More on Running the 1911

During the past few months I have ran into a number of problems and malfunctions with the 1911 handgun that even at this stage took a bit of time to figure out. Some were operator error caused by a lack of basic knowledge on the shooter’s part. Others needed a deeper look. I have regarded the 1911 as artwork in steel and also as Old Ugly—depends on the moment. Regardless of mood, a properly set up 1911 should be good for at least 600 rounds between cleaning and with minimal addition lubrication along the way.

Incidentally, all of the problems and fixes encountered and discussed here occurred with good quality 1911 handguns. None were Philippine or Turkish guns nor were they parts guns or old GI guns. This brings us to the first lesson. A shooter brought in his Springfield Loaded Model. The problem, he stated, was that the piece would fire fifteen to twenty cartridges just fine then began to short cycle. He had began with Mec-Gar magazines and Remington UMC ball ammunition.

He switched to Wilson Combat magazines and Fiocchi 230 grain ball and had the same results. I examined the pistol and the prognosis was good. The pistol seemed well put together. The problem was that he was running the piece dry. Firing a few rounds resulted in good function but after the pistol became heated it was a no go. I gave the young man a Foremost among these, in the author’s experience, are recoil springs and extractors. schooling on properly lubricating the 1911.

With lube in the slide rails, on the barrel hood, and the barrel where it meets the barrel bushing I ran one hundred rounds of Remington UMC 230 grain ball without incident. The primary billing was for the ammunition and an easy but embarrassing lesson. The second lesson was more complicated. A shooter had purchased the then-new Kimber Custom II 10mm. He was experiencing short cycles with both Remington UMC and Sellier & Bellot ammunition, however, with Hornady 180 grain XTP the piece ran smoothly.

This was interesting. Since his Kimber was delivered with only one magazine, he had ordered two Mec-Gar 10mm 1911 magazines. He really liked the trigger action, sights and accuracy of the Kimber. Also, he claimed this pistol seemed to have less felt recoil than his previous 1911 10mm for some reason. Unlike the first lesson above, this pistol was properly lubricated. It took one range trip and examination to find the answer.

The Remington UMC and Sellier & Bellot FMJ ball loads were clocking 1140 to 1160 feet per second over a RCBS Ammo Master Chronograph. This is hotter than the .40 S&W but far below full 10mm ballistics. The Hornady 180 grain XTP clocked 1269 fps over the same chronograph. The previous 10mm pistol the shooter owned probably used a 18.5 pound recoil spring as it is standard for the .45 ACP. This spring allowed function with generic ammunition while also working with full power loads.

The shooter reported that the previous 10mm sometimes "beat him up" in recoil while the Kimber did not. While there is no easy way to precisely measure recoil spring poundage, but the Kim-

45 ACP extractor. The .38 Super, 10mm, and .45 ACP extractors differ as do those for Series 70 and Series 80 pistols. ber appeared to be properly sprung with a 22 to 23 pound recoil spring. While full power loads weren’t difficult to manage, this was too much for lighter loads to operate. The answer? If the shooter wishes to fire mainly generic ball ammunition he must use a lighter recoil spring. This isn’t difficult and gunsmiths have been using this concept with the .45 ACP and Precision Pistol loads for decades.

The fix was a simple seven dollar recoil spring. The magazine release, barrel bushing, and extractor are common replacement parts. While generally regarded as useful for the .45 ACP 1911, they have proven useful in properly gauging the 10mm 1911 as well. Other fixes required more time. As an example, a 1911 should eject at the proper angle, throwing cases over the shoulder of the shooter. The case ejects to the right with the extractor as the fulcrum. Problems occur when the extractor is too loose.

The cartridge must feed into the chamber, fire, and eject in a controlled and smooth manner. During the feed cycle the cartridge case ejection cut is grabbed by the extractor. This occurs with the cartridge case feeding up from below, never with the extractor snapping over the chambered cartridge case. The cartridge feeds into the chamber and headspaces on the cartridge case rim. The pistol fires and the cartridge case begins to move to the rear as it is extracted.

