1911 always jamming

[grnsierra01]

I need some help guys. I have a Springfield 1911 A1 that has about 600-700 rounds through it and it has always had a slight jamming problem, but today i put about 120 rounds through it and it was getting ridiculous. I cleaned it three times while at the range today and it would help a little but not much.

I was trying to find out what ammo it liked best, so I put several mags of Winchester 230 gr FMJ whitebox, Remington UMC, Blazer steel rounds and just a few 185 gr Winchester flat nose FMJ's through it. They all jammed a lot, but the Blazer steel rounds had the least number of jams. By jams, i mean that it does not extract the spent shell.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks for any help!

[xounlistedxox]

Sounds like the extractor might be bent, broken, or in need of tuning.

And by "several clips" you probably meant "several magazines"

[brassburnz]

Failures to extract with a 1911 could be related to the shooter. If you limp wrist your gun, it will not cycle properly resulting in failures to extract and eject.

[grnsierra01]

i am pretty sure that i don't "limp wrist" it, and I i looked at the ejector and at least what is visible from the top of the slide it looks intact and functional.

i might take it by my local shop and see if the gunsmith can find something.

thanks for the help!

[xounlistedxox]

Even if the extractor is in tact it could be worn, or not tuned properly, so taking it to a gunsmith would be a good first step if he knows about 1911's.

Have you changed the barrel on this 1911? The only other thing I could think of would be that the chamber is too tight.

[grnsierra01]

No, it is the original barrel. Now that you mention it, I bought some Magtech hollow points and they would not eject at all and it was extremely hard to eject a round that had not been spent...i mean really hard! I bring this up because they had a slight bulge that outlined the bullet on each case.

How do you fix a "tight chamber"? Can it be milled out or does this mean a new barrel is in my future?

[vta]

search youtube for tunning 1911 extractor. there are some videos showing you what a properly tuned extractor should look like. Have you narrowed it down to extraction failures nd not ejection failures? What does the failure look like? Stovepipe?

[Exposed]

What mags are you using? Try different mags, Chip McCormicks, Wilson Combat, and Novak mags are what I use. 1911s are very dependent on the types of mags they use.

Edit: Not extracting could also be related to weak springs. Try Wolff springs. Again, thats what I use.

http://www.gunsprings.com/

[grnsierra01]

it has never been modified, but i will have to check into the warranty. i have had it for a little over three years and i bought it from a guy that bought it new but never fired a round.

[vta]

No, it is the original barrel. Now that you mention it, I bought some Magtech hollow points and they would not eject at all and it was extremely hard to eject a round that had not been spent...i mean really hard! I bring this up because they had a slight bulge that outlined the bullet on each case.

How do you fix a "tight chamber"? Can it be milled out or does this mean a new barrel is in my future?

ummm. I would start with hand cycling snap caps a handful of times a day between now until you hit the range again. Keep an eye on the snap cap to see if it develops a lot of wear and you will start to learn where the problem might be.

it's not unusual for a dirty gun to have this kinda problem worsen as time goes on since you are getting more and more build up in the chamber as you shoot more. Really soak that chamber with something like CLP next time you clean it. I think those blazer rounds are actually aluminum. They tend to expand more than brass so it would make more sense if those have higher fte issues. Steel case ammo on the other hand do not expand as much as brass so it should have less issues with a tight chamber.

[rero360]

Before you spend your money on a smith, you can try to tune it yourself if you feel confident enough. Its pretty easy actually, all you do is remove the extractor and you'll see that its kind of bent in the center, there should be a mark on it where they hit it with a flame. What you do next is bend it alittle bit more, don't need to hulk out on it, just a lil bit will do.

When you reenstall it, it should feel a bit more snug going in, this means you did it right. Then reassemble it pistol and go shoot some rounds.

[grnsierra01]

I used the factory 7 round mags, a couple of Wilso Combats and a couple of Pro Mags. They all had the same problem and i used different ammo in each mag to try to eliminate the mags as the problem.

[Ducman]

what kind of ammo do you use? I heard somewhere (forgot w/c forum) that SA are a bit finnicky when it comes to hollowpoints. Don't have first hand experience, too lazy to do search.

[paladin4415]

If it is a failure to extract the spent casing, then it is most likely your EXTRACTOR. It probably just needs to be tuned.
Do you know how to check a 1911 extractor for proper function?
Have you ever removed yours for cleaning?

[ojisan]

1911s should always have rounds fed into the chamber from the magazine.
Placing a round in the chamber and then dropping the slide will bend or break the extractor after a few times.
The extractor should be bent to have just enough tension so it will hold a loaded round of ammo against the breech face.
This is checked with the slide off the frame.
It should take 2-3 pounds of pressure to slide the round under the extractor.
Yes, the chamber should be checked for build up of grunge, but having it reamed oversize is not usually the fix, especially if it has worked fine in the past.