Diamonds In The Rough: Reluctant 1911s

I have benefi ted a great deal from my research on 1911 pistols. I have enjoyed writing articles and the research often proves to be an enjoyable dig for information. Improving a good firearm is always interesting but straightforward repair of a perplexing problem is a real accomplishment. 1911 pistols often cross my bench that are text book examples of repair work, but others require a bit of research to refresh my memory in procedure.

Sometimes we may repair afirearm with information off the top of our head but more often a bit of research and study is needed. Sometimes we learn new things. One such learning experience came from an Auto Ordnance General’s Model. This is a typical steel frame Commander-type pistol generically referred to as Combat Commanders. Aluminum frame versions are typically called Commanders.

All of these are Government Models with a fourand-one-quarter-inch barrel rather than the full length fi ve-inch barrel, with modification to the barrel bushing and a lightweight frame. While we must be aware of the differences in cycle characteristics, the Commander is much more similar to the Government Model than the shorter Officer’s Model. Just the same, some differences, such as the shorter barrel bushing and taller ejector, exist.

The General’s Model was different in detail from the majority of 1911 pistols I have worked with in that it featured a unique slide stop and magazine, as we will cover. As for the name of the pistol, I am certain the name is a play on the Colt Officer’s Model. A late model Auto Ordnance product, just prior to Kahr production, this pistol was roughly finished in most regards. The slide was a plum color that is often found when the part is removed from the bluing tank too early.

The logo on the left of the slide was stamped too hard and unevenly, with some letters deeper than others and a couple of the letters actually faint. The sights were high visibility Fortunately the fit and function may be tested without afield strip. The barrel on the right has lugs that are being beat up during firing. Something is amiss. types but somehow seemed too large, overfl owing the dovetail on each side. Despite these flaws, the pistol was of good steel as far as I could ascertain.

Unlike quite a few Auto Ordnance pistols I have examined, the trigger and safety were well fitted and quite crisp. I did the standard safety and action check with good results. I cocked the hammer and then applied the safety. I pressed the trigger and the hammer did not fall. Next, I released the safety then reapplied the safety and pressed the hammer to the rear. There was no tell tale click of a poorly fitted safety or sear connection.

The mushy, ill-fitting safety of these parts often found on other Auto Ordnance pistols was not present. The pistol had been returned to a retail outlet with complaints of malfunctions. The new buyer was disgusted and the shop owner traded with him on another piece. My job was to check the General’s Model and correct any problems found.

I did not let the appearance of the pistol discourage me as I have seen rough 1911s work just fine, but test firing was another matter. I used Winchester ball ammunition and Wilson Combat magazines to eliminate any possibility of an ammunition or magazine related problems because this is as reliable a combination as can be found. Ball ammo should feed perfectly and Wilson Combat magazines present the bullet nose more into the chamber and less onto the feed ramp than GI magazines.

Despite this, the pistol short cycled several times and the slide stop bounced into the slide lock in recoil, locking the pistol back. I have experienced this problem with extended slide stops in the past. Often, when firing +P loads my support hand would bounce into the slide stop and lock the slide back during a firing string, but when Ifi red with just one hand fi re I still experienced the same issue. This was not a shooterinduced problem as the slide lock was bouncing into the slide of its own accord.

The 1911 is normally a fail-safe design. The slide will bump the slide lock down if it rises up during firing, so something was amiss. The ammunition was hardball so a too long SWC or JHP bullet could not be blamed for catching the slide stop. The malfunctions continued with different magazines as well. I used one magazine of Winchester Silvertip 185 grain JHPs. The piece fed the hollow point bullets but would still lock back with the slide stop on its own.

I had the box the pistol was delivered in at the shop and as a lark used the original Auto Ordnance magazine on the next range trip. It was a tinny looking thing with a follower that seemed ready to burst from the magazine feed lips. My first impression was that here is a magazine made as cheaply as possible. Imagine my surprise when this magazine functioned flawlessly! The answer here was with the oversize slide stop, an "improvement" I have no use for.

Sometimes, their extra weight gives momentum to the part and they will lock the slide back even if the support hand does not contact it during firing. Sure, a dimple in the slide lock sometimes helps with keeping it in place, and I will outline the dimple procedure later in this report, but I prefer a standard slide lock.

On this particular pistol, the slide stop protruded into the magazine well sufficiently to cause an occasional lock up with any magazines other than the factory-supplied one from Auto Ordnance which was cut sufficiently to allow the slide stop to function properly. I tested with Mec- Gar, Colt, Shooting Star, Cobra, GI, Checkmate, Triple K, Wilson Combat, Les Baer and a few others and none would function except the Auto Ordnance in the General’s Model!