The extractor pulls the cartridge case from the chamber and the cartridge case bumps into the ejector, sending it flying into the air. The extractor needs good tension to feed and extract the cartridge case. On the other hand, a too-tight extractor will present some difficulty in feeding the cartridge into the chamber. I recently fitted an oversize firing pin stop to a Springfield Armory Mil-Spec that had given the shooter problems. Evidently, the fit of the firing pin stop wasn’t perfect from the factory.

The pistol functioned but the firing pin stop was loose and he simply did not like it. I don’t blame him. There were no malfunctions in firing thousands of cartridges, but it wasn’t a correct fit. The firing pin stop must fit into the extractor groove when the extractor is fitted. Be certain the firing pin stop slides into the extractor groove as you install the extractor. You may need to file and modify the slide stop if the fit is too tight. If too loose, be certain the extractor cannot "clock" or rotate.

The extractor cannot hug the breechface too tightly or the cartridg-

es will not feed properly. The consensus as to the proper clearance for extractor to breechface is 0.0625 inches. If your extractor hook is too tight for good function, look to the rear section of the slot or cut out in the extractor. In some cases you may elect to file the extractor hook, but in my experience the superior course is to work in the relief slot for the best fit. It is also important that sharp edges or burrs be dressed down.

Caliber Differences My experience with 9mm, .38 Super, 10mm, and .45 ACP 1911s indicate that there are different considerations for each chambering. With the .45, the lower part of the extractor hook should be polished to a bevel if it doesn’t exist as issued. The cartridge case rim of the .45 ACP rides up on the belly of the extractor. The .38 Super and 9mm differ. The edge of the hook of the 1911 extractor is catching the rim on these cartridges properly.

The bevel on the extractor should match the individual caliber’s bevel on the extractor groove. This is a Kimber Pro Carry. Adjusting extractor tension is sometimes needed. I do so as a matter of course on my personal 1911 handguns. I remove the complete slide assembly and then remove the barrel. I place the cartridge under the extractor and slip it into place. The extractor should grasp the cartridge firmly but it should not have to be shoved into place.

If excess pressure is needed to snub the cartridge into the breechface tension is too tight. Bending the edge one way or the other may increase or decrease pressure on the cartridge case. This is seldom needed but sometimes works well. I run across low tension more often than often than too tight. Take your time on this adjustment. There are several points of discussion on the ejector. I do not recommend an extended ejector for safety reasons. This is particularly true of Commander-type handguns.

In normal firing the extended ejector isn’t a problem. When unloading a handgun with a chambered cartridge there is a chance that the extended extractor will strike the primer of the cartridge and ignite it. This is bad news and may result in serious injury. I was consulted on once such case. While the shooter’s injuries were not life threatening they were bad enough, especially because they can be avoided. It is true that the longer ejector ejects rounds sooner.

You may even modify the ejector to control the angle the spent case is ejected at. Begin at the top of the ejector and then created a bevel at perhaps a ten degree angle. Also be certain that the ejector doesn’t comes into contact with the first cartridge up in the magazine. Another concern that I ran across again lately is the use of Shock Buffs. These are okay for some uses and they cushion the gun in recoil, but I think intelligent recoil spring choice is more important.

I have examined a pistol that had pieces of the buff chewed up in the dust cover. Luckily, the pistol still functioned. The real problem is that the Shock Buff impedes rearward movement of the slide. With GI-type guns the rearward movement is limited to the point that a spent case ejects fine but it is very difficult to enjoy normal ejection in administrative handling with a loaded cartridge. The magazine must be removed and the slide racked carefully to angle the loaded cartridge out the bottom of the slide.

This seems to invite bumping the primer against the ejector and should be avoided. The 1911 design is rugged and reliable but even the best made examples sometimes exhibit a problem. Often enough it is a misunderstanding with the operator that has resulted in a malfunction but sometimes not. It is our job to sort out and make it right. AG