Ruger SR1911 jam

geetarman · February 19, 2012, 05:05 PM

In the last month or so, I have been fortunate enough to acquire 3 1911 pistols.

The Ruger SR1911 is experiencing jams on every outing. It has been to the range 3 times. I have factory mags, Wilson Combat mags and 1911 mags that I bought from Sig. I am shooting Remington 230 gr. hardball and am loading the mags with 7 rounds. The first 5 magazines generally run pretty good and then I get a jam with the empty perfectly in line with the chamber and fully engaged with the extractor and the round is jammed by the last round in the magazine ( usually ).

All the mags are new.

I also have a Sig Tacpac and that gun has not had a failure. All the mags run fine in that gun.

I have a Smith and Wesson 1911E that had a couple of failures on the first outing because the recoil spring was installed backward. The factory manual is incorrect. Have had no failures since. That gun is going back to the factory for repair because the barrel link pin is not properly staked and will fall out of the gun. All the mags run fine in that gun also.

The Sig has about 300 rounds through it and the Smith has about 200 and the Ruger has about the same number.

The Ruger is starting to concern me because it continues to jam. The recoil spring seems pretty stiff but not as stiff as the Smith and Wesson and way stiffer than the Sig.

Both the Sig and the Smith have external extractors and the Ruger is internal.

The first time I got the jam, I cleared the weapon and lubed the slide and the problem went away...for a while. Then I got them again.

I got the gun home after the first outing and cleaned it good.

Same thing happened next outing. Shoot 5 or so magazines fine and then start jamming.

Took the gun home again and cleaned it good and went back to the range Friday. Same thing, 4 or 5 mags run fine and then start getting the jams.

I brought it home again and cleaned it again and am taking it to the range tomorrow. The extractor looks good and does not seem to have any issues, but I need to be able to depend on the gun. I can't at this point.

What do you guys think the most likely problem with this gun? Not shot enough yet or perhaps a recoil spring that needs to be changed?

The rounds seem fully engaged with the extractor but are perfectly in line with the cylinder( most of the time). Almost like the factory rounds do not have enough "oomph" to forcefully push the slide to the rear.

I am thinking the recoil spring is not correct. I am not shooting reloads. These are factory loads.

Maybe you can steer me toward a solution. I am not limp wristng the gun and the jams have occurred with another shooter.

Thanks!

Geetarman

James K · February 20, 2012, 09:37 PM

First a minor point. The link pin does not have to be staked since it can't come out with the gun assembled, only when the barrel is removed; I would stake it myself rather than go to the trouble of sending it back, even if S&W does pay the tab.

On the Ruger, I have no good answer, but here are some thoughts. Clean is fine but 4-5 mags of even dirty factory ammo shouldn't be enough to cause a problem. Try this. Fire it until it quits, then set it aside for a 15-20 minutes, then try again and see what happens. If it runs OK for the same 4-5 mags and then fails again, I would suspect a heat problem, possibly either a tight bushing or a too tight lockup so that when the heat from firing causes the barrel to expand, you get failures.

The expansion could be radially, increasing the barrel diameter and causing a problem at the bushing or at the locking lugs, or lengthwise, causing a hangup in the fit of the barrel to the slide at the sides or rear.

Lesson for the day: Tight is not always right.

Jim

geetarman · February 20, 2012, 10:01 PM

Went to the range today with a clean gun and had the same jam on the second round.

Ran three different types of ammo through and several magazine brands.

Took it to the onsite gunsmith and he looked at the pictures and diagnosed a loose extractor.

He tightened that and staked the Smith and Wesson pin that was loose.

I did not go back to the range and test fire either gun today. Will do that Friday.

I did get a 150 rounds through the gun ( Ruger ) with mixed results.

The gunsmith also mentioned the pin on the Smith and Wesson would not walk out with the gun assembled but also said it should not have gotten out of the factory like that.

After cleaning, I did the live round check of the extractor on the Sig, the Ruger and the Smith and Wesson and they all have a similar feel.

I will see what happens on Friday. Thanks for the response.

Geetarman

James K · February 21, 2012, 11:30 PM

If the Ruger fix is not a simple one, I would return the gun to Ruger through the dealer you got it from. Ruger has good customer service and should have no problem diagnosing and correcting the problem, almost certainly at no cost to you. (The dealer can mail the gun at minimum cost.)

I see no point in tinkering around with a new gun, especially one from a company that has as good a customer service record as Ruger.

Jim

geetarman · February 22, 2012, 06:17 AM

I agree. So far the gunsmith has not charged me anything. The issues on both guns took less than 10 minutes.

I will try them both out on Friday and if the Ruger acts up again, it will go back to the factory.

