GI Springer Update

[1911Tuner]

Okay..I gave in and fitted a King's long aluminum trigger...A black one with 3 holes. Wish they offered a solid one..but it's neither here nor there. I
opted for a slightly looser vertical fit than the accepted "Zero Play"...Just
my way. Now it feels right! My hands and fingers are too long to be right
with a short trigger. I can manage, but I really need a long one to make it
work for me.

Got up early today, and braved a light drizzle to shoot a little more. The
PMC hasn't been delivered yet...probably later today...so I slipped down to
Wally World and bought 3 Winchester Value Packs. Not the best hardball around, but not bad for a short torture-test.

I radiused the bottom corner of the extractor to see if I could alter the
ejection direction a bit...and it worked...though not quite enough to get the
brass out at 2 O'Clock. Ejector face needs a little tweakin' .

I installed a Wolff 14-pound, recoil spring with 32 coils...checked for spring bind...and installed a new, stock Colt sear spring, which brought the trigger
pull down to a clean 5 pounds 4 ounces. Perfect...for me, anyway.

Installed the MGW drop-in bushing which eliminated the play in the bushing to slide fit, and reduced the barrel to bushing fit clearance by .001 inch. Not much...but everything means something.

I installed a set of Colt's black rubber grips, OEM on the 1991-A1s and
on some NRM pistols. They feel better than the checkered plastic stocks,
and the gun squirms noticeably less.

The accuracy seems to be a little better, due to the MGW bushing, and the
point of impact has come up a bit from the 2 inches or so low that it was before. No paper punching done...A bit too wet.

The pistol never missed a beat in rapid-fire...slow fire...one-handed...dead limp wristed...and weak-handed, and fired upside down with a limp grip. I allowed it to cool off for 5 minutes every 140 rounds, but no oil was dribbled into the rails. Ammo do make a diff'rence...yessiree bob.

Extractor tension is holding...but still could use a little tweak/modification
to make it more "springy". The initial grittiness is gone, due to the slurry
treatment and the rounds downrange. Still no sign of battering or peening anywhere.

So far, so good. I intend to put another thousand rounds through it without cleaning it, other than a dry wipe-down in key areas...and reoiling it. Oil in the rails will be applied at every cooling -off period on Monday
unless I get rained out...but one day next week for sure.

Th-th-th-that's all folks!

Tuner

 

[BeLikeTrey]

Wow! thats alot of stuff.

dontcha wish they just came already ready ? LOL
You seem to know quite a bit on trouble shooting. I had a question for ya. I know she isn't a 1911 but I wanted to check with you anyway to see. I have an SW9F. Despite most complaints I have never ever had FTF or FTE except... Never had a problem with factory ammo of any sort. I do have two small issues with it. #1 It absolutely hates reloads. Mostly failure to put round fully into battery. #2 the darn thing shoots low. I have to go for the Head/neck area for center mass hit. Should I just get a higher rear sight? and do you have an idea where to get one? And what do you think on the round not fully chambering for reloads? Tolerances too tight? (I've tried many reloads not just mine.)

 

[1911Tuner]

Troubleshooting

Howdy BeLikeTrey,

Sounds like the reloaded ammo is out of spec somewhere. If the bullet
doesn't seat dead straight and leaves a bulge on one side of the case, it can cause the problem in a minimum-spec chamber.

Brass that's been reloaded several times usually has rims that have enlarged a few thousandths due to flow caused by repeated firings.
That effectively increases extractor tension, which can stop the slide just short of battery.

Short leade in the chamber can also give a problem with certain bullet ogive
profiles. If the bullet touches the rifling before the slide is in battery, it can cause the problem that you're having. Seating the bullet .010 deeper
may correct it as long as it doesn't cause a pressure jump. Reduce the
charge 5% and work back up. You might try a heavier taper crimp.
Sometimes that's all it takes.

Overall cartridge length can also be a player...either too long or too short.

In the past 2-3 years, I've noticed a trend in pistol chambers being of
minimum dimensions, and particularly at the front, near the shoulder.
In these, if the ammo is slightly large due to crooked bullet seat, slightly
thick brass, or bullet diameter being at the high end of tolerance...it
can cause an occasional return to battery failure.

You can have the chamber finish reamed to gain a little clearance, and/or
clean up a possible out-of-round condition. Whether it's worth the cost
to allow reliable use of reloads is a consideration that you'll have to weigh
for yourself.

Luck!

Tuner

 

[JeffC]

'Bout damn time you got that pistola.......

 

[BeLikeTrey]

Thanks!

I apreciate the info! I'll have the barrel checked and possibly polished out a little. This isn't exactly a target pistol so I'd like the ability for variety. Thanks and I am willing to bet that what you said about the low end of the tolerance scale is where my pistol is at. Thanks again!