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Old July 25, 2013, 09:28 PM   #1
grizz223
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Need help from 1911 expert.

Ok so I got a Olympic Arms Cohort 1911 Commander type. First let me say I love this pistol it fits my hand perfect. I know it's not a lot of people's cup of tea but I relly like it. Anyways took it out last week put about 100 rounds thru it. So here the question on about every third magazine the last round woud jam nose up but it did not happen all the time. I used four different mags to include 2 Colt,1 Chip Mccormick and 1 Metal form mags all are 8 rounders it happened in three of the mags but not always it was intermitent sometimes it would feed all the way thru other times not.I suspect the extractor tention but why would it not do that all the time? Anyways does anyone know what would cause this if so please let me know as i'm going to have some work done on it.
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Old July 26, 2013, 10:17 AM   #2
g.willikers
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Where did it jam?
With the bullet under the barrel?
With the bullet up against the top of the chamber entrance?
Where was the cartridge rim?
Any chance of a picture, either of your gun or something similar off the web?
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Old July 26, 2013, 10:32 AM   #3
grizz223
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It jammed nose up at the top of the barrel. Thanks for your responce
Attached Images
File Type: jpg imagesCA1FZJA3.jpg (10.4 KB, 79 views)
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Old July 26, 2013, 10:42 AM   #4
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A picture of the actual jam would have been helpful...a picture of just your gun is not likely to lead to a solution.
Is this a used or new gun that you just bought? Has it worked in the past? Have you or anyone else done any "work" on it?
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Old July 26, 2013, 10:49 AM   #5
dahermit
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Quote:
I suspect the extractor tention but why would it not do that all the time?
Extractor problems can be maddeningly intermittent. Do the shake test, but it does not sound like an extractor (too little tension), problem to me...extaction, ejection problems are more likely to be the extractor than what you describe unless it is way too tight.
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Old July 26, 2013, 11:03 AM   #6
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The gun is used don't know how much but it looks and feels great. Does not seem abused at all. For all i know could still be in it's break in phase. Does not look like it was shoot alot. very tight no rattle at all.
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Old July 26, 2013, 11:11 AM   #7
polyphemus
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You have to eliminate extractor tension before you go on to other possible
causes,again the live round shake method tells nothing at all.Like every other
spring in your firearm it has working specs,please test the rim pressure of the
extractor and post if you will the result I'd be willing to bet it is too high.
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Old July 26, 2013, 11:30 AM   #8
grizz223
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ok how do I test the rim pressure?
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Old July 26, 2013, 11:42 AM   #9
g.willikers
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Bill Wilson's Extractor check and tuning:
http://www.m1911.org/technic2.htm
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Old July 26, 2013, 11:54 AM   #10
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I will have to wait till I get home to look at the link but thanks to all that helped me.
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Old July 26, 2013, 12:48 PM   #11
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Does the magazine have a little raised dot in the middle of the follower? If not, it should. That dot keeps the last round from pushing forward when the next to last round feeds; if it is not there, you will get a jam just like you described. Some gun and magazine makers don't understand the reason for the "dot" so they leave it off to save $0.000001.

Jim
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Old July 26, 2013, 01:11 PM   #12
grizz223
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James K I will look when I get home. Thanks
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Old July 27, 2013, 08:34 AM   #13
g.willikers
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The dot style follower can be bought seperate.
There's also raised followers, with a kind of hump, for doing the same thing as the dot.
They can be bought and installed in any mag.
Here's one version
http://www.brownells.com/magazines/h...-prod9770.aspx
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Old July 27, 2013, 10:36 AM   #14
polyphemus
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Quote:
There's also raised followers, with a kind of hump, for doing the same thing as the dot
Quote:
I used four different mags to include 2 Colt,1 Chip Mccormick and 1 Metal form mags
Metalform magazines come with round or convex followers,OP has already tried
several types so it is unlikely that it is a magazine issue,if the extractor checks within specs then I'd look at the ammo being used.
I think he has a custom made pistol so it could be ammo fussy,COAL,bullet type
and so on.
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Old July 27, 2013, 12:58 PM   #15
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Nose Up

Does it look like this?