Geetarman

February 19, 2012, 05:05 PM	#1
geetarman Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2009 Location: Arizona Posts: 3,157	Ruger SR1911 jam In the last month or so, I have been fortunate enough to acquire 3 1911 pistols. The Ruger SR1911 is experiencing jams on every outing. It has been to the range 3 times. I have factory mags, Wilson Combat mags and 1911 mags that I bought from Sig. I am shooting Remington 230 gr. hardball and am loading the mags with 7 rounds. The first 5 magazines generally run pretty good and then I get a jam with the empty perfectly in line with the chamber and fully engaged with the extractor and the round is jammed by the last round in the magazine ( usually ). All the mags are new. I also have a Sig Tacpac and that gun has not had a failure. All the mags run fine in that gun. I have a Smith and Wesson 1911E that had a couple of failures on the first outing because the recoil spring was installed backward. The factory manual is incorrect. Have had no failures since. That gun is going back to the factory for repair because the barrel link pin is not properly staked and will fall out of the gun. All the mags run fine in that gun also. The Sig has about 300 rounds through it and the Smith has about 200 and the Ruger has about the same number. The Ruger is starting to concern me because it continues to jam. The recoil spring seems pretty stiff but not as stiff as the Smith and Wesson and way stiffer than the Sig. Both the Sig and the Smith have external extractors and the Ruger is internal. The first time I got the jam, I cleared the weapon and lubed the slide and the problem went away...for a while. Then I got them again. I got the gun home after the first outing and cleaned it good. Same thing happened next outing. Shoot 5 or so magazines fine and then start jamming. Took the gun home again and cleaned it good and went back to the range Friday. Same thing, 4 or 5 mags run fine and then start getting the jams. I brought it home again and cleaned it again and am taking it to the range tomorrow. The extractor looks good and does not seem to have any issues, but I need to be able to depend on the gun. I can't at this point. What do you guys think the most likely problem with this gun? Not shot enough yet or perhaps a recoil spring that needs to be changed? The rounds seem fully engaged with the extractor but are perfectly in line with the cylinder( most of the time). Almost like the factory rounds do not have enough "oomph" to forcefully push the slide to the rear. I am thinking the recoil spring is not correct. I am not shooting reloads. These are factory loads. Maybe you can steer me toward a solution. I am not limp wristng the gun and the jams have occurred with another shooter. Thanks! Geetarman

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

February 20, 2012, 09:37 PM	#2
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	First a minor point. The link pin does not have to be staked since it can't come out with the gun assembled, only when the barrel is removed; I would stake it myself rather than go to the trouble of sending it back, even if S&W does pay the tab. On the Ruger, I have no good answer, but here are some thoughts. Clean is fine but 4-5 mags of even dirty factory ammo shouldn't be enough to cause a problem. Try this. Fire it until it quits, then set it aside for a 15-20 minutes, then try again and see what happens. If it runs OK for the same 4-5 mags and then fails again, I would suspect a heat problem, possibly either a tight bushing or a too tight lockup so that when the heat from firing causes the barrel to expand, you get failures. The expansion could be radially, increasing the barrel diameter and causing a problem at the bushing or at the locking lugs, or lengthwise, causing a hangup in the fit of the barrel to the slide at the sides or rear. Lesson for the day: Tight is not always right. Jim

February 20, 2012, 10:01 PM	#3
geetarman Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2009 Location: Arizona Posts: 3,157	Went to the range today with a clean gun and had the same jam on the second round. Ran three different types of ammo through and several magazine brands. Took it to the onsite gunsmith and he looked at the pictures and diagnosed a loose extractor. He tightened that and staked the Smith and Wesson pin that was loose. I did not go back to the range and test fire either gun today. Will do that Friday. I did get a 150 rounds through the gun ( Ruger ) with mixed results. The gunsmith also mentioned the pin on the Smith and Wesson would not walk out with the gun assembled but also said it should not have gotten out of the factory like that. After cleaning, I did the live round check of the extractor on the Sig, the Ruger and the Smith and Wesson and they all have a similar feel. I will see what happens on Friday. Thanks for the response. Geetarman

February 21, 2012, 11:30 PM	#4
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	If the Ruger fix is not a simple one, I would return the gun to Ruger through the dealer you got it from. Ruger has good customer service and should have no problem diagnosing and correcting the problem, almost certainly at no cost to you. (The dealer can mail the gun at minimum cost.) I see no point in tinkering around with a new gun, especially one from a company that has as good a customer service record as Ruger. Jim

February 22, 2012, 06:17 AM	#5
geetarman Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2009 Location: Arizona Posts: 3,157	I agree. So far the gunsmith has not charged me anything. The issues on both guns took less than 10 minutes. I will try them both out on Friday and if the Ruger acts up again, it will go back to the factory. Geetarman