SKU #: 178020
Caliber: .45 ACP
Capacity: 7+1 Rounds
Barrel Length: 3"

Has anyone had feeding problems with this model?
I have tried Winchester white box, Remington, and Fedral, but all had the same results. The round will not fully chamber. It goes in about half way and stops. Then you have to push the slide forward to fully chamber the round. The frequency is about once in every three magazines.
Just wondering if anyone else has had this experience.

Is it a new gun?

PaulF1911: Mine is only two months old but functions perfectly. Do you have other magazines to try?

Had a Night Hawk 4" Bob tail commander that did the same thing every once in awhile. Sll I had to do is push the back of the slide and it chambered.....Sent it back for other reasons as I'm sure they would have looked into it...to give them credit they were having growing pains at the time...As far as the rest of the pistol it functioned very smooth and was a tack driver..I understand they are doing fine now....My only real problem was finish on my particular pistol.

I did a lot of research before buying my S&W 1911 Pro. There was a lot of web chatter about the quality of Italian made magazines that S&W issues with this pistol. Before I even bought mine, I purchased a couple of compatible Wilson Combat magazines. As good luck would have it, mine has functioned perfectly from day one, out of the box, with either brand of magazines. I wonder if your pistol might be suffering from the made in Italy S&W mags?

I have a new 3" Pro, it's been pretty flawless except for I believe one round that did the same thing. But I am sure it was my grip. I had put left thumb on top of my right thumb and ever so slightly touched the slide.. I was told that it doesn't take much to slow down the slide action, just a touch will do it. I put my thumb back under the other one and it hasn't happened since. I also have heard about the magazines, but with 5 SW1911's, haven't had any issues with the Italy mags. I think it's just a pipe dream for the purists that think you have to use Wilson combat mags and Colt is the only brand of 1911... not to mention the other few components we are supposed to change..

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Jack C

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I had this for about 2 months. I bought it new. The problem happens with all three magazines. I have also tried a standard 8 round 1911 magazine with the same results.

This is an example of what happens

Attached Images

Feed Problem.jpg (145.0 KB, 356 views)

Jack, Thanks!!!
This maybe a real possibility due to the way I grip the the gun. I have a S&W 1911 9mm Pro Series and never had a problem like this. But with the 3" it sounds like it could be the issue.
I can't wait to get to the range tomorrow to test this out!

I'm carrying mine everyday, I love it.... we have the same gun. I bought the Lew Horton edition too! I have to say that I have a friend that works at Colt, he picked me up some original 1 piece Colt 7 rds mags with the flat plate so it doesn't stick out that extra 1\2". There' pretty nice, I haven't shot them yet..let us know how you make out. If I get a chance, I'm heading to the range tomorrrow too, wanna hit the new mags, also picked up a new upper receiver from Colt for one of my preban AR 15 lowers... dieing to hit that sucker.

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Jack C

Paul,

I've shot 1911s for over 20 years, so take this for what it is--advice from someone with a fair bit of experience, but who also doesn't claim to be some kind of "know-it-all."

I've found over the years that when a malfunction occurs consistently--say jamming on the last round of a magazine--the malfunction can be traced to an issue with the gun itself. When the malfunction is much more random, it's usually an issue with the shooter.

3" 1911s have always been a bit more finicky than the Government or Commander length versions. The shorter, lighter slide and barrel move faster and travel less than the longer versions.

Since the FTF you're experiencing seems to be a bit random, my guess would be an issue with your grip. The shorter barreled 1911s with shorter grips require a firmer grip and stronger wrist to really function properly.

Think of it this way, the shorter barrel and slide needs every bit of velocity and time to extract and eject a spent case and feed the next round. If the gun is limpwristed, some of that velocity and time is robbed by rotation.

Try firming up your grip and wrist when shooting, that may be the culprit here.

Best,

Heekma

Paul,
I have the exact same gun, and the exact same problem. I have had my 1911 for the past few months and have put several thousand rounds through it. It has been fired on numerous occasions by multiple experienced shooters all with the same problem. I have shot with a friend specifically watching to see if my hand was touching the slide, because he has had that problem, so I am fairly sure that my grip is not the issue.

I have tried shooting with American Eagle, Lawman, PMC, and Fiocchi ammo, some are better than others. I have found Fiocchi and Lawman to be the best. I have read elsewhere that people have had a problem with the extractor on this gun and that could be the issue, but I don't think that it is for me.

Cartridges are stopping part loaded into the chamber. Sometimes it only takes a gentle nudge to move the slide all the way forward, other times it takes considerable force or I need to just take the round out altogether.

The problem seemed to improve slightly over the last 500 rounds or so, so I'll post again after I shoot. If you figure anything out please post.

Thanks

I had the exact same problem occurring with a Commander sized Sig. I did not have this issue with my shorter 1911's.

Sig ended up polishing the ramp, reaming the chamber and replacing the extractor. That seems to have fixed the issue. Personally I think that either the extractor was too tight, or the angles were off.

They even exchanged the mags for some MecGar's. So, I suppose it's hard to scientifically isolate the actual solution. Then again, I don't have 20 years into 1911's, I just suspect it was the extractor.

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Is it safe?

The extractor was my choice when I started first reading this post.

I would suggest changing to a stronger guide rod spring. Just my opinion but I had a cheaper 1911 with a short barrel doing the same thing constantly and the gunsmith polished the throat and it still did it. He then replaced the spring and it fed nicely.

I later got rid of the gun and now wish I had kept it.