I have been to the range twice with this 1911,first time 100 rounds no problem.today I put 200 rounds though it,and I had three feed jams.is this a gun problem or ammo issue.im using blazer brass 230 grain fmj for all three hundred rounds.
Feed jam on a new pc 1911
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Not an ammo problem
If you're using factory 230 grain, FMJ: If that ammo won't feed, nothing will. It's what the gun way made for.
Regarding feeding: are you talking about manually chambering the first round or a feeding issue while actually firing? When manually chambering, you must allow the slide to travel at full velocity. You don't need to baby the slide.
If it's a firing issue, be sure the gun is clean, no excessive lubricants except for a very slight amount of suitable gun grease on the slide rails. You may also want to polish the feed ramp a bit using Crocus cloth or perhaps an automotive cleaner. Unless you really know what you're doing, do not use any power tools, including Dremels, on the ramp.
You might also try a different magazine. Some magazines do not sufficiently elevate the nose of the round for proper feeding and these rounds then bind into the bottom of the feed ramp.
If you're using factory 230 grain, FMJ: If that ammo won't feed, nothing will. It's what the gun way made for.
Regarding feeding: are you talking about manually chambering the first round or a feeding issue while actually firing? When manually chambering, you must allow the slide to travel at full velocity. You don't need to baby the slide.
If it's a firing issue, be sure the gun is clean, no excessive lubricants except for a very slight amount of suitable gun grease on the slide rails. You may also want to polish the feed ramp a bit using Crocus cloth or perhaps an automotive cleaner. Unless you really know what you're doing, do not use any power tools, including Dremels, on the ramp.
You might also try a different magazine. Some magazines do not sufficiently elevate the nose of the round for proper feeding and these rounds then bind into the bottom of the feed ramp.
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Doug M.
Member
The odds are that the magazine or extractor tension is the issue; those are the typical weak spots in a 1911. 1911s do not need to be clean to work (I think it is Leatham who said if it doesn't worth dirty, there is something wrong), and they do not need to be wet like an AR, but lube is needed. It's a new pistol, and likely needs a little break-in to wear in.
I am not a cleaning fetishist, but a new pistol will sometimes wear in and have some crud come off that needs to be removed by cleaning. It is, after all, a mechanical device. Take a look at the manual and see what they say about break-in and cleaning intervals during that period. Each manufacturer is a little different. Wilson, for example, insists that after they fit and test a pistol, the new owner should not clean or even disassemble for lube until 300-500 rounds have been fired. (I lubed with the slide locked back, drove on, and had complete success that way.) A 1911 that won't go 1000+ rounds after break-in without cleaning is defective.
I am not a cleaning fetishist, but a new pistol will sometimes wear in and have some crud come off that needs to be removed by cleaning. It is, after all, a mechanical device. Take a look at the manual and see what they say about break-in and cleaning intervals during that period. Each manufacturer is a little different. Wilson, for example, insists that after they fit and test a pistol, the new owner should not clean or even disassemble for lube until 300-500 rounds have been fired. (I lubed with the slide locked back, drove on, and had complete success that way.) A 1911 that won't go 1000+ rounds after break-in without cleaning is defective.
rbert0005
Member
When was the last time you oiled the slide rails?
A new gun should be run wet for a while. Also check your grip. Try different ammo as well.
Bob
A new gun should be run wet for a while. Also check your grip. Try different ammo as well.
Bob
Waywatcher
Member
I agree with Bob. I ran my new 1911 wet for the first 750 rounds. (That's all the farther I've gotten; I might go for a full thousand wet.) I suggest adding a drop of lube to each of the appropriate points after each range trip, and then, if it's been a while, another drop each prior to a range trip. Anyways, that's what I did.
Mines a Colt, for what it's worth. It rattles when I shake it.
The second handload I tried still put 5 rounds into 2.27" offhand at 20 yards, so lube yours up and try some different ammo.
Uncanny! That is exactly how I polish my ramps. It really works!
After my first range trip 100 rounds,I broke it down and cleaned and lubed that baby up good.and I thought that s&w polished the feed ramp it's a PC gun special attention.i will try all your ideas thanks so much.if your ideas don't work I'll call s&w.
Doug M May Have It.
In your description, you said the cartridge would stop between the chamber and the slide. This does indeed sound as though the extractor may be at fault.