I was surprised that Auto Ordnance turned out a special slide stop that required a purpose-designed magazine in the light of all of the 1911 parts and magazines available but they certainly did. The parts appeared factory original. The pistol did function but who wants a 1911 that is reliable with only one magazine from a defunct company? Current Kahr-produced Auto Ordnance pistols use all standard 1911 magazines and so did most of the old A/O pistols.

I am unaware of a present Auto Ordnance version with extended slide lock and the General’s Model has not been revived by Kahr. The slide stop was oversize in more than one particular area as it proved difficult to remove during afield strip. Both the shaft and the pedal were oversize. I replaced the oversize/extended slide stop with a Wilson Combat slide stop. No fitting was required and the pistol functioned perfectly with a variety of ammunition and magazines.

To add insult to injury during the firing test the plastic medallion in the pistol’s grips fell out. I used Super Glue to restore the estrucheon. It continued to work just fine and seemed permanent enough. I returned the pistol with a note of explanation and a bill for the new slide stop and spent ammunition. No charge for the new gray hairs. I have had considerable experience with slide stops in other pistols that required a bit more work. There are other causes of slide stop problems other than poor design.

Some bullet styles will contact the nose of the slide stop and lock the pistol open during firing. Hand loads are the usual suspect but anew bullet shape in factory ammunition sometimes causes a problem. In some cases the slide stop needs to be fi led, but carefully. This is cut and try, filing a bit and checking function. The slide stop must lock the pistol open on the last round but it must not interfere with feeding. A few strokes and a touch up with Blue Wonder Gun Blue worked with one such Commander.

The overweight slide stop is not recommended for personal defense but the extended type is still found in competition. A good trick is to use a triangular fi le to cut a transverse groove in the back of the slide stop where it comes to the slide stop plunger. The slide stop’s movement is countered by this groove allowing the plunger tube button to take a larger bite. A simpler solution is to make a dimple in the slide stop by taking a punch and hammer to form a dimple into the slide stop and you have it.

In short, the pistol was OK only with the factory magazine. To use other magazines the slide stop had to be replaced and the problem with slide stop mass causing the pistol to go into lock back may have been present in the over weight slide stop with any magazine. Another pistol caused the author to go back and check notes from several years ago.

The owner purchased the pistol on the cheap, a pretty nice Argentine FMAP 1911, however, at close examination he found the pistol was fitted with National Match parts and an aftermarket trigger. My job was to check and be certain the parts were properly fitted. The owner had not fi red the pistol and he is one of those that is rightly cautious with a pistol worked over by those he does not know. The pistol gave every appearance of a handgun that had been

used but not abused. If you know how to install custom parts you should know how to check for proper fit. I did so but the initial firing test bears mention. The pistol looked good as I mentioned and showed a nice trigger compression of four pounds on the RCBS registering trigger pull weight scale. The barrel was a National Match with Colt-type collet bushing. The action was flawless and all parts seemed properly set, but when Ifi red the pistol it refused to extract a cartridge.

Upon stripping the pistol I found the extractor was not serviceable. In fact it was homemade! I have seen this type of thing before and the pistol may have worked for a time but this did not look good. The extractor was of white metal was not likely tempered. I found this quite odd considering the quality of the other work done on this pistol. While I waited for a Wilson Combat extractor to arrive I tested the fit of the National Match parts. This procedure applies to all 1911 handguns.

First, we press the slide to the rear enough to allow the barrel hood to clear and no more. Attempt to turn the barrel by hand. It should be tight and resistant to movement. If there is slop, the pistol will not be very accurate and there may be issues with the link and link pin. A link pin or link that is not properly adjusted will lead to battering. The barrel bushing is responsible for much of the tightness in lockup but the link and pin may be loose and wallowed out.

The National Match barrel is actually thinner than a standard barrel. The thinner section behind the barrel allows the fitting of a match-grade barrel bushing. By these tests, my sample FMAP was fitted very well. When the slide was racked the barrel hood slid into the slide cleanly with no play. The time proven check of pressing down on the barrel while the pistol is locked up produced no downward movement. This was as well fitted a barrel as I had seen.

When sliding the slide stop out of its notch and pressing on the muzzle, the slide stop remained loose, indicating proper fit. If pressure on the muzzle had exerted pressure on the slide stop then the link was too short or the link pin had a problem. Another tell-tale problem sign could be an off center firing pin strike. It was some time later before I tested the piece live but the firing pin strikes were dead center. This simple check of barrel fit serves to check not only your own work but also that of others.

