'Tuner, 'Tuner, 'Tuner!

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Jammer Six

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Are you back, Old Man?

We have issues! :banghead:

:D

My Beloved Milspec has just decided that my reloads aren't fast enough, and has decided to help me.

I have a Wilson slidestop, and last night, my Beloved Milspec started dropping the slide if you slam a magazine in.

I don't know what changed, I've had the Wilson in for a long time.

What should I be looking for?

'Fuff, are you there? Is His Nibs back, yet?

What do you think?
 
Tuner I am not...

Lets see how wrong I can be ? :D

Magazines- what kind and what kind of follower. For instance if a Wilson the polymer might be worn . If metal , is there a burr, deformation, or wear? Does this occcur with a particular mag(s) - does it do this with other mags of different mfg.

I may not have answers - got questions tho' :)
 
Two kinds of mags- I only have two kinds. :D

I have Wilson 47's, and unless the follower wore on all eighteen of them at the same time, that's not it.

I have one mag that 'Tuner sent me- the 'Tuner special.

How can followers have any effect when a full mag is slammed home? :scrutiny:
 
Where I am going is-
Unload the gun, take off the top end, re-ensert the slidestop. Now insert a mag. See the thingamajig of the plastic Wilson follower that contacts the doohicky of the slidestop - yeah that area? Does your mag(s) engage this like the one Tuner set up for you?

Does it make sense after time the wear could cause a problem?

Humm, 'nuther thought ( since I'm on a roll ) I know you use a soft mag brush to clean inside of mags and magwell right? Any chance the springs are weak in those mags and NOT allowing the thingamajig to contact doohicky as supposed to ? What is the word I'm looking for ...timing is off?

18 mags , no way all 18 mags could be a problem. Even I don't have that kind of bad luck...I come close tho'. :)

I'm trying - but still learning ...always will.

Maybe you shot more than 20 rds of that ammo....you know better than that. Ruins the reliabilty dealie don't you know. :D
[Private Joke]
 
Thanks.

But I'm not talking about an empty mag locking the slide back- I'm talking about taking an empty weapon, with the slide locked back, and slamming a full magazine into it, at which point the slide drops.

The follower isn't anywhere near the slide stop. The follower has seven rounds pushing it to the bottom of the magazine.

In the problem I'm having, the follower doesn't touch the slide stop- the magazine is full.
 
Yew Rang?

Jammer, Jammer, Jammer!

Back for a couple hours this crisp fall day before I get crackin' with the dogs.

Check to see if the slidestop is completely engaging the notch...or just on the corner. If it's on the corner, the little shelf that's machined into the back of the Wilson stop may be at least part of your bug. It's there to prevent premature slidelock...but sometimes it can work a little too well.

Stick an empty magazine in the well and slowly pull the slide to lock position.
Watch thhe stop to see if it engages smoothly or if there's a slight hesitation,
even if it engages completely. Hand-cycling gives it more time to engage, but a
slight hitch in the getalong might let it catch on the back corner when live-cycling.
You may need to stone the shelf a little to let the stop get past the plunger.
Easy does it! A little goes a long way.

If engagement is complete...and this probably isn't it...look to see if the stop's
notch in the slide is worn at an angle that would let tension on the slide cam the stop out of engagement. It would have to be worn pretty badly to do it...

FWIW..If I could figure a way to get one to positively lock back, yet reliably release the slide on a power reload...I'd need 25 hours in a day to keep up with demand for that modification... :D
 
It a real easy deal, Tuner, but if I told you how, I would have to k.................well, you know......................finis
 
It looks to me like it's engaging completely.

It drops whether it's locked by the magazine or by hand, and only with a hard slam.

That is, you can lock the slide back carefully, by hand, check that the slide stop is all the way up, and then slam it hard, and have it drop.

Sometimes it takes two slams to drop it.
 
Slam/Wham

Jammer Six said:
It looks to me like it's engaging completely.

It drops whether it's locked by the magazine or by hand, and only with a hard slam.

That is, you can lock the slide back carefully, by hand, check that the slide stop is all the way up, and then slam it hard, and have it drop.

Sometimes it takes two slams to drop it.
Click to expand...

Check both engagement surfaces...back of the stop and the mating surfce in the
notch..to see it they're both square or if one...or both... forms a camming angle that would try to push the stop down. If they look okay, the plunger spring may be weak, or the stop is out-of-spec on the back.

How hard are ya slammin' the magazines in?

Standin' by...
 
Old Fuff said:
This isn't very likely, but it does happen ...

Be sure the plunger tube hasn't come loose.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Ancient and Venerable One.