As a cartridge feeds, it must straighten itself to align with the chamber. To do this, the rim must slip under the extractor. I own a 1911 but I'm no expert on these guns. It could be that the bottom edge of the extractor may have to be radiused a bit so that it more easily slips into the extractor groove, or rim, of the shell.
In your description, you said the cartridge would stop between the chamber and the slide. This does indeed sound as though the extractor may be at fault.
As a cartridge feeds, it must straighten itself to align with the chamber. To do this, the rim must slip under the extractor. I own a 1911 but I'm no expert on these guns. It could be that the bottom edge of the extractor may have to be radiused a bit so that it more easily slips into the extractor groove, or rim, of the shell.
Rick_A
Member
The S&W 1911's use an external extractor...not a controlled round feed.
Try a different magazine and keep if clean/lubed until it loosens up some.
In my experience a polished ramp doesn't do squat but look pretty on a 1911. As long as it doesn't show machine marks, a mirror polish is not necessarily.
Try a different magazine and keep if clean/lubed until it loosens up some.
In my experience a polished ramp doesn't do squat but look pretty on a 1911. As long as it doesn't show machine marks, a mirror polish is not necessarily.
I just took the magazines apart and cleaned them,they where pretty clean only 300 rounds.i just thought of something when I cleaned the gun the spring was in upside down,would that really matter.i can't believe I put the spring in wrong.
You shouldn't have to polish anything.
A Performance Center pistol should work flawlessly right out of the box, because that's what you pay for.
I would send it back and ask them to make it work right, break-in period or not. It is the principle of the thing.
A Performance Center pistol should work flawlessly right out of the box, because that's what you pay for.
I would send it back and ask them to make it work right, break-in period or not. It is the principle of the thing.
Doug M.
Member
*
Do you mean the recoil spring (the one in the slide)? It does not change the weight of the spring, but the ends can be slightly different and intended to fit in a certain way. I am not going to express this well, but it is possible that that at the end of the slide travel, when the spring is fully compressed, there is a very small chance that the error might result in a small amount of binding and result in not enough force being applied to force the slide back to the firing position. It is not all that likely, but sometimes little stuff makes a difference.
As for putting it in backwards, well, you are not at all the first to have done so and won't be the last.
The good news is that you caught it yourself and didn't send the pistol back already. I have not done that one, but I have done similar stuff, and there really is no way out of that embarrassment.
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Waywatcher
Member
If you out in the recoil spring backwards, it's almost certainly going to make problems. Generally one end of the spring is narrower and that end must be at the base of the guide rod. The other end should be full diameter and that end goes by the muzzle. Hopefully that makes sense, and hopefully your fix is this simple!
Two Points
When I was conducting firearms training for my troops on the SIG 225 & 226, we had a phrase for them to remember how to put the recoil spring back in: "Tight is Right." The tight end went to the breech end of the gun.
If you have any dummy rounds, more correctly, they are called action-proving dummies, run them through the action and watch how they interact with the magazine, feed ramp and extractor. In effect, you should try to induce a stoppage by riding the slide.Not everyone will agree with me on this but it has helped my find the source of a stoppage on many gov't owned weapons.
When I was conducting firearms training for my troops on the SIG 225 & 226, we had a phrase for them to remember how to put the recoil spring back in: "Tight is Right." The tight end went to the breech end of the gun.
If you have any dummy rounds, more correctly, they are called action-proving dummies, run them through the action and watch how they interact with the magazine, feed ramp and extractor. In effect, you should try to induce a stoppage by riding the slide.Not everyone will agree with me on this but it has helped my find the source of a stoppage on many gov't owned weapons.
scooter123
Member
Another thing to consider is the barrel length of your 1911. The entire feed path was originally designed for a 5 inch barrel length. Anytime you make the barrel shorter in a 1911 you also have to SHORTEN the "slide overun" a bit. Note, what I call the "slide overrun" is the distance PAST the magazine that the breech face is at the end of the slide travel. As a consequence as barrel length is reduced a 1911 will become more sensitive to the energy produced by a particular ammunition. In simple terms a 230 grain FMJ loaded to produce 800 fps will run perfect in a 5 inch 1911 but may be problematic in a brand new Commander length 1911.