If it does, take note of the relationship of the breechface with the case extractor groove. This is called a Bolt Over Base misfeed. It's common with a weak magazine spring or too much recoil spring...or sometimes both. Essentially, the slide is outrunning the magazine, and the breechface catches the case in the extractor groove instead of the back of the rim. Butt goes down...nose goes up...and there ya are.

Quote:
2 Colt,1 Chip Mccormick and 1 Metal form mags all are 8 rounders
Among highly trained and keenly observant law enforcement types, that there's whatcha call...a clue.


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Old July 27, 2013, 01:21 PM   #16
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Need help from 1911 expert.

If it looks like the picture above get several recoil springs and switch them out. Run the highest weight you can that will run the gun reliably.
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Old July 27, 2013, 01:24 PM   #17
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re:

No. If it looks like the picture above, get a decent magazine.

With any feed-related malfunction, the magazine is always the first suspect. Always.
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Old July 27, 2013, 02:54 PM   #18
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Quote:
With any feed-related malfunction, the magazine is always the first suspect. Always.
It's amazing what one little bend to a lip of a magazine can cause. I have straightened many magazine lips causing feed problems in my time. Some magazines come in, where the owner said they merely dropped it on the concrete floor at the range, and it caused the problem. On thin sheet metal, it doesn't take much to screw the proverbial pooch.
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Old July 27, 2013, 03:18 PM   #19
polyphemus
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Always

OK,three different make magazines do the same thing.
Since I am not LEO the clue is somewhat eluding me,???
I think we need OP feedback and a little more information,I've seen those
three pointers before,not very amusing,not to be obdurate really but I still
think the extractor is interfering with the feed cycle and I would not replace
the recoil spring or polish the feed ramp either.
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Old July 27, 2013, 04:05 PM   #20
1911Tuner
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re:

Quote:
Since I am not LEO the clue is somewhat eluding me,
If the gun is doing what's shown in the picture, it's a magazine problem. Specifically, a magazine spring problem. All the magazines that he mentioned are 8-rounders. At least two have the folded Devel-type follower. There's two strikes against'em from Jump Street. Seen a lotta the same trouble with those. Don't know about the other one...but it still probably doesn't have enough spring.

Now we wait for more detailed information.
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Old July 27, 2013, 06:06 PM   #21
polyphemus
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Eight rounders!! I knew it.
By the way is that a laser thing on the grip? no wonder that gun don't work.
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Old July 28, 2013, 06:12 AM   #22
grizz223
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All right gentlemen sorry I have not posted more been real busy at work. As to the mags all four work in my other 6 1911's. The Olympic Arms 1911 Cohort (commander sized) I bought has a weird spring set up it has a full length guide rod with multiple springs and a Hex type screw holding it all together also the back end of the guide rod is different than any I have ever seen. The whole gun is super tight like you would see in very high end gun like Les Baer. I love this pistol it fits my hand like a glove. Any way as soon as I can get it to a smith I will have some custom work done to include a reliability package, a bobtail and a tritium front sight. Also thank you all for your responses I appreciate all of them. I was thinking that the problem might be an easy fix but probably not.
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Old July 28, 2013, 10:18 AM   #23
polyphemus
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Quote:
I was thinking that the problem might be an easy fix but probably not.
You really owe to yourself to at least give a try before you turn it over to a
gunsmith,The proposed solutions are not hard to implement and require no tools
a pair of extra power mag springs will not set you back that much and only
improve their performance anyway.And as to checking the rim pressure the
process is very similar to testing trigger pull weight I use a simple method which
I posted here before,the last time time though some pharmacist gave me a hard
time about apothecary weights or something and I'm not about to get into that
again.Good luck
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Old July 28, 2013, 10:38 AM   #24
grizz223
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I will attempt the fixes but it's still going to the smith for the stuff I mentation in my last post. I also polished the feed ramp and the rails. Just a little Mothers mag polish smooths things right up.
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Old July 29, 2013, 09:31 AM   #25
g.willikers
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In defense of eight round magazines, I have four Chip McCormick ones, that are nearly twenty years old.
They still have their original springs and have had many, many thousands of rounds through them.
And they just work.
Not only in mine, but for many others that I've loaned them to.
(New folks at the matches never seem to have enough mags for those long courses of fire).
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