That was actually one of the first things I checked, simply because it's a thing I know how to fix. :D

Most people check stuff based on what's wrong. I check the gas gauge first, because I know what to do about that. :cool:
 
Jammer:

Perhaps you might try Ol’ Fuff’s Sneaky Trick (OFST) #27.

Beg, steal or borrow another slide stop, or temporarily switch one out of a second gun if you have one. Try it in your errant pistol and see if the problem goes away or continues. This may narrow the search for a solution. It can be excruciatingly difficult to diagnose the exact cause when one can’t actually handle the pistol. We get there, but it takes longer.
 
For only $100,000,000.00 in cash Commander Sparrowhawk (a.k.a.) "Old Fuff" will sell you a full copy of his O.F.S.T's .... :eek: :eek:

Otherwise you'll have to get along with free help ... :evil: :D :D
 
'nuther note to self...

< scribble, scribble, scribble>
Perhaps you might try Ol’ Fuff’s Sneaky Trick (OFST) #27.
Click to expand...

..."snap" < pencil breaks> ...arrgghh < binder is gettng too full to close> ...still waiting for Probationary Reprobate Binder to come in the mail with the new logo'd pencils...Screw the trees and PCs...hardcopy is your friend... ;)
 
'Fuff, you old dog, that was it.

I put another Wilson in, and the problem stopped.

I looked at both of them under 10X magnification, and I will be damned if I can see a difference, but one slams and the other doesn't.

'Tuner, I ran your magazine test several times, and it felt smooth to me.

Thanks, guys, I'm up and running. Again. :cool:
 
Jammer:

I ran into something like this once before. I cured it the “chicken way†by swapping out a part (the slide stop) but on reflection I think what might have happened, was that with use the end of the slide stop plunger burnished itself against the mating surface of the back of the slide stop, while at the same time the spring took a set. When the magazine was “forcefully†inserted the top round would jar the slide enough to allow the slide stop to drop and release the slide. This was more likely to occur if the bottom/rear corner of the slide stop notch in the slide had become rounded and burnished and the bearing surfaces on the slide stop had done the same.

In any case I would suggest that you also try a new plunger and spring just to see what happens. Both parts are inexpensive, but be sure they are top quality - Colt or USGI are the best in my experience. Also you want carbon steel, not stainless.

A problem that starts from git-go is one thing, and is likely caused by a defective part or poor workmanship. These are often easy to diagnose. A problem that suddenly develops in a pistol that is past the breaking-in period is another matter, and often may be caused by wear and tear, or the introduction of something new (new magazines, new aftermarket part, additional lubrication or lack of it, etc.) These call for a massive application of brain-power followed by careful examination.

One last trick. Field strip the pistol, replace the slide stop, and while using automotive feeler gages measure the distance between the back end of the slide stop and the front of the plunger tube. Excessive gap = less plunger pressure. This seldom happens, and when it does it’s usually because of a short (or shortened) slide stop. The only reason I bring this up is because it seems that most or all of the aftermarket part manufacturers use different blue prints, and sometimes incorporate “improvements†of their own design.

Examining a part(s) with 10X magnification is often helpful, but combine that with a micrometer or dial caliper and look for dimensional differences between the part that works vs. the one that doesn’t.
 
1911Tuner said:
Excellent! Now, try the one that lets it slam in the other gun. Might work okay in that one. Go figger...
Click to expand...

It was a spare. I'm not sure where it came from- I ruined a few new ones when I was figuring out how to put a dimple in the end of them when I owned that Micro, but this one doesn't look like I touched it.

It as just hanging out in my parts box, waiting for Old Fuff to teach me how to be sneaky.

Except, of course, when he does it, it's sneaky, when I do it, it's crafty.

Old Fuff said:
Jammer:
In any case I would suggest that you also try a new plunger and spring just to see what happens. Both parts are inexpensive, but be sure they are top quality - Colt or USGI are the best in my experience. Also you want carbon steel, not stainless.

One last trick. Field strip the pistol, replace the slide stop, and while using automotive feeler gages measure the distance between the back end of the slide stop and the front of the plunger tube. Excessive gap = less plunger pressure. This seldom happens, and when it does it’s usually because of a short (or shortened) slide stop. The only reason I bring this up is because it seems that most or all of the aftermarket part manufacturers use different blue prints, and sometimes incorporate “improvements†of their own design.

Examining a part(s) with 10X magnification is often helpful, but combine that with a micrometer or dial caliper and look for dimensional differences between the part that works vs. the one that doesn’t.
Click to expand...

I'll do it! Thanks again!

Probably this weekend, but I'll compare what I can measure to Kuhnhausen's specs.

Now I have a slide that feels slow, but tomorrow I'll start another thread about that so the searches will work right.

Thanks again, guys!
 
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