1911 FTF! help please!!

[apbrian112]

hi guys, i just recently acquired a bul m-5 from one of my buddies and he's had ftf's since he's had the pistol. he's had about 200 rounds through the tube and the ftf's will happen about 1 or 2 times a mag (10 rds). any suggestions on what to look for to remedy this problem. here are some pics of the ftf in action.






any help would be appreciated! thanks guys!
-brian-

[Franksremote]

FTFs are almost always one of three things:
- Mags (does this happen with every mag or only one of them? Number your mags so you know if it's a particular one.)
- Extractor (is the tunnel clean? Tuned properly?)
- Ammo (all ammo or only ... ? Factory or reloads? SWCs?)

Could also be the recoil spring if you've gone too light.

[Kruzr]

A couple of things can cause this.
1. Weak magazine springs. The magazine spring isn't strong enough to get the round up under the extractor in time.

You could try new magazine springs but before you spend any money, see 2.

2. Too much extractor tension. The most common cause of an extractor gaining tension is a build up of the dreaded black crude in the extractor channel reducing the ability of the extractor to flex.

Remove the FP stop plate and the extractor and clean the channel. Replace the extractor and stop plate. With the slide off, slip a loaded round under the extractor so the primer is over the FP hole. Shake the slide. The round should wobble but not fall out. If it falls out, you need to bend the extractor to give it more tension.......a little goes a long way.

If it's held tight to the breechface, then it's too tight and needs to be bent the other way. The round should be held in place by the locater pad of the extractor.......the flat part behind the hook.

[apbrian112]

FTFs are almost always one of three things:
- Mags (does this happen with every mag or only one of them? Number your mags so you know if it's a particular one.)
- Extractor (is the tunnel clean? Tuned properly?)
- Ammo (all ammo or only ... ? Factory or reloads? SWCs?)

Could also be the recoil spring if you've gone too light.

1. it happens with all the mags i have
2. i'll have to check this out. and clean it out if it's dirty.
3. ammo i've put through it is WWB and Fiocchi 230 grain ball ammo.

i don't think it's the mags cus it'll do it when i hand cycle also, giving ample time for the next round to get to the top. i'm also gonna change out the recoil spring to a 18 1/2# spring.
thanks for the help guys!

[Franksremote]

1. it happens with all the mags i have
2. i'll have to check this out. and clean it out if it's dirty.
3. ammo i've put through it is WWB and Fiocchi 230 grain ball ammo.

i don't think it's the mags cus it'll do it when i hand cycle also, giving ample time for the next round to get to the top. i'm also gonna change out the recoil spring to a 18 1/2# spring.
thanks for the help guys!

Shouldn't have to go that heavy with the recoil spring. Check extractor tension and tunnel cleanliness. I take it that it's hitting the top of the chamber and getting caught up? Full mag or with a few left in the mag? Previous post about mag springs may apply. Take them out of the mag and "stretch" them (on one of the mags) to see if that helps. Does the gun cycle smoothly? Any hangups?

[Stormfeather]

Shouldn't have to go that heavy with the recoil spring. Check extractor tension and tunnel cleanliness. I take it that it's hitting the top of the chamber and getting caught up? Full mag or with a few left in the mag? Previous post about mag springs may apply. Take them out of the mag and "stretch" them (on one of the mags) to see if that helps. Does the gun cycle smoothly? Any hangups?

Good advice guys! Hows the shop working out? Ive been meaning to stop by and pick up a toy or two!

Semper Fi

[Franksremote]

Good advice guys! Hows the shop working out? Ive been meaning to stop by and pick up a toy or two!

Semper Fi

THanks for asking, the shop's goin' good. We're working on more and more in-stock items and services to better serve everyone. BigMac works over a mean glock trigger on top of the rifle work he does, Rich is building and modding ARs faster than ever, and the 1911/2011 custom work is being well received. Come by and visit, between the Saigas, ARs, Benellis, Ubertis, Ed Browns and others as well as the reloading stuff that we're now authorized to sell direct, I think we're going in the right direction.

[cho034442]

Follow waht Kruzer said. Typical 3-point-jam with some 1911. You may also need to ploish the feed ramp and breech face. Try using new Wilson 47D or ACT-MAG (8 rds) first. Once those works, then try the 10 rds.
Worst case, send it to a Simth to work this out.

[TMC]

Polish the breech face so the round will slide up easily, check the bottom edge of the extractor just behind the hook. Some have a sharp 90 corner that can dig into brass and stop the round from sliding up. Also check the lower edge of the feed ramp for any sharp edges. Don't worry about mag springs, if the other parts are tuned right it should load with almost no upwards pressure.

Good luck

[Bongos]

Follow waht Kruzer said. Typical 3-point-jam with some 1911. You may also need to ploish the feed ramp and breech face. Try using new Wilson 47D or ACT-MAG (8 rds) first. Once those works, then try the 10 rds.
Worst case, send it to a Simth to work this out.

I think he has a wide body 1911

[apbrian112]

yeah, the bul is a widebody 1911 taking double stack mags. i'll check out the stuff you guys suggested and if all else fails, kings gun works is right down the street and they seem to have a pretty good rep when it comes to working on 1911's. thanks guys...

[apbrian112]

well, i just got back from TFL in burbank and am happy to report, zero FTF with about 100 rounds through it today. all i did was stretch out the mag springs out and reinstall them, on the one stock mag i had, i just installed a arredondo Para14 follower in it, and it worked flawlessly.
thanks for the help guys!!

[Franksremote]

Glad to hear things went well at the range today. They're fun when things work

If you want to get to the bottom of it, try with mags that you didn't "stretch" and see if it happens again. 100 rds isn't much and you want to be able to identify the problem to correct it.

[apbrian112]

yeah, i know that 100 rounds isn't much and i plan on running another 250-300 rounds through it before i use it in competition. but from going from 1-2 FTF's per mag to none in 10 mags is a good start. i'm planning on purchasing some new 10% stronger wolff springs for my para tubes and just replacing the followers in my other mags. hopefully the FTF's are a problem of the past for this pistol. thanks again for all the help guys...
-brian-

[cho034442]

Thanks for pointing out that the M5 has wide body, Bongos.
Glade to see that there is improvement. Since it is fairly new, maybe just need to shoot a few more rounds through it.
If you haven't done this already, I would also lube it before you shoot it and then every 300~400 rounds, if you continue shooting it.
I lube my 1911 .45 with a drop on the barrel hood and smear it all over the area, one drop on the front of the rail and one on the back on both sides, one drop on each barrel locking lug and one drop on the breech face and smear it over the entire face. Hope this works out for you.