trouble with my new Detonics Combat Master

[zougou]

Hello.

I recently bought a new Detonics Combat Master (the company is now in Georgia). It came with one magazine and is stainless.

The gun fits my hand and points very well for me.

It came with a little bottle of Militec 1 and came with the stuff already applied. The manual states that one is supposed to fire a minimum of 200 rounds through the gun without removing the lubrication so that it can bind with the metal.

So far so good.

I've now taken it to the range two times and fired 100 rounds each time. So far, it keeps jamming every so often, usually on the last round. The round will get its rear stuck in the magazine and the bullet will be pointing upward. It catches the slide and jams. I've tried different magazines. I haven't tried any Wilson magazines. I don't think I'm holding it wrong, but maybe I am. I was trying to maximize my range time by getting as many rounds through it as I could and maybe I was getting tired and limp-wristing.

One thing I did find is that the recoil springs are stout and it takes a great deal of effort on my part to unjam it or even lock the slide back.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Or is this the curse of trying to run a 3.5" barreled 1911a1 reliably? :banghead:

 

[buzz_knox]

Have you contacted Detonics yet?

 

[zougou]

That's my next step. I was hoping maybe someone had a suggestion that might help.

 

[Jehzsa]

http://www.biggerhammer.net/detonics

 

[buzz_knox]

That's my next step. I was hoping maybe someone had a suggestion that might help.

I'd go ahead and call them. It might be something simple they can deal with over the phone or they might be aware of something the rest of us won't be.

 

[JB in SC]

I can't comment on the new ones, but my old Detonics was very susceptable to limp wristing. You didn't specify the ammo you are using, but the lighter weight stuff didn't work as well for me as the standard bullet weights (ie 230).

 

[zougou]

I've used 230 grain ball ammo exclusively. Of course, the manual states 200 rounds minimum, so I probably should put more rounds through it before I call.

 

[George Hill]

"The round will get its rear stuck in the magazine and the bullet will be pointing upward."
That usually means weak or faulty mag springs.

 

[1911Tuner]

Troubles

George nailed it with:

>That usually means weak or faulty mag springs.<

"Bolt Over Base"...sometimes referred to as a "Rideover Feed" usually occurs on the last round, and is a magazine timing problem. Simply...The slide is outrunning the magazine. A Wolff spring will likely cure it.

 

[zougou]

Thanks for the replies

The included 6 round magazine has a welded or crimped or something base. How would one go about replacing the spring? Replacement magazines are $40 on Detonic's website. Why is it single stack magazines are so expensive?!? (I'm thinking Sig 210, HK P7M8, etc...)

Hmm, I guess it's time to give Detonics a call and maybe they'll swap magazines with me.

Thanks for all of your advice everyone.

 

[TonyRumore]

If the slide is riding over the case rim, then your magazine is probably bad, but that is not really the description you outlined. It sounds like the case head is not sliding up the breech face and will normally occur with the last round in the magazine.

You need to polish out all the crappy tooling marks/gouges that are on the breech face.

Tony Rumore
Tromix Corp

 

[BluesBear]

How would one go about replacing the spring?

Take a brand new, standard #2 pencil.
(I prefer the red ones over the yellow ones but if you can't find a red one a yellow one will do.)

Using the eraser end, push the follower down inside the magazine at least half-way.

Push a small nail through the witness hole closest to (BUT BELOW) the depressed follower.
(Don't worry about the follower being depressed. It'll cheer up later.)

Turn the magazine upside down and shake it and tap it until the follower falls free.

Place the magazine upside down against a table. A towel or newspaper makes a good pad so your wife doesn't garrot you in your sleep for scarring the top of her table.

Pull out the nail.
(If you have ignored my advice and placed the magazine against your thigh and then pulled out the nail, now would be a good time to scream and utter a few carefully thought out expletives.)

Now you can remove the magazine spring.


To reassemble the magazine;

Cut a notch in the unsharpened end of your new pencil and use it to push the spring back into the magazine body.
(If you decide to ignore my advice and not cut a notch, warn the family and make sure everyone including the family dog is wearing eye protection. Also make sure your wife doesn't garrot you in your sleep for knocking a chunk out of her living room ceiling.)

Replacement magazines are $40 on Detonic's website. Why is it single stack magazines are so expensive?!?

Because it's a genuine Detonics magazine. Even though it's really made by someone else.

The original Detonics used a shorter than standard magazine for a flush fit. I have heard that the new ones are designed so that a standard Officers/Defender length magazine will fit flush.

Of course you can still use a standard full size magazine in all of them.

 

[Walt Rauch]

Call Detonics! Don't start INTERNET gunsmithing when you don't know the cause of the problem and those that have not physically shot this gun are but making educated(or not)guesses.


They will, in all probability, (I'm adding my smart or not guess here as well) offer to send you a replacement magazine.

Also you might want to read their website wherein they point out some folks can have malfunction problems regardless. (very enlightening.)

I happen to have one as well and so far, have had ten shooters fire it(factory, ball, standard and +P H and reloaded lead SWs) without malfunctions but only after the first hundred rounds.

 

[George Hill]

"Don't start INTERNET gunsmithing when you don't know the cause of the problem and those that have not physically shot this gun are but making educated(or not)guesses."

***? The advice is for simple striping a magazine, which isn't internet gunsmithing but a how to for a common maintance task... and one of the people advising such is in fact, a gunsmith.
I think someone is a bit too cautious here.

