Sick Colt 1911 - Need Advice

[King]

Need some helpful advice from you fine folks. I came into a used Colt 1911 not too long ago. It's a Mark IV, Series 80 Combat Elite.

Problem is it hangs up. Last round in the magazine almost always hangs up. Doesn't fire, doesn't eject, slide doesn't stay open on last round.

It was doing it before but I recently had a new barrel, barrel bushing ann ejector installed and generally gone thru.

Any ideas? Beautiful gun and fire well otherwise?

Ps - when it hangs on a round, it burrs the edge of the shell casing on the primer end.

Could really use some helpful input. Come with my appreciation in advance.

[Sarge]

I'd start with a new metalform or wilson wagazine and see if that didn't cure it; I guess the burrs you describe are not being caised by the firing pin? Maybe you got a rough extractor or breechface, perhaps a burr or raised area around the firing pin hole. Put a new firing pin spring in while you're switching stuff out, that may help.

My best advice is to trade it on a Sig 220, which is what I did and never looked back. I tinkered with 1911s for about 25 years before I finally figured out that the Sig was way ahead of the Colt. Not a 1911, but very cool in it's own right.

[King]

thanks Invssgt...I did acquire a new Wilson magazine. Same problem. I'm using it and a Chip McCormack. Same deal either way. Jams on the last round only.

Thanks for the Sig recommnedation. I intend to add one to my collection (and a few others as well). I just that I always wanted a Colt 1911. Just need it to be reliable.

[OK Corral]

Look closely at the breechface and firing pin hole for burrs or machining marks. The last round is under the least spring tension and may be encountering a rough spot and hanging up without chambering completely.

[5pins]

Do you use handloads or new ammo? If you use handloads then go and buy some factory ball ammo and try this before you do anything.
You may have a burr on the breach face. The firing pin hole may be grabbing the rim of the case. The extractor tension may be to tight or the extractor may need to be replaced.

[King]

Thanks gents....I'm using all "new" ball ammo and new magazines. Those were the cheapest and easiest things to test first.

[King]

Doesn't seem to be a burr on the breach face? Extractor? Maybe.....

[Slabside]

King:

Contact Bill Mallory at (512) 926-8082. I believe that's his phone number. At any rate, Bill is a 1911 smith and custom builder and good at what he does. He's got about any part you could need. He is located north of town in Austin out toward the airport. He usually attends the show in Austin and San Antonio as well.

Best,
Slabside

[Johnny Guest]

Need to understand exact nature of "hangs up."

Do you mean the cartridge doesn't come out of the magazine fully? Is the case still partly in the magazine feed lips? If this is the problem, sounds as if the feed ramp portion of the frame may be too rough. When you remove the slide, can you feel machine marks (transverse grooves) on the ramp? If you can, and are not set up to polish the ramp yourself, it would be good to take it to a good pistol smith. I'm not familiar with the Mr. Mallory mentioned by Slabside, but he sounds like a good place to start. If that person is not convenient, try McBride's Gun Shop. I had occasion to visit with their gunsmith several years ago, and he was working on several nice- looking 1911-types. There used to be a very active IPSC group in the Austin area, and I'd bet good money there's SOMEONE there who can do a BANG-UP job on your Colt.

The burr on the base of the cartridge sounds as if, perhaps, there may be a too-sharp edge or burr at the angle where the bottom of the slide and the breech face meet. In any case, same comments apply. Anyone who replaced the ejector for you should have checked extractor tension. (Or did you actually mean "extractor"?? In any case, amost problems that won't be solved with magazine substitution require some tinkering, and, unless you're willing to get into that sort of thing, a little money spent with a GOOD gunsmith is a wise expenditure.

If you can't reach a solution in pretty short order, send me a PM or e-mail (see PROFILE) and I'll reach out to an associate and see who does the Ranger .45s in that area.

Best,
Johnny

[Old Fuff]

Apparently the problem isn't your magazine(s) because you have tried several good brands. Since the problem seems to only happen on the last round I'd check out the slide stop. A little lug is supposed to engage the magazine follower after the last round and lock the slide back. You say this isn't happening. Maybe it's rubbing on the cartridge and causing your jam.

To experiment, get 7 or 8 dummy cartridges (only "dummies" use live ones) and revove the recoil spring and guide. Load the magazine with the dummy rounds and then hand-cycle the slide. You can feel the cartridge feed out of the magazine, come under the extractor, nose up the feed ramp and chamber in the barrel. You can also feel when the cartridge is extracted and ejected. During the process you may feel some hitches and hard spots where they're shouldn't be any. At this point you'll have a clue about what is going on. Then ask questions.

[King]

thanks slabside, johnny guest, old fluff.....

The last round is not hanging up in the magazine in any way. The last round goes approx 80% of the way into the barrel. It does eject the next to the last round.

I may have to follow up with a smith if I can't complete some of the steps as recommended by you fine folks.

Not sure if I can go to Mc Brides for a fix. One, because I bought the 1911 from them and it had this problem. I then let a pistolsmith from the Dallas (sepcializes in 1911's) work on it while he was in town. We thought we had a good fix but we weren't able to test fire it at the time we completed the work (barrel, bushing, extractor). Having it worked on and not being able to have the smith test fire it may have been a mistake (live and learn I guess).

I'll try this remedies as much as I can. Old Fluff, not sure I have the ability or "know how" to follow up on yours but I can discuss with the smith as a potential problem.

