I have a 1911 that I made from an 80% frame which fairly often doesn't feed rounds completely into the chamber. When this happens I can always just push the slide forward and the round seats completely. The pistol never had problems ejecting. I'm wondering if it needs a stronger recoil spring or if I need to file more material off of the rails so there is less friction
1911 recoil spring question
- Thread starter Ellsnjel
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nettlle
Contributing Member
A stronger spring may help. An extractor with too much tension will cause this also. It won't let the cartridge rim slide under the extractor hook.
Do you know what recoil spring is in the gun now and how old it is. Also what ammo are you using. Increasing the spring weight slightly will probably solve the problem or the current spring be may be worn out. Using light ammo could mean you need a lighter spring.
WhoMe?
Member
Take the spring out and see where it is binding first.
Without knowing more about your setup it is difficult to know what parts haven't been together before (other than the frame, of course). If it were a pistol I was building my first suspicion would be the barrel lower lug binding on the slidestop pin in the frame instead of riding up smoothly (i.e. wrong "ramp" dimensions) or the locking lug to slide fit. Next to check would be the hood on breach contact. If those are good I would move to the extractor though I tend to tune that regardless. There are a multitude of other potential areas to check but you should be able to narrow them down as you feel for resistance working the slide with the spring out.
Stronger springs are typically my last resort as they often are improperly used to mask the real problem leading to less reliability across different loads.
Without knowing more about your setup it is difficult to know what parts haven't been together before (other than the frame, of course). If it were a pistol I was building my first suspicion would be the barrel lower lug binding on the slidestop pin in the frame instead of riding up smoothly (i.e. wrong "ramp" dimensions) or the locking lug to slide fit. Next to check would be the hood on breach contact. If those are good I would move to the extractor though I tend to tune that regardless. There are a multitude of other potential areas to check but you should be able to narrow them down as you feel for resistance working the slide with the spring out.
Stronger springs are typically my last resort as they often are improperly used to mask the real problem leading to less reliability across different loads.
Sunray
Member
Sounds more like an ammo issue than anything to do with the pistol. You shooting factory or hand loads? Might well be the fit of the barrel though. Barrels are not drop in parts.
Here is a quick and dirty way to check your extractor tension and adjust it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENFoZPF2-FM
Sticking your extractor partway into its channel and bending it is probably not the best method for increasing extractor tension.
Here is a more precise (but more costly) way to check and adjust your extractor tension:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nnqKKWk2ig
If you don't have and don't want to buy the tool, you can try adjusting your extractor tension this way:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rd11D2RXC9w
Remove the extractor and polish the front face of the slide where the cartridge is supposed to slide up the face..don't remove material, just polish.
Break the sharp corner of the extractor where the case first contacts it. A small triangular Arkansas stone is great for this.
Be sure your cases are both taper crimped and that the OAL is correct. Some SWC rounds need to be seated so that no shoulder is showing.
Be sure there are no sharp corners on the chamber face. Rifling sometimes needs a little relieving but I've not run into that.
Drop a few rounds into the chamber with the barrel out (plunk test) to eliminate ammo issues.
Break the sharp corner of the extractor where the case first contacts it. A small triangular Arkansas stone is great for this.
Be sure your cases are both taper crimped and that the OAL is correct. Some SWC rounds need to be seated so that no shoulder is showing.
Be sure there are no sharp corners on the chamber face. Rifling sometimes needs a little relieving but I've not run into that.
Drop a few rounds into the chamber with the barrel out (plunk test) to eliminate ammo issues.
nettlle
Contributing Member
If there is too much extractor tension the cartridge won't feed or feed intermittently. If the isn't enough extractor tension there will be ejection problems like smoke stacks. Somewhere in the middle is good. The gauge set up is the best way to set the tension. I just bend my extractor in the vise until it works. I don't know if I would recommend this method but it has worked for me.
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