 

[Walt Rauch]

After reading too many uniformed how to fix or what parts have to be replaced for my new XX to work posts, I am indeed over cautious.

I like the Detonics gun and normally have little time for subcompacts.

By the way the Detonics mags are 1/2" shorter than Officer ACP mags.

 

[TGT]

You know....I'm glad the Sigs, Glocks, S&W's and Baretta's of the world (and others) work reliably out of the box without this "200 round break-in" bullcrap. If a manufacturer stipulates a required "200 round break-in", then I WISH THEY WOULD DO IT THEMSELVES AT THEIR FACTORY and leave me out of it, as I don't wish to be their quality control suporvisor without hourly pay and/or benefits!

The way I see it, they should should provide you with a coupon for 4 boxes of ammo, and a $37 credit slip for the required next day shipping of the gun back to their factory, if it still doesn't work reliably!

I've had this crap happen twice with Kahr MK40 pistols 4 years ago. The break-in did nothing but needlessly waste ammo with the two lemmons, and it really peeves me that this new Detonics Company is pulling this same nonsense.

 

[1911Tuner]

Bob Ftf

It doesn't need smithing...It needs a stronger mag spring. The cause of 90%
of all feed malfunctions is the magazine. The cause for 90% of all magazine-related feed malfunctions is a weak mag spring. This is assuming decent ammo is used and the recoil spring in the gun isn't better suited for a truck suspension.

Good ammo...Good magazines...Good extractors...The tripod of reliability.

 

[Tim L]

The magazines are (or were) made by Metalform, I think you can order them directly from their website for about $25. Bear, you may want to mention that the nail needs to go through the witness hole below the follower, some dummy like me might miss-understand and lock the follower in place.

Tim

 

[Walt Rauch]

Tuner; you are 100 correct.

Having said this, note the quote below from the Detonics website;
(Note also they specifically say the gun won't run with Remington Golden Saber.)


".... The guns are working well for just about everyone. Remember: Two or three per cent of the population may experience some difficulty, especially with heavier bullet weights. The difficulty usually devolves to feeding of the last few rounds in the magazine and seems to stem from the way in which the pistol is held as the slide accelerates rearward. Not a Detonics-peculiar problem, persons firing other smaller guns in larger calibers generally have the same difficulty. It has nothing to do with strength or weakness. The good news is that one of our staff – a man – had this problem and continued working with various Detonics pistols as they were tested. As this is written, he has all-but completely overcome the problem. I’ll report further on this positive development which may be of value to shooters not only of Detonics USA CombatMasters but other firearms as well......"

 

[Serpico]

Interesting about the jams...my P7 has last round jams like that with 147 grain ammo...and it does it with allof my 6 mags...I even put in Wolff plus 10 mag springs and I still get the last round pointing skyward thing...wish I could solve it once and for all...

 

[1911Tuner]

Last Round Skyward

The next likely cause is the recoil spring. Most of the chopped 1911 variants
are way oversprung...with much the same result. On Serpico's P7, since the Wolff springs didn't cure it, I'd say that's the next place to look. With an oversprung pistol, either the slide outruns the magazine, or the slide doesn't make full travel. Either one results in a Bolt-Over-Base misfeed.

Detonics says that they won't run with Golden Saber? Interesting.
GS is one of the hollowpoint rounds that my unaltered GI pistols will run with...
from the old-style "Hardball Only" magazines...without so much as a hiccup.
Methinks a good tunin' is in order.

 

[HSMITH]

"Problems with my Detonics", wasn't that a popular song a decade ago or so?

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Agree with the others that the mag spring is weak, and commend Blues Bear for very understandably stating how to change the spring in a fixed floor plate magazine.

 

[TimboKhan]

First, I had no idea that Detonics was even back in buisness. Same owners as before or did someone just buy the name? Secondly, I agree wholeheartedly with the 200 rounds being BS. Sure, most guns need a little breaking in, but I think the manufacturer can absorb the cost of the initial breaking in better than the consumer can. 200 rounds of .45 at, say, $8.50/50 equals $34.00. $34.00 is certainly not a fortune, but it seems like an unnecessary expense given that the consumer has just spent $XXXX.XX on a new gun. Third, and finally, it is of course wise to be cautious about what advice you take on how to take your gun apart and fix it on the internet, but I hardly think instructions on how to take a mag apart qualifies as "internet gunsmithing". Allright then.

Timbo

 

[Walt Rauch]

Dissembling a magazine is not "gunsmithing" but, if you would note the message is to support the advice to change an OEM part - the magazine spring - and substitute one of heavier strength, this is "gunsmithing".

That the Remington Golden Sabers run in a full sized 1911 is meaningless in this context of a much reduced 1911 platform - apples and oranges.

As to small 1911s being "over sprung", some examples would be worthwhile knowing.

If we go back to one of the posts, note there is discussion of trying other magazines. Using a standard or over sized magazine in a micro compact has it's own problems such as it's spring weight not balanced to the short slide/recoil spring.

Why not give the company a chance to advise on the gun before "tuning" which negates any warranty?

 

[BluesBear]

Ya know ANY company that would void your warranty for changing a darn magazine spring is a company that ain't worth fooling with.

I can not believe all of the hubbub over a cotton pickin' SPRING!
A spring that ISN'T even IN the GUN!

Geeeesh, you'd think we were talking using a Dremel or a TIG welder on it.



Come on people, this ain't rocket sugery we're talking about here. :banghead:

I'll say this again...

A properly sprung, 1911 pattern pistol regardless of size will work with any good magazine.