1911 advice on fixing a failure-to-feed issue

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bearddevil

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Hey all - I recently acquired a hybrid Para-Ordnance/Delta Elite .40 1911, and I took it to the range for the first time today. It's accurate as all get out, but I had a large number of failures to fully chamber a round. I'm using jacketed flat-point bullets, in a load that's worked well for every other .40 I've ever had. What seems to be happening is the slide isn't returning to battery with sufficient force to strip and chamber the round fully. Why this is happening, I'm not entirely certain. The technical nitty-gritty: Para Ordnance frame, which is cut for a non-ramped barrel, but the feed ramp is nicely polished. Wilson barrel, with the throat and hood also nicely polished. I've used 2 different (brand new) Mec-gar magazines and one STI mag. It seems to happen more with the STI mag, for whatever reason. It's also got a full-length recoil spring guide, reverse-cut plug, a shock-buff, and a recoil spring of an as-yet-undetermined weight (anyone have a good way to test that?). I spent some time this evening gently polishing the feed ramp, throat and hood, but I am wondering if I'd be better off with a stiffer recoil spring, or losing the shock-buff, or trying different magazines, to get something that maybe seats a little higher, or trying a different load or bullet type (though I'd prefer to have a gun that feeds ANYTHING).

Anyone out there have any thoughts on the matter? I'm still pretty new to the 1911 scene, so feel more than free to point out whatever obvious thing I'm missing.
 

JD8

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First, I'd stop polishing the feed ramp especially if you don't know what you're doing. Second, I'd contact Dr. Barry Greyson on this board and have him look at it.

It sounds like too much extractor tension as previously mentioned but it's hard to tell without an accurate description of what is happening. Barry will get it running right.
 

mr ed

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1. go to store buy good quality fmj ammo (win white box) try it to rule out reloads. if it jams with the wwb, its the gun and not the loads.
2. extractor tension as others have mentioned.
 

bearddevil

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It's actually a double-stack gun, not a single-stack. It's hanging up in two spots - it's catching the nose of the round at the interface between frame and barrel ramps, or it's most likely the rim hanging up on the extractor, and not moving vertically easily enough to line itself up with the chamber. I'll look into the extractor tension, though. That's a good suggestion that I hadn't thought of.
 

bearddevil

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@Dr_Mitch - I'm going to bookmark that mag catch, too, for when I build a single-stack frame for this gun, and for the carry gun project I'm thinking about. If they have a similar piece for a hi-cap gun, that might be helpful here, too.
 

Buzzdraw

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First, I'd stop polishing the feed ramp especially if you don't know what you're doing. Second, I'd contact Dr. Barry Greyson on this board and have him look at it.

It sounds like too much extractor tension as previously mentioned but it's hard to tell without an accurate description of what is happening. Barry will get it running right.
Lots of "what if's" here. 2nd to stop polishing the feed ramp; if you take too much off or change the angle, then the only remedy is to bridge cut and frame and replace the barrel with a ramped one. This is pricey.

Check your ammo OAL. Factory stuff may NOT feed as it is too short for 1911's. Go to Brian Enos forum and kick around in the reloading section for some COL data.

Could be the mags need tuning. That's common with mags from some makers.

The 40 S&W can be a PIB to get to run in a 1911, until you get everything right. The 1911 was made to run with COL's of the .45 ACP. The Super .38 mirrors this same COL and usually runs fine. Ditto the 9 X 23. All the others, 9mm Luger, etc. are a tad harder to get to run.
 

bearddevil

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My loads are around 1.135", which is the accepted max OAL for .40. The polishing was to deburr the surface, not remove gross material or change the contours. I'll check the fora, though, and see what I can do about the magazines. I'll mike out the one that works best and see if it's different from the other two.
 

bearddevil

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Just checked the extractor tension, and it's fine. If anything, it's a bit loose. It's not binding things up, at any rate.

Fora seem to suggest that a 1.18 OAL may be a better fit. I might also try a tighter crimp on the case mouth, see if that smooths things out a bit.

Anyone have a source for proper dimensions of magazine feed lips?
 

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