When a pistol is fitted with high grade parts there are high expectations and such checks are very important. When the extractor arrived I wanted to be certain the Modelo 1927 was identical in fit to the Colt. Yes, the few I had worked with years ago had been but more recent experience with many 1911s left the issue in doubt. As it turns out, the Modelo 1927 is Coltlike and very little fitting was needed to achieve proper tension. You can waste a lot of time if you do not set the extractor correctly.

Place the extractor so that it picks up the cartridge case properly while maintaining sufficient tension. You may need to fi le the pad on the extractor slightly. I needed a few strokes on the Wilson Combat extractor and this is normal. The firing pin stop held the extractor correctly and after firing a few magazines full of Winchester USA ball there was no indication of clocking. I had a good fit.

I was pleased that my work seemed to rival the quality of the original artist who had worked with the rest of that Argentine .45. Some further notes on the extractor. The extractor hook should not contact the slide when the piece is locked up or it may be damaged. The hook should not contact the cartridge case head but rather the cartridge case head must slide properly into the extractor slot. The extractor should move about 0.010-inches when a case is picked up.

Once you have seen a few that are set correctly you will be able to read that small amount of movement by eye without further measurement. If you need to bend the extractor to add tension, a point about 1.3-inches back is ideal. This is just in front of the "hump" on the extractor. A number of conclusions may be drawn. The FMAP 1927 Argentine is compatible with National Match parts. When the extractor arrived, fitting was minimal, the hump on the extractor required a few passes and all went well.

The hump behind the claw did not require any more attention than with any other 1911 pistol. Another 1911 that crossed my bench reflected home improvement gone awry. The Rock Island .45 was brought to my office with the comment that something was wrong with the magazine release. The user was certain the magazine release was broken. I double checked the piece to be certain it was not loaded and tried the magazine release. It was in fact

The author could have cut out the magazine release clearance but the customer decided to use the originals instead. very stiff and would not completely depress. I began my examination with the thought that I have enjoyed good success with Rock Island Armory pistols and this piece looked good. The owner reported it was accurate enough and fed hollowpoints. I did not laugh when I discovered the problem.

He had replaced the original grips — note I did not say he fitted them — with a good looking set made of green Cocobolo wood from a reputable maker. I won’t mention the maker and embarrass the company because they usually produce great products, but this one was a mistake. The relief for the magazine release was misplaced on the grip! I swapped them out with another set of grips that had the relief cut in the proper place and this solved the issue.

I offered to cut anew relief in the correct place on the customer’s Cocobolo grips but I was not certain how it would look. The customer instead decided to replace them with the originals. I never dispose of parts that have been replaced until the pistol is up and running and the custom happy and this is another example why. In another case, a home gunsmith fitted an add-on magazine well, the type that attaches to the grip screw extension, and a set of Crimson Trace Lasergrips.

When fitting wooden grips to this type of magazine guide a bit of relief is needed, but this can not be done with Lasergrips due to the mechanism inside. When the pistol was fi red with these accessories bolted on the grips were tilted by the magazine well hooks, tying the slide up! It is worth noting that Lasergrips area good product but sometimes won’t work with certain combinations of other accessories.

I already knew they won’t work with pistols fitted with ambidextrous magazine releases, at least the versions I have worked with. Now we have a caution concerning magazine guides as well. The magazine guide served to move the grips cockeyed. This problem could be experienced with any grip made of synthetic material. While on the subject of accessory issues, I had another customer requesting a Clipdraw on top of a list of custom work.

This device is thin enough to slip under the grips and has an extension that retains the pistol in place when slipping the pistol inside the trouser’s waistline. This is a step above not using a holster at all, but professionals in the personal defense community generally prefer using a proper holster. In working with this customer’s pistol, I discovered the Clipdraw interfered with the newly-fitted ambidextrous safety. Note this doesn’t mean a minimalist affair like the Clipdraw has no utility.

I like this addition for small handguns, especially on snub .38s, but it will not work with an ambidextrous safety on the 1911 and may not be suitable for a fullsize handgun. Complications? Just a learning experience. What did I learn from checking and repairing these 1911s? First of all, to keep an open mind. I knew that Llama and Star produced 1911 variants with proprietary magazines but did not expect this from Auto Ordnance, especially one of older production.

My ignorance is no excuse but the special magazine and slide stop combination was unexpected. The excellent workmanship of the barrel and bushing of the previously-modified Modelo 1927 left me unprepared for such a poor extractor. I probably would not have found that problem in examining the pistol without actually removing the extractor and would have missed the problem if I examined the pistol in a retail outlet.

The fi nal problems were almost silly, in one case unexpected and in the other, simply a matter of parts incompatibility. All I can say it keep an open mind and follow the same procedure as often as possible. These .45s were reluctant to perform properly but with a little coaxing they were quickly back into use. AG