[Cruiser]

My second trip out with my new SA 1911 Loaded I had a couple of FTF issues. Today I narrowed the problem down somewhat.
I just got back from the range. I did a little more experimenting with my SA 1911 feeding issues. Here is what I found.

#1. My first range trip was stock SS magazines included with weapon and all FMJ rounds = no feeding problems.
#2. Second trip was 2 new SA 7-round blued magazines AND I introduced hollow point ammo (HST 230 gr. +P). I did have some feeding issues but they were sporadic and I didn’t notice if it was limited to one particular magazine, although I know it happened on the new SA blued because that was all I was shooting that day.
#3 Today I shot all 4 magazines (2 original SA SS 7-round and 2 new SA 7-round blued) with FMJ and HST Hollow Points.
All 4 magazines shot FMJ without any issues. Now for the interesting part: All 4 magazines chocked on the 7th (final) round of HST hollow points every time.

What does this tell me? All magazines shoot FMJ fine. All magazines choke on the final round of Hollow Point ammo. Is it the mags or is it the gun? Or is it the ammo (I didn’t have any other HP ammo to try today)? Anyone experienced this?

Any ideas, thoughts and suggestions?
Thanks!

 

[Bud White]

Try plain HST round .. not the +P stuff the gun might be running to fast and not have enough spring pressure to feed the last round.. If you don't get the problem with Ball or non +p hollow Points then ya found the answer..

Try a CMC powermag or a Wilson 47d with the +P's


More than likely it is a combo of Ammo and Mags the springfield mags are good range mags but i wouldn't use them for carry

This is a personal type thing but i wont bother with +P stuff in a 45 unless i can't find any of my normal carry ammo .. I use the normal Federal 230 HST

Must of missed this earlier in the week sorry for so late a responce

 

[Cruiser]

Try plain HST round .. not the +P stuff the gun might be running to fast and not have enough spring pressure to feed the last round.. If you don't get the problem with Ball or non +p hollow Points then ya found the answer..

Try a CMC powermag or a Wilson 47d with the +P's


More than likely it is a combo of Ammo and Mags the springfield mags are good range mags but i wouldn't use them for carry

This is a personal type thing but i wont bother with +P stuff in a 45 unless i can't find any of my normal carry ammo .. I use the normal Federal 230 HST

Must of missed this earlier in the week sorry for so late a responce

Thanks Bud, I appreciate the info.

I didn't specify it very well in my post, but on #3 outing (where all 4 mags choked on the last HST round) I was using standard non +P HST's.

I do have access to a couple of Wilson 8-rounders that a friend has. I will give those a try. Not sure if his are 47d, are they labled on the mag?

Thanks!

 

[Bud White]

if they are a 8 round wilson more than likely they are a 47D

I would guess its not really a deal of the gun not liking the bullet profile since it is mostly the last round. Now when it jams how is the round positioned? Caught between the barrel hood breachface and mag? or just doesn't close the slide all the way ? ... try and snag a pic

 

[Ridgerunner665]

Last round failures are caused by weak mag springs and/or the recoil spring is too heavy 99.999% of the time.

EDIT:And just because they are new mags...don't mean a thing...they can still have weak springs...even Wilsons

 

[Bud White]

EDIT:And just because they are new mags...don't mean a thing...they can still have weak springs...even Wilsons

That is true also

 

[redmonster13]

Like Bud said, a pic of the jam would be a great tell all for some of the guys to help you out.

 

[Cruiser]

if they are a 8 round wilson more than likely they are a 47D

I would guess its not really a deal of the gun not liking the bullet profile since it is mostly the last round. Now when it jams how is the round positioned? Caught between the barrel hood breachface and mag? or just doesn't close the slide all the way ? ... try and snag a pic

That is a great idea.

I plan to go shooting Thursday. I'll try to get some pics and post them Friday afternoon.

 

[Cruiser]

As planned, I went shooting last night. I had a similar experience. All mags shot 230 gr. WWB FMJ with NO problems. Shot all HST (standard, non +P) fine EXCEPT the last round of each of the 7 round mags. I tried some mixed ammo with FMJ and HST and consistently if the last round was HST it FTF (NOTE: I believe in all instance of the mixed ammo test I had HST in 6 & 7 position. In hind sight I wish I had tried FMJ in 6th position and then HST in 7th position to see if this made a difference).

The best way I can describe it is: on the last round, with HST, the slide locks to the back (as if it thinks the mag is empty) and the HST is just sitting there on top of the mag follower (loose, not chambered).

I took some pics (sorry about the phone quality pics). Do these help to diagnose what is wrong?

These are several FTF I had last night.

THANKS for your help!

 

[Ridgerunner665]

Feedlip geometry???

 

[Cruiser]

Feedlip geometry???

I'm not familiar with what that means . Can you explain it? Does this refer to the magazine (because all 4 of my SA magazine have the last round FTF) or the HST round? Thanks.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

Its only a guess...it refers to the mags.

Possibly releasing the round too soon...the HST being a shorter round than a FMJ....but again, its only a guess.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

I been thinking about it...and staring at the pics

The last round is being pushed too far forward as the previous round is fed...when the slide comes back to pick up the last round, its jumping right out of the mag and the slide stop is engaging.

I think its a mag issue...a follower issue to be exact.

The solution...get some dimpled followers and see what happens. And stiffer mag springs will help the dimple do its job.

 

[Bud White]

yep that is a mag issue right there allow the last round to jump as ridge said .. make sure the feedlips are not tweaked ..

 

[Ridgerunner665]

make sure the feedlips are not tweaked ..

Yep...that is still a possibility too.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

I wanted to clarify this a little...

The reason its happening with HST's and not FMJ is that the HST is shorter, which lets them move farther forward in the mag...its not the bullets themselves, just the OAL.

 

[Cruiser]

I been thinking about it...and staring at the pics

The last round is being pushed too far forward as the previous round is fed...when the slide comes back to pick up the last round, its jumping right out of the mag and the slide stop is engaging.

I think its a mag issue...a follower issue to be exact.

The solution...get some dimpled followers and see what happens. And stiffer mag springs will help the dimple do its job.

All 4 mags are SA mags and DO have dimples on the follower. Would a stronger/different spring still help? What do you guys recommend?

The OAL makes sense it could cause this. But I know plenty of people shoot HST's without issues.

With all 4 mags having this problem, what am I looking for "make sure the feedlips are not tweaked "?

Thanks for your continued help!

 

[Ridgerunner665]

Not all dimples are created equal... I still think its followers, feedlips, and springs. I don't remember the measurements of the feedlips (they vary some by brand)...but the info is on a few forums, just search for it on the big ones (1911forum, M1911forum, and maybe this one...but I don't remember seeing it).

Get an 11 pound extra power mag spring from Wolff (about $8) and see what happens. Or just try different mags altogether (borrow some)

Another thing you can check is the underside of the slide....does it have a lot of machining marks or is it smooth???

Looking for a reason why it would strip the last round out of the mag while feeding the previous one...a rough surface on the slide would grab the brass better...possibly pulling the round over the dimple.