While I shoot with revolvers, my daughter likes semi-automatics. She wants to get a 45 caliber SA to use primarily for targets and for hiking as a "bear deterrent". She likes shooting with the S&W .45 but has had trouble getting the cartridges to feed with the two she has rented. She had to "pop the butt" a couple of times to get things started.

Is this a problem with S&W .45s normally or did she happen to get a couple of guns with worn out magazines?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

LL617

I would image being rentals a good cleaning might be the problem. I've yet to have a worn out mag myself, but again rental units sometimes see more abuse than normal.

I have one of the "billboard" 1911's and I love it.

I use the stock mags, Wilson if I remember right, and the mags I use the most are Chip McCormick power mags, never any trouble with any of them.

Chip McCormick Custom, LLC™

The gun she used could have been dirty, something wrong with the mag, you never know with a rental gun, they are not well cared for sometimes.

__________________
NRA & GOAL LIFE MEMBER

Dear SA users,

Thanks for the comments. I will pass them along. Will most gun dealers let her try shooting a new SA before she buys one?

LL617

Just throwing it out there. I have the M&P .40 and my wife...all of 5' tall and a tiny frame to match can accurately fire it with little to no reation to the recoil. I have had zero problems thus far wit this firearm. She likes mine so much that I am planning on getting her one of her own in the very near future. Maybe your daughter might like this model.

With a rental you can sort of expect issues and this is especially true of semi auto's. The fact is that they are commonly either over lubricated or run bone dry. In addition the magazines are rarely cleaned unless the shop has an ultrasonic tank and I would expect the magazine springs are never replaced. End result is that feed or ejection issue can sort of be expected.

Personally I regard the Springfield Armory and S&W models to be basically equal. Both have a good reputation for running well out of the box and both companies have reputations for superb customer service. IMO what will most likely determine what you purchase will be a matter of which brand you can actually find because 1911's have been flying out the door recently.

BTW, you probably will be able to find Kimbers. Personally with Kimbers miserable reputation for customer service I'd avoid purchasing a Kimber.

As for a gunshop letting you try out a new firearm before purchase, not a chance. Think about it, would you pay the New in Box price for a gun that had previously been tested by someone looking to buy. Heck no, you'd want a discount. If you want to test drive a brand new gun you should plan on paying about 200 dollars because when you're finished it will be a used gun.

Try to disregard problems with a poorly maintained rental and focus on likes and dislikes of how it shoots. I've got a full size 45, always keep it maintained and lubed, and have never had a feeding problem in 6K rounds. I've shot as many as 6-800 rounds between cleaning and never had that type of a problem - if anything, the slide will stop locking back on the last round. Also, what kind of ammo were you using - the range stock - reload? If your daughter likes the 45, buy one. It should work fine out of the box when following break-in instructions. If it doesn't and I think that would be rare, S&W's warranty program is top notch and they'll make it right.

I'm confused here. He said his daughter tried a S&W .45 He didn't really say whether it was an M&P or a 1911. He used the abreviation SA but after having said his daughter prefers semi-automatics over revolvers. The SA in this context could have meant semi-automatic. I realize that most of us think of SA as Single Action.