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Old 07-25-2017, 09:12 PM
mooney7882v mooney7882v is offline
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No place else appears to be better to post re: 1911 pro series so here goes. Bought used a month ago; appears well used but not abused.

First range session several failures to extract--work the slide and it extracts and ejects as expected. Took to gunsmith and we replaced all the springs since I didn't know the history of the piece. Still failed to extract on factory and re-loads and then stopped after a round of buffalo bore with case extracted about a quarter inch but stuck in the breech with extractor still engaged on the case rim.

Off to Smith; returned with polished feed ramp, polished breech and new slide stop (don't understand how slide stop affects extraction). In any event now extracts every time but a new and more perplexing problem has arisen.

Light hammer strikes and no detonation on ONLY the first round in the magazine; cock manually and most of them then go bang (the ones that didn't were fed into CZ and do go bang). Happens with factory new Mag Tech and reloads with Winchester primers...is this a spring combination problem? If so how come only first rounds in the magazine? Firing pin safety plunger/spring? Again why only on the first round? Tried both slingshot (normal practice) and slide stop to chamber the round with same results...ideas?


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Old 07-25-2017, 09:37 PM
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Probably should send it back to Smith again, what you describe is not safe for a carry firearm. To take a guess seeing it is only the first round maybe the slide is slightly out of battery. Does it by chance have a eight round magazine, these cause some people problems. You can try loading the magazine, leaving it loaded for a couple weeks. Some Glocks have been known to have this problem when a full magazine is inserted.

The pro center 1911, is probably just as tight as the Kimber 1911. Some people experience problems with the Kimber until they break in. If you want to carry this as SD handgun I suggest having the rails, and slide polished, or racking the slide over, and over again to break it in.

BTW the slide stop can affect a gun going into battery, especially if they installed a oversize stop.

Last edited by Walkingwolf; 07-25-2017 at 09:39 PM.
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Old 07-25-2017, 10:22 PM
mooney7882v mooney7882v is offline
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Thanks, the pistol is well broken in, I imagine thousands of rounds although the magazines were brand new Wilson combat 10 rounders thrown into the box by smith when it was returned; they kept the old magazine I shipped with the pistol.
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Old 07-26-2017, 04:43 AM
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Has the recoil spring been changed? If so, what poundage? An insufficient recoil spring will cause the slide to fail to go into battery fully, leading to a first-round light-strike as you describe.

If the trigger has adjustable overtravel, I would loosen that all the way and see if that makes a difference. It's possible for the overtravel to cause the hammer's half-cock notch to impact the sear nose. However, I would typically expect that to cause a failure throughout the magazine.

Have you tried any ammunition besides the Mag-Tech with respect to the first-round misfire issue? Have you had other shooters attempt to replicate the problem?

Beyond that, one would really need to inspect the pistol in-person.
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Old 07-26-2017, 09:40 AM
mooney7882v mooney7882v is offline
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I have a call into the smith to confirm the weight of the springs he installed, both the hammer spring and the recoil spring. Only other ammo I have tried with it are my handloads. no adjustable trigger overtravel--i thought about timing in general as well. Will try other factory ammo this morning, thanks.
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Old 07-26-2017, 09:52 AM
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Magtech has been known to have hard primers. But that doesn't explain why only the first round. If it's a government model 45ACP then the recoil spring should be 18 pounds. Put a new good quality recoil spring in such as Wolff. They're not expensive and if it doesn't solve the problem at least you will have a replacement for later use.
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Old 07-26-2017, 10:29 AM
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The gun is apparently a 9x19. I use Wilson 15# springs in my 9mm 1911 Pro and it functions properly with just about any ammo. It does rather sound like the gun is not quite fully in battery for the first round, but without seeing the gun it's just a guess. Try loading just five rounds in the magazine and see if that cures the problem. If it does, it would reinforce the idea that the gun is not quite in battery - possible due to the recently replaced slide stop and new magazines. If those are the troublemakers I imagine that with a little use the gun will settle down.

PS - I spent many hours in a 20C that my Dad flew. (5850Q) Wish they had made ANR headsets back then.

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Old 07-26-2017, 02:10 PM
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Most of the Kimber problems have been with 9X19.
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Old 07-26-2017, 08:41 PM
mooney7882v mooney7882v is offline
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Thank so everyone, it is a 9mm and the recoil spring per the smith is stock at 23#. Today the failures moved to various rounds in the magazine rather than the first. The smith does suspect the firing pin safety plunger...it appears to be much like a firing pin block in striker fired pistols. I am also just to eliminate it as a cause, moving my thumb to riding atop the safety to eliminate operator error putting just enough upward pressure on the lever to slow the rate of hammer drop.
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Old 07-26-2017, 08:42 PM
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And to m29 since 15, yes the mooneys are little race cars in the sky...
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Old 07-30-2017, 02:35 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mooney7882v View Post
No place else appears to be better to post re: 1911 pro series so here goes. Bought used a month ago; appears well used but not abused.

