1911 Reliability

Every so often we see a feature in the popular press about "reliability secrets of the 1911" or some such. These features are often accompanied by instructions for the laymen on using the Dremel tool with a disclaimer added that such work is performed at your own risk. Perhaps not risk of life and limb but risk of ruining a fine handgun. Over the years I have seen many pistols butchered and most of them were 1911 handguns.

As a young man I also saw the rear quarter panels cut out of ’57 Chevys to allow the use of wide tires and other butchery jobs. It is simply a human trait and one that ends up sending a lot of guns and cars to the shop. Some call it "tinkitis" or the urge to tinker. When it comes to the 1911 we are dealing with a pistol that was designed to be reliable above all else. This propensity to fire with every pull of the trigger revolved around a load using the 230 grain full metal jacketed bullet at 830 feet per second.

Between World Wars much effort went into convincing the pistol to reliably digest cast bullet target loads using 185 to 200 grain semi wadcutter bullets. Beginning in the 1960s shooters attempted to modify the pistol to feed well with wide mouth hollow point bullets designed for personal defense use. Practically every open mouth design of the day required feed ramp modification. The bullets were poorly designed and not every gunsmith knew how to do a feed ramp polish.

The proverbial throating job was undertaken by gunsmiths who had only occasionally seen 1911 pistols in the shop. The results were often detrimental to reliability with any cartridge. In some cases the only answer was another frame. Evolution Gun Works now offers a rugged frame insert for aluminum frame pistols that will salvage such a pistol for use. Most of the 1911 handguns I encountered in my youth were Colt pistols with the the occasional Star or Llama.

The Star is OK, but the Llama was never a pistol I would trust for personal defense. Since then there have been a number of quality pistols introduced that rival or exceed Colt quality but not all of the 1911 handguns introduced have been quality examples like the Kimber or Springfield. The various Spanish copies are best described as ironmongery but even domestic production has sometimes exhibited poor fit and finish.

On the custom scene, a number of relatively expensive handguns have been produced by mating outsourced frames and slides to low bid internal parts. There are not a lot of fellows like Bill Wilson making 1911 handguns. Wilson’s guns are made to be the finest possible, but many pistols are made to undersell the competition and sell as cheaply as possible. When these pieces come into the shop it is like the 1960s all over again.

The quality handguns often show trouble at high round counts and need simple parts replacement. The inexpensive handguns come out of the box with trouble. Even wear is more easily addressed that eccentric wear caused by poor initial fitting at the factory. Let’s look at the correct procedure for getting the 1911 up and running. The basis for these procedures is proven and the tools traditional but to an extent each pistol is an individual.

Few will demonstrate every problem mentioned but a process of elimination will lead you to the fault line. And come to think of it there have been occasional problem handguns that have exhibited practically every possible 1911 function problem. They are few and far between but they exist. Ejection and Extraction The 1911 is a controlled feed design. The extractor picks the cartridge case rim up as it rises from the magazine and remains in control of the cartridge case as it bumps over the feed ramp.

The extractor remains in charge as the pistol fires, pulling the cartridge case from the chamber with the ejector kicking the case out of the ejection port. Extraction and ejection is positive but sometimes needs improvement. As an example, ejection port dimensions are important for critical function. Original 1911 pistols sometimes beat up brass, making it difficult or impossible to reload.

It is no problem ejecting a spent case with its 0.898 inch length but ejecting a full length cartridge at 1.250 inch during administrative handling or in the case of a dud round, is more difficult with the original size ejection port. Many modern pistols feature an enlarged ejection port. Some of these are enlarged properly and smoothly polished but quite a few are less than smooth. The answer is machine work to enlarge the ejection port.

This procedure is variously known as lowering or scalloping the ejection port. In the original specification for the 1911 pistol the bottom of the ejection port is designed to ride at 0.615" above the slide rails. The ejection port may be lowered with other tools but most of us will use a milling machine, dropping the ejection port to ensure proper ejection and administrative handling. An overlooked step is to carefully smooth and polish the inside of the ejection port at this point.

Look at the bottom inside edge of the

With careful fit and polish the gunsmith may achieved reliability with every bullet type. With most loads this port works just fine. port and carefully bevel this surface. With care and a steady hand, a nice step is to flute the rear of the ejection port just almost to the extractor tunnel. With the ejection port properly lowered and polished the reliability of the handgun is aided with all types of ammunition and far easier to properly manipulate during administrative handling.

Extraction tension may or may not be important. I say it may not be important because I have checked perfectly reliable handguns that exhibit almost no extractor tension as measured with the RCBS trigger pull gauge or the excellent Weigand tool. What is really needed is a good sharp bevel on the extractor hook. If the extractor hook is not properly beveled then it will not be positive in action. A jeweler’s file is ideal for sharpening the extractor hook.

Simply fitting anew Wilson Combat extractor is another route, but then the hump on the extractor must be filed to fit. The extractor may run for many years without trouble but a frequent check up is indicated in a hard use pistol. FTF Failure to fire is most often attributed to tinkitis. The hammer following after the slide cycles is usually because of a butchered hammer and sear connection or a defective disconnect.

Excess polishing during an attempt at a trigger job is often the demise of an otherwise good pistol. The sear spring should be full power and in good condition. Custom aftermarket triggers that are not properly adjusted will sometimes prevent the hammer from falling. The over travel screw must not stop the trigger short, This is a Bar-Sto barrel. It is still shooting, although the link pin is pretty loose. Perhaps I should complain to Colt… so there must be at least a little over travel.