If I ever get this problem fixed, I will have a sweet shooting, reliable gun.

[M1911]

Ah, that's a failure to feed. First thing I'd do is polish the breech face and check the extractor tension.

M1911

[jimturner]

Hey King.You might try a new recoil spring if yours has got several hundered round through it.Especially if it is an Officers model.I get them from Wolff.If it is weak it won't push the new round into battery.

[Old Fuff]

Another thought: Field strip the pistol, put back the slide stop, and then load and insert the magazine. In this case it’s O.K. to use loaded rounds, although dummies are still a good idea. Push the top cartridge forward with your thumb while watching the slide stop on the left side. See of the cartridge comes out smoothly and the cartridge stop does or doesn’t press on it. If nothing out of the ordinary happens the problem is likely in the breechface, extractor or extractor tension, or the feed ramp/barrel throat. But this seems unlikely given that rounds work except the last one.

One other thing. If the extractor is mis-fitted or has too much tension I would expect the cartridge to get stuck after about about ¾’s of its travel. The pistol can’t go into battery if the cartridge doesn’t slide under the extractor. Just for grins, remove the extractor, load one round of DUMMY ammunition into a magazine, and see if it feeds or hangs up. If the cartridge won’t fall out after you lock the slide back turn the pistol upside-down and push it out of the chamber with a cleaning rod.

But this still doesn’t explain why it only happens on the last round….

[James K]

This problem seems to be a result of the slide hitting the base of the cartridge in the magazine and popping it forward before it has a chance to ride up the breech face and under the extractor. Then the extractor is behind the rim rather than ahead of it and the gun won't close.

If this is the case, it will never show up in any kind of manual operation. We have to understand that the slide is moving fast and that anything it hits will react just like a ball struck by a bat. If it is too light or not sufficiently restrained, it will fly faster than the slide.

The immediate problem may be some combination of the magazine feed lips and the cartridge. But I wonder if the followers on your magazines have a little teat in the center like the GI follower? Some mag makers don't understand why it is there and omit it to make for smooth feeding. But that teat is what provides resistance for the last round to keep the cartridge from jumping forward too fast.

Get a WWII GI magazine and see if it works.

Jim

[King]

Gentlemen, I appreciate it. Sounds like two or three really good suggestions here. I'll see if I can use them to solve the problem.

Nice to know that there's this much expertise on the TFL. That's one of the reasons I visit here daily.

Again, thanks.

[Johnny Guest]

King--
If the suggestions above do not yield a solution - - or at least an explanation - - of the problem . . .

You said you had barrel replaced. Do you still have the old barrel? Why was it replaced? Pitting, washed out rifling, damage to muzzle? Always keep the old parts when you have them replaced.

I almost said to inspect chamber under strong light with magnification to see if there's a burr IN the chamber, but if it was doing it with old barrel as well?

I do not understand your - -

Not sure if I can go to Mc Brides for a fix. One, because I bought the 1911 from them and it had this problem.

It is no particular reflection against a shop if they sell a used pistol which turns out to have problems. McBride's is a reputable firm, and it is in their interest to have satisfied customers giving word-of-mouth references.

Yes, they will probably charge you for the work if the pistol is out of warranty, but, having sold it to you, might only charge a nominal fee. Be sure to tell them you purchased it from them, and when. Let 'em know you assumedthe risk, in buying a used gun, and that you don't blame them. It having been a used item, I doubt they'd resent you having used services of another gunsmith. Ask to talk directly with the gunsmith - - Clerks at the sales counter are hired to move merchandise, and, if busy, had probably rather do that than deal with function problems they may or may not be qualified to fix. Do make sure you discuss the problems with the'smith, in detail. Ask the 'smith to test fire it himself so he can make a really accurate diagnosis. The piece is of no good to you if undependable, so, bite your lip and be patient.

Now you have some of us interested--Please keep us apprised of what's happening.

Best,
Johnny

[King]

Tnanks Johhny Guest...yes, I bought the piece from McBrides used. They are a good bunch and I trust them with a used gun purchase. I'm just not certain that I can go back to them if someone else worked on the gun. I will probably take your advise if all else fails and talk to their gunsmith in person.

Yes, I have the old barrell. According to the smith who worked on it, it had been improperly fitted and it does show wear around the "pin area" at the bottom of the barrel. The bushing was also way too tight. I thought it had been set up this way for increased accuracy or possibly competion shooting. The smith indicated that (as I mentioned) had not been properly fitted and that it was jamming up for that reason.

When I bought it, it did jam up but not as bad as it does right now. I had thought the problem might be linked to using after market magazines (like the Chip McCormick power mag that was in it). I also thought it might be my ammo given that I sometimes shoot high quality re-loads that I buy at the local gun show (110 rounds for $17 or $18). I can do more at the range that way.

So, I changed to the Wislon mag and got some factory new ammo to test it. With the new barrel and bushing, the action is very good and better than it was when I picked up the piece a couple of months ago.

Unless I should try a Colt factory magazine, then one of the problems listed in this string is the culprit.

i may be learning an expensive lesson, but I will (as you suggest) be patient with it. It's a very nice piece.

[Johnny Quest]

Send the gun off to Teddy Jacobson at www.actionsbyt.com

He will make your gun reliable and smoooooooth.

JQ