One solution is a bit of breakin time before you panic. Another solution is to look for some premium level ammunition loaded a bit "hotter" that the cheap target ammo. For example if you look at the specs for Speer Lawman in a 230 grain load I expect that you'll find the muzzle velocity listed is a touch over 900 fps, if I remember correctly it's 905 fps. That is about 85 fps faster than the small primer Federal Champion and it's been my experience that 85 fps difference can be make or break with a brand new Commander length 1911.
BTW, I am speaking from experience here, my Ruger SR1911 CMD was distinctly power sensitive out of the box. Fortunately I load my own ammo so it was easy to build some hotter loads to break it in and I ran 400 1050 fps 185 grain screamers thru it over one weekend and it's been perfectly reliable with my powder puff range loads since then.
One solution is a bit of breakin time before you panic. Another solution is to look for some premium level ammunition loaded a bit "hotter" that the cheap target ammo. For example if you look at the specs for Speer Lawman in a 230 grain load I expect that you'll find the muzzle velocity listed is a touch over 900 fps, if I remember correctly it's 905 fps. That is about 85 fps faster than the small primer Federal Champion and it's been my experience that 85 fps difference can be make or break with a brand new Commander length 1911.
BTW, I am speaking from experience here, my Ruger SR1911 CMD was distinctly power sensitive out of the box. Fortunately I load my own ammo so it was easy to build some hotter loads to break it in and I ran 400 1050 fps 185 grain screamers thru it over one weekend and it's been perfectly reliable with my powder puff range loads since then.
Texas1941
Member
I have to respectfully disagree with federali and by extension with fastbolt (and disagreeing with him makes my hand shake). Nevertheless the idea that ball is the most reliable in 1911 type pistols is not always correct.
Ball is very reliable in pistols with G.I. (read Colt) chamber, feed ramp, and magazine dementions. Colt chambers are usually cut on the generous side. The feed ramps are pretty much unchanged from 1911. Colt magazines are set up to time the leverage of ball ammunition. Other makers have somewhat tighter chambers. This makes a difference because 1911's are nowhere near a straight feed. That round has to make some major bounces to get into the chamber. A tight chamber will usually do better with a bullet with a more pointed profile.
You will notice that the feed lips on Colt/GI magazines are not parallel ; the front portion is flared quite a bit. This is to time the leverage of ball ammo. Also that bump on the follower is not a decoration. Other magazines such as the Wilson have parallel feed lips, with a flair at the front, to facilitate the feeding of more pointed but square faced bullets along wth ball. The literature that comes with the Wilson magazines is pretty specific about the fact that not all ammo/gun/magazine combinations are going to work.
I've never measured a S&W 1911 chamber, so I don't know if they are tight or not. I don't know how deep the feed ramp might be and I don't know what magazines they supply. But I do know that all these factors can make feeding ball problematic.
I would try a more tapered bullet and perhaps a different magazine. You might find it runs perfectly with self defense type hollow points. Over time it will likely become more forgiving of ball, assuming it has the correct OAL.
For what it's worth.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk
Ball is very reliable in pistols with G.I. (read Colt) chamber, feed ramp, and magazine dementions. Colt chambers are usually cut on the generous side. The feed ramps are pretty much unchanged from 1911. Colt magazines are set up to time the leverage of ball ammunition. Other makers have somewhat tighter chambers. This makes a difference because 1911's are nowhere near a straight feed. That round has to make some major bounces to get into the chamber. A tight chamber will usually do better with a bullet with a more pointed profile.
You will notice that the feed lips on Colt/GI magazines are not parallel ; the front portion is flared quite a bit. This is to time the leverage of ball ammo. Also that bump on the follower is not a decoration. Other magazines such as the Wilson have parallel feed lips, with a flair at the front, to facilitate the feeding of more pointed but square faced bullets along wth ball. The literature that comes with the Wilson magazines is pretty specific about the fact that not all ammo/gun/magazine combinations are going to work.
I've never measured a S&W 1911 chamber, so I don't know if they are tight or not. I don't know how deep the feed ramp might be and I don't know what magazines they supply. But I do know that all these factors can make feeding ball problematic.
I would try a more tapered bullet and perhaps a different magazine. You might find it runs perfectly with self defense type hollow points. Over time it will likely become more forgiving of ball, assuming it has the correct OAL.
For what it's worth.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk
