1911 first round ftf question

[entgunguy]

i have a para lda carry 6.45
after three trips to the range i am having ftf on the first round on a regular basis. with an unfired totally clean gun i can hand cycle without any issues- multiple magazines as well as 3 different brands of fmj. after firing 1-2 magazines i start having ftf with the first round. the bullet winds up angled upwards. this happens regardless of how many rounds i have loaded in the magazine and occurs using the slide release or boomeranging the slide. i have tried the factory magazine along with a chip mccormick and a wilson magazine.
i checked the extractor tension and that seems fine.
is this issue a feed ramp problem or secondary to a weak recoil spring?

any input would be appreciated.

[bountyhunter]

Have you "slow cycled" a round by hand to see where it hits on the feed ramp?

the bullet winds up angled upwards.

Do you mean straight up or started into the barrel?

Picture would help.

[entgunguy]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ebcrw8j0zckhjb8/20151228_174124.jpg?dl=0

actually when i tried slow cycling this replicates the ftf.

[Capt.Dunsel]

Para LDA ? When was the last time you changed out your springs?

Mine only does that with old weak springs .( But I always carry a couple extra)

And on a similar note , make sure your spring is installed the correct direction , sometime turning them front to back , back to front helps .

[entgunguy]

bought it many moons ago and it sat as a safe queen. only took it out recently so i assume it should not be a worn out spring. would you recommend a heavier spring?

[LowThudd]

I am thinking extractor issue, if it does this with any mag. Have you tried a different mag?

[ojisan]

Strangely, a failure to feed at the front of the case is often caused by issues at the back of the case.
The back of the case is not rising up and centering on the breech face.
Usually this is because the extractor is too tight, or not properly beveled/ smoothed on the bottom area of the hook.
Also look at the firing pin hole...make sure it does not have a ridge sticking out into the breech face.
If so, you can use a drill bit and light hand pressure to slightly chamfer the edge of the hole.

Ammo rim diameter does vary slightly.
Ammo with wider rims accentuates an extractor fit issue.

[entgunguy]

tried slow cycling. could not reproduce ftf with the mccormick or wilson magazines.

[entgunguy]

firing pin hole is clear.
how do i determine if the extractor tension is too tight?

[ojisan]

Too much to type, vids on you tube are better explanations anyway.
Watch a couple from the big name guys and then see what you think of your extractor.

[LowThudd]

Not your issue, but lot's of extractor info inn these two threads.

https://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=507635

https://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=507560

[bountyhunter]

bought it many moons ago and it sat as a safe queen. only took it out recently so i assume it should not be a worn out spring. would you recommend a heavier spring?

I doubt it's the spring. I happen to own a Para LDA 1640 that came new with horrible feed problems. I suspect your could be fixed by polishing the feed ramp and "radiusing" the top of the feed ramp into the throat. Also polish the top inside of the barrel throat.

It is also true that hang up can be extractor related. Not only the tension, but the "radius" of the lower edge that the rim of the round rolls up into.

[bountyhunter]

firing pin hole is clear.
how do i determine if the extractor tension is too tight?

With a Weigand gauge and a trigger pull gauge.

http://www.jackweigand.com/etg.html

http://www.amazon.com/RCBS-Premium-Trigger-Pull-Scale/dp/B000G738XI/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1451374638&sr=8-4&keywords=trigger+pull+gauge

[OttoLoader]

Check head space

[LowThudd]

Check head space

How would that cause only the first round to fail to feed?