Springfield GI Loading Problems

[M1A Rifleman]

A friend of mine has a new Springfield GI model with less that 200 rounds through it. He mentioned today that when loading 7 rounds in the mag, it will not load the first round. The round tends to catch on the feed ramp. He says loading less than 7 there is not problem. He also mentions it is difficult to load 7 in the mag. He has tried three different mag - 2 SA type that came with the pistol and 1 Kimber mag.

Any suggestions other than only loading 6 in the mag?
I'm wondering if it is a break-in issue??

[old and wary]

Try a wilson mag

[xxdabroxx]

Mags seated into the frame well?

Mags have enough tension in the front portion of the follower to force the nose of the bullet up?

Feed ramp rough?

What method is used to slam the slide forward?

What type of ammo?

[powaybob]

Assuming you have eliminated what xxdabroxx suggested, try using one less round in the magazine. This was mentioned at the Front Sight course I took last month- sometimes the spring is too stiff and needs to break in a bit before loading the full number of rounds.

I don't understand the metallurgy of this and I am a bit skeptical of the explanation, but I had the problem with my GI for a while but after a few hundred rounds its ok now.

[M1A Rifleman]

Thanks, you confirmed my hunch on the break-in. He was using WW white box. He stated he had the mag seated. Since he stated the problem occurs with three different mags, one being a Kimber, I doubt it is a magazine or magazine seating problem unless the mag lock is rough and problematic. He does mention it is tough to load seven in the mags due to a tough spring, which is weird to me as I have never experiend this as problem with 45 acp mags.

He is a noob to guns, but I'm surprised at this type of a problem - also he's having problems with a 10/22.

I will let him know to keep working with it to break it in.

[ajaffe]

It takes a good amount of effort to get a fully loaded, brand new magazine to seat properly with the slide forward.
Does this problem repeat itself with the slide open?


Powaybob: It is not metallurgy per say. Repeated compression and decompression of a spring is what causes wear. This is the same reason that you can leave a magazine loaded forever and the spring will be fine.

[BiggPa]

get some snap-caps to work it all in at home. also more work in at the range.

look fro rough spots where the round makes contact. look for places where the round has rubbed on the pistol. there might be some high spots.

have him document the problem fairly well, then talk to Springfield if all else fails

[xxdabroxx]

Is it good and lubed? If he just got it it may be a bit dry?

Dunno, grasping at straws.

[M1A Rifleman]

I have not seen him action. He reports the gun is lubed. From his description it sounds like the bullet is sticking on the feed ramp when he operates the slide. He says with 7 in the mag, the top bullet take on more of a flat angle. With 6 in the mag he reports the bullet tends to angle upward more inline with the barrel.

Things I will suggest he check:
1. Fully seated mag
2. Rough spot on the feed ramp
3. Try another brand of ammo
4. Make sure rounds loaded correctly in mag

[xxdabroxx]

make sure if you press on the front of the follower while its empty that it will not stay down. It needs to come back up when you release. Otherwise it could be feed lip related, but i dont know a lot about tuning feed lips.

Run the slide forward slowly and try and watch the release of the cartridge. Compare it to another pistol if at all possible.

[Renshai]

I was just gpong to say feed lips or famp, but if the profile of the 7th round is different on presentation than the 6th, its probably a feed lip or follower issue. Do some hunting and find a mag that works with the 7th round and compare, and then using very careful movements, make the feed ips on his mag match....Or just buy Wilson mags

[SNEAKS]

Sounds like a feed ramp issue, it may need to be polished. Also is he using the slide stop to release the slide forward or pulling it back to release for the first round. Sometimes the break in period can be touchy on some 1911s. I also like to run them sloppy wet with lube for the first 500 rounds. Worst case is has to call Springfield to get a shipping label to send it back. They have some of the best customer service and will figure it out.

[PutTogether]

Just because it is happening with two different types of mags, doesn't mean that both kinds of mags aren't crappy.

Stock magazines in most 1911s suck. Sticky, gritty, sharp feed lips that hurt your thumb, flimsy steel, don't seat right, etc etc etc.

[$P-Ritch$]

I agree with SNEAKS. I had the same problem with my SA Lightweight Operator 1911. I put about 600 rounds through it and still no "break-in" to solve the issue.

So, I called SA and they emailed me a shipping label to send the gun back to them and quoted about 4-6 weeks to check it out. 8 days later I had it back in my hands. I've put another 400 rounds through and hadn't had so much as a hiccup

according to the invoice they polished the feed ramp along with a few other minor checks.

[Sheldon]

Could be he is riding the slide shut as well. Newbies seem to think they need to slow the slide down as they drop it for some reason.