to get stuck.

Not sure where this puts me. But I think I will go see if I can source one of those EGW elevated mag catches. Reading reviews of them online they seem to help sometimes, and not help sometimes, but I wonder if in my case they will help, assuming an extra 20 thousandths of elevation of the magazine relative to the feedway will be a good thing.

[Trooper224]

If you don't have Jerry Kuhnhausen's shop manuals on the 1911, I STRONGLY suggest you obtain them. You'll find them very helpful and I think you'll find a lot of your questions answered therein.

[Pistol Pete 10]

Keep feeding them ammo, they keep running. I have had to tighten the plunger tube and front sight on one of my Colts. I also had to replace a broken ejector on my 9MM Citadel after 3000 plus rounds.

[JAH 3rd]

I just compared my Dan Wesson A2 with stock mag release to my Springfield 1911 Loaded that has the EGW enhanced mag catch. The DW has a bit of up/down play when pushing on the mag base. The Springfield with the EGW part has no up/down play when pushing on the mag base. It does take a bit more push to seat the mag in the Springfield when the slide is forward. With the slide locked back, the mag easily inserts, fully loaded or empty. I used the same McCormick RPM magazine in each pistol. The rear of the mag does not hit the ejector in the Springfield.

The EGW mag catch is in the same price range as a name brand extractor, so it won't break the bank. No way to predict whether this EGW will fix your pistol's issues, but you won't have much money invested in it if it doesn't help.

[JAH 3rd]

One of the issues I have always had with the 1911 is toying around with various parts to make the gun run. Lord knows I am at the top of that list. The pistol should work out of the box without figuring out what the pistol likes/dislikes.

I know there are different feed lips in the 1911 camp. Wadcutter, hybrid, GI and probably others that escape me at the moment. From what I have read, these feed lip designs release the round at a different point in relation to the slide moving forward. I use wadcutter feed lip magazines. My pistol works with these so that's what I shoot.

I'm sure others here can explain the feed lip design and when the next round is released. Please do. Just another aspect of the 1911 platform to be considered.