The trigger must move in the receiver unimpeded. A good step is to polish the trigger bow and remove any burrs or raised spots. Otherwise, the trigger bow will rub on the magazine. All magazines are not created equal and some are more susceptible to interference with the trigger than others. I recently corrected a rather nagging problem in a late production Colt that was dragging on an aftermarket extended magazine using just this polishing technique. Another FTF problem is a regular with the 1911.

The 1911 firing pin tunnel sometimes collects gunpowder, powder ash or congealed oil. A

Above and All procedures apply otherwise. light primer strike is often the result. The firing pin tunnel should be thoroughly cleaned before any other remedy is pursued. A broken firing pin is always a possibility as well. 1911 Safety Check I have detailed this safety check many times as taught to me by the late T. N. Hughston and it works with all 1911s. There are special steps for those pistols with positive firing pin blocks and we will also cover these steps.

The basic safety check was probably in use by Army gunsmiths This is a safety from Ed Brown and hammer from B. T. Snc out of Italy. The system is straightforward. since World War One. This test must be performed on new handguns, prospective purchases, and after any type of work is performed on a 1911 handgun. With the pistol triple checked to be certain it is unloaded, cock the hammer and place the pistol on safe. Press the trigger. There should be no trigger movement. Next, take the safety off.

The hammer must not fall. Place the safety on again and press the trigger. Release the safety while listening to the receiver of the pistol—the sear should not click. If the disconnect has moved you will hear the sear resetting after the safety is applied. Testing the firing pin block is simple enough. With the pistol triple checked to be certain it is not loaded, will cock the hammer and apply the safety. Insert a pencil or small punch into the firing pin channel and attempt to press the firing pin forward.

It should not budge. The next step requires some finesse and the use of three hands, but it can be done. The trigger must be pressed completely to the rear while holding the ham-

, a lifesaver for abused 1911 handguns. mer in the cocked position. Resting the hammer against the bench works, as does pressing the trigger against a wooden dowel mounted on the bench. With the trigger pressed completely to the rear, press the firing pin forward. It should move forward unimpeded. Colt and Para- Ordnance are Series 80-type, trigger-actuated blocks. With the Kimber, the grip safety blocks the firing pin and the grip safety must be fully depressed to allow the firing pin to move forward.

There are other problems that occasionally arise with the 1911. Improperly cut grip panels and aftermarket magazines of varying thickness are among these. Using top quality aftermarket parts from Ed Brown and Wilson combat is one means of keeping the pistol functioning. It isn’t unusual to find a breechface that needs to be relieved (opened) or that is so rough it snags brass cases. Some of the foreign guns are the worst offenders but domestic makers are not exempt.

Today, anyone with a bench to work on may purchase the frames, receivers and internal parts to produce anew 1911 handgun. Sometimes the frames and slides are just fine but attention to detail in assembly is poor. It is very much buyer beware with these companies, some of which seem to last only a few months before closing the doors. They provide a fertile field for the gunsmith. Another concern is the use of a Commander-type ejector in the Government Model pistol.

While supercharging ejection seems like a Something is very wrong. good idea, I am leery of the too long ejector. A dirty chamber, a shooter exerting pressure on the slide to clear the stuck case and a too long ejector may result in a firing of the cartridge when the pistol is out of battery. I prefer to stay with the standard ejector. Something else to consider are full length guide rods. Some prefer the FLGR while others despise them, there is some evidence that the FLGR adds to reliability.

However, all guide rods are not created equally. Some are longer than others and may actually meet and beat into the locking lugs. It is not unusual to

The FLGR is popular but the shorter rod is less trouble in field stripping. T. Snc trigger bow is smooth. If there is any binding during installation be certain to polish the trigger bow. find a FLGR with the end toward the lugs beat up during recoil from making contact with the locking lugs. A bit of polish shortens the FLGR just enough to allow clearance without battering. Spring Rates We have covered springs extensively in these pages.

Sometimes the best choice is to throw away the gun load of springs and begin anew with a pack from Wolff Gunsprings. Mismatched springs area nightmare and the springs are not easily checked for weight. Mismatched hammer springs and recoil springs are common. The typical gun owner doesn’t understand that the hammer spring also controls the speed of the slide in recoil. A lightweight hammer spring coupled with a heavy recoil spring is counter intuitive. Feed Reliability We saved the best for last.

At one time both commercial and military .45s featured only a slight bevel leading into the chamber. The bevel was centered in the barrel feed ramp and worked just fine with ball ammunition. The trick is to extend this bevel across the lower part or throat of the barrel. It is best to begin with the Dremel and finish up with hand polishing, allowing a mirror polish. When working the frame por- It is a stress relief slot on the 10mm Delta Elite.

This little caddy is a great help in convincing a 1911 to work properly. tion of the ramp I use only a hand tool wrapped in abrasives. Slow and careful is the rule. Remember, the 1/32-inch gap between the two portions of the feed ramp must always be preserved. The breechface is sometimes rough with the middle of the road pistols and almost always with the inexpensive pistols. The breechface should be polished with particular attention to the firing pin hole.

The firing pin hole often is a bit rough and demands a polish to achieve the goal of not snagging the feeding cartridge case. AG

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