Colt 1911 Jamming...help.

[RamezPower]

So I bought a brand new Colt 1911 Government model. I took it to the range and it keeps failing to feed. I am using the factory magazines that came with it and I am shooting PMC Bronze ammo.

Does anybody have any suggestions that would cause this problem to stop?

[jyo]

A trip to a proper gunsmith is in order---1911s tend to need attention more than modern pistols like HK, Glock, etc. Very old design, needs to be fitted just so---still a good gunsmith will have it purring like a kitten in no time.

[redcliff]

Was it well lubricated?

Be sure to lubricate the inner slide rails, barrel/bushing interface area, the top front of the barrel hood/locking lugs where it contacts the slide and the bottom of the slide which the disconnector and hammer ride on. New 1911's generally like liberal lubrication; just whipe off the excess after hand cycling it a few times.

The next place I'd check would be extractor tension as too much tension can cause failures to feed.

[Cyc Wid It]

Aside from what redcliff said, you'll probably want to invest in better magazines: I would recommend Tripp, Wilson or Chip McCormick.

[Montu]

extra info: I tried my CMC 8rd power mag in his gun and still had ftf

after cleaning it still had feed issues while simply cycling rounds.

[Garand1911]

how many rounds through it? see if the problem clears up after 200-300 rounds.
Different mags might help, but factory colt mags are very good.

if the gun fails to feed, and the bullet is half chambered, try and bump/smack the back of the slide with your hand to see it pushes the round all the way.
you might need to polish the feed ramp and throat the chamber a bit, aka simple gunsmith job.

im picking up my new colt commander 100year model this week, im curious to see how it runs.

[JanG]

shoot 500 rds through it and report back. 1911s tend to need a little bit more break in than modern designs, common with off the shelf production 1911s. some break in earlier, some never do. but 500 seems to be the magic mark.

[ZX-10R]

Was it well lubricated?

Be sure to lubricate the inner slide rails, barrel/bushing interface area, the top front of the barrel hood/locking lugs where it contacts the slide and the bottom of the slide which the disconnector and hammer ride on. New 1911's generally like liberal lubrication; just whipe off the excess after hand cycling it a few times.

The next place I'd check would be extractor tension as too much tension can cause failures to feed.

This OP is your answer. Good call Red. I had the same problem with my Colt. It was tight when I got my XSE it will need good lube not that watery stuff. Took it apart at the range and had some members give me some really thick but good lube...Fixed it quick. Shot over 250 rounds the first time out. My Colt 1911 XSE with 100 Year roll mark is now close to 1000 rounds and runs smooth and reliably. I am on CLP with it after using rem oil.

[Malmon]

Aside from what redcliff said, you'll probably want to invest in better magazines: I would recommend Tripp, Wilson or Chip McCormick.

I second this one. I just shot a new Colt gold cup recently and the supplied factory magazines will not feed reliably. But with Wilson Combat and Kimber Pro-tac mags, the gun runs like a singer sewing machine.

[Black Majik]

Can you confirm when you get the FTFeed? Is it the first few rounds in a full magazine?

[PolishMike]

"jamming" does not give anyone any info to diagnose the problem.
Are you having fails to feed, fire, extract, eject? Stovepipes? ect. Tell us exactly what is happening.

"Jamming" is what Bob Marley did.

[himurax13]

I have used a few colt mags in the past, and they are hands down the worst magazines I have ever used. 3 out of 4 of them had the feed lips bend outwards and all of the innards and the ammo vomited all over the place on me. Brand new 1911's usually need lots of oil and break in time before they become remotely reliable. If you could provide more details on the FTF's or take pictures of them, some better suggestions could be made. You might just need to get the barrel throated.

[Montu]

"jamming" does not give anyone any info to diagnose the problem.
Are you having fails to feed, fire, extract, eject? Stovepipes? ect. Tell us exactly what is happening.

"Jamming" is what Bob Marley did.

did you read his whole post

I was at the range with him and at his house later taking a look at the gun

the problem is FTF it ejects fine the most common ftf happens while loading an empty chamber..in fact you can replicate the problem at home by cycling rounds through the chamber over and over..we did try my chip mccormic mag and the same thing happened.

we should have gotten a picture of the ftf..it was bad enough where you couldn't just tap it to chamber the round.

my SA 1911 ate his ammo fed by his mags just fine.

not sure on the exact round count..OP needs to wake up and answer that one. it has not hit the 500rd mark though.

[ojisan]

If the nose of the round is consistently making its way into the chamber, then it is likely the rear of the round is not rising enough.
This leads to checking for a too-tight extractor or possible breech face roughness.

IARC

[redcliff]

If the nose of the round is consistently making its way into the chamber, then it is likely the rear of the round is not rising enough.
This leads to checking for a too-tight extractor or possible breech face roughness.

IARC

IAO (in after ojisan) good tip and is one of the reasons good close-up's of malfunctions help when trying to diagnose malfunctions over the internet.

It's been my experience that many 1911's that are magazine sensitive are considerably less so after having the extractor tensioned properly.