First range session several failures to extract--work the slide and it extracts and ejects as expected. Took to gunsmith and we replaced all the springs since I didn't know the history of the piece. Still failed to extract on factory and re-loads and then stopped after a round of buffalo bore with case extracted about a quarter inch but stuck in the breech with extractor still engaged on the case rim.

Off to Smith; returned with polished feed ramp, polished breech and new slide stop (don't understand how slide stop affects extraction). In any event now extracts every time but a new and more perplexing problem has arisen.

Light hammer strikes and no detonation on ONLY the first round in the magazine; cock manually and most of them then go bang (the ones that didn't were fed into CZ and do go bang). Happens with factory new Mag Tech and reloads with Winchester primers...is this a spring combination problem? If so how come only first rounds in the magazine? Firing pin safety plunger/spring? Again why only on the first round? Tried both slingshot (normal practice) and slide stop to chamber the round with same results...ideas?


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I too have a 1911 9mm Pro series and it was 99%, with an occasional failure to extract. Sent it back, S&W replaced the extractor. The bottom corner of the new one was ever-so slightly more sharp than rounded, and now I don't think I've had one failure to extract.

On the failure to fire on first round - my first thought was it was juuuust out of battery like has already been said. I have the same 10-round Wilson Combat mags but I have never experienced this. BUT!: I replaced all my magazine followers (thick plastic pieces) with some thin metal followers (even trimmed the back edge down a little as they were still too tight to get round 10 in.

Maybe there is too much tension on the first round and that is overcoming the recoil spring just enough, and with tension from the underside with 9 rounds in the mag, is not allowing you to go into battery fully.
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Old 07-30-2017, 03:55 AM
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Does your extracter have a burr on the underside?
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Old 07-30-2017, 09:24 AM
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Sorry for the bit of a thread drift, but....
I'm rather curious if the subject 9mm Pro Series is a made in Houlton, Maine pistol?
My shooting buddy has a new 9mm Pro Series SKU178047 that is marked Springfield, Mass that has been trouble free.
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Old 08-01-2017, 05:38 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dennis View Post
Does your extracter have a burr on the underside?
No it was just a little more rounded-off on the bottom corner. The new one gives sliiightly more engagement with the rim of the brass in the final stroke of extraction.

EDIT: Sorry I thought this question was aimed at my response.

Last edited by Electric Head; 08-01-2017 at 05:40 PM.
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Old 08-01-2017, 07:51 PM
mooney7882v mooney7882v is offline
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So I spoke with smith and wesson and they asked for it back so it's on its way...they actually suspect the disconnector but time will tell.
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Old 08-01-2017, 07:54 PM
mooney7882v mooney7882v is offline
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More details too...3 failures on the first round in first 25 of factory ammo yesterday and then one more in second 25 so 4 in one box and all were first rounds in magazine...and in either new Wilson combat mags; neither mag was fully charged.
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Old 08-02-2017, 11:21 PM
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Well, a 23# recoil spring in a 9mm 1911 is crazy. I can't believe that's what is in your gun. Someone must have gotten a wire crossed. Does he mean a 23# mainspring?

If you've tried it with five or six rounds in the mag and get the same results then I'd think you have something else going on besides mag problems, but I have no idea what - maybe it is a disconnector problem? Be interested to know what you find out.
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Old 09-07-2017, 08:51 PM
mooney7882v mooney7882v is offline
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Well the pistol is back from Smith with only the recoil spring replaced; perhaps i need to find a new smith since the one i have claimed to have replaced all the springs. It does run now, however it is still ammunition finicky. I expect some of that with a pistol with tight tolerances; it will now not mis-fire but it does fail to eject factory new Federal ammo---not the ****** aluminum cased stuff but the brass cased 115 grain. Clearly not enough oomph in that ammo to operate the slide briskly enough. So here's the next question. Smith doesn't recommend any ammo other than factory new within SAAMI specs; presumably the Federal qualifies, yet it's too much of a powder puff to cycle. I will step up to 124 grain which is most of what I buy; and i load 135 grain but my handloads are also too soft since they are at low end of powder charge. Question is recommendation from you guys for 124 grain that is peppy enough to work and not so peppy that I still need stronger springs to prevent peening. Cheers.
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Old 09-08-2017, 11:13 PM
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I shoot 124 Lawman and its decent.

I used to shoot 115 Lawman at the police academy and its snappy but I don't think you have to worry about a steady diet on your gun if you keep your stainless stress points properly lubed.

the academy buys Rem 115 now and its weak and inconsistent.

many will throw rocks at me, but I have been using buffs since the 80s and as long as you check them....the only issue I ever hand with one...I shot 100 rounds of 230 hollow points at a match and it flattened the buff where I had to get rough with the slide to take apart (because it spread outward)

I placed this video as the shooter had a failure to go into battery with a single weak hand shot. if your gun is tight....lube and shoot. Unless you are throwing constant duty or +P or +P+, you should be ok.
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Last edited by SW CQB 45; 09-08-2017 at 11:14 PM.
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Old 09-09-2017, 09:35 AM
mooney7882v mooney7882v is offline
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thanks, I had seen your video on youtube...cheers.
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