1911 Springfield hand gun

[Arckadian]

I like the 1911 because of it ease of use and cleaning. However my particular weapon was orignally owned by a police officer and now it jams after the first 100 rounds at the range has gone through it. Upon cleaning it I did notice that the spring wat slightly warped... I do believe that is a good place to start for my particular issue... I do like my hand gun but I would like a slightly more reliable weapon. If the spring is the primary issue then I think a rebuild kit would suffice in fixing that problem. What you think?

 

[BOJANGLES]

I think it's worth a shot.

If it works it will be a more cost-effective solution than buying a new 1911.

 

[Arckadian]

I agree with that, but I will mostly use this one for at home defense for now I think.... for a conceal weapon I am thinking a Sprinfield 9mm XDM Compact. I have a buddy that has one of those and its a nice weapon... the grip is to small for me but I was informed that there are some clips that have a grip extension on them.

 

[BOJANGLES]

I have big hands too so compact guns never seem to fit my hands well.

You are correct, there are grip extensions for XDs and XDMs... They are priced low too. They mount to the baseplate of the mag.

http://springfieldxdstore.com/pgroup_descrip/3_Magazines+%26+Extensions/7199_Pearce+Grip+XD+Mag+Extensions//?return=%3ftpl%3Dindex%26category_id%3D3%26_Magazines%2B%26%2BExtensions%2F%26%2F

 

[Arckadian]

nice looking weapon there. Until I actually can hold one in my hand I am still not certain, but if the mag can make up the difference I may get one. my problem is that when I hold the weapon in my hand my pinkie finger goes right under the grip and I dont find it.... comfortable fitting in my hand.

That is the main reason why I am looking at the extensions. If they can not offer enough length so that the weapon is comfortable, I will look at a few other options for a conceal.

 

[TheFuzz]

What kind of jam are you experiencing? Failure to feed? Failure to extract? Failure to eject? How many total rounds are through it?

Springs are a wear item on any gun, but especially on a 1911. I'd start with the recoil spring and move on from there.

 

[Arckadian]

Rounds fired are uncountable since I got the weapon from a Police Officer and it was his primary weapon.... Soooo in that instance I will say... lots. As for the failure, it is a failure to completely eject the brass out of the weapon. after about 100-125 rounds roughly is when the failure happens.... I will take the weapon apart this weekend and post a picture of the return spring and the damaged part in particular.

 

[tacticold]

Replace the recoil spring with a Wolff Spring. Inexpensive and I've always had good luck with them. Worth a shot before rebuilding anything, anyway.

http://www.gunsprings.com/Semi-Auto%20Pistols/COLT/1911%20GOV%27T%20PISTOL/cID1/mID1/dID1

 

[Arckadian]

I was just going to replace the spring anyway but the rebuild kit will be nice to have on had IF needed. But if the spring does not fix the issue I know a gun smith I trust that I can take it to.

 

[TheFuzz]

The nice thing about 1911's is that once you identify what the problem part is, you have about 100 different options to choose from to replace it. Having a good smith is invaluable, too.

 

[SilvrSRT10]

nice looking weapon there. Until I actually can hold one in my hand I am still not certain, but if the mag can make up the difference I may get one. my problem is that when I hold the weapon in my hand my pinkie finger goes right under the grip and I dont find it.... comfortable fitting in my hand.

That is the main reason why I am looking at the extensions. If they can not offer enough length so that the weapon is comfortable, I will look at a few other options for a conceal.

Had one in my mitts today. And I've got BIG mitts. The XD9 did feel pretty good. Being a double stack magazine it fills the hand much better than a single stack. The downside to that is concealability. I stuck it inside my waistband to see how it felt and it wasn't bad either. I may have to go back and look at it again. If I end up with one, it will definitely get the mag finger extension.

 

[Arckadian]

I still want to know what the 7 round mag would feel like in my hand when I weild the XDS.... I imagine that the feel would definately improve

 

[TheFuzz]

I have one of the 7 rounders and in retrospect, I would've rather gotten another 5 rounder. The 7 round mag is just too long IMO, it completely changes the way the gun feels, and concealment goes right out the window. Lots of folks like it for the range, but I have the "train how you fight" mentality...I like shooting at the range how I'd have to shoot during a defensive situation, and the 7 rounder is so vastly different feeling (to me) that I think I'd be doing myself a disservice by using it for practice.

I'll keep it just in case since I already have it, but I'm in the market for another 5 rounder or two. Definitely try before you buy if possible.

 

[Arckadian]

That will be the problem.... trying one before I buy it... unless you wanna mail me yours to test out

 

[ViperJeff]

I'll just have to live with what I got

 

[fergie]

I have big hands too so compact guns never seem to fit my hands well.

You are correct, there are grip extensions for XDs and XDMs... They are priced low too. They mount to the baseplate of the mag.

http://springfieldxdstore.com/pgroup_descrip/3_Magazines+%26+Extensions/7199_Pearce+Grip+XD+Mag+Extensions//?return=%3ftpl%3Dindex%26category_id%3D3%26_Magazines%2B%26%2BExtensions%2F%26%2F

I agree about the compact pistols. Comfortability is what I feel is most important.

 

[jrw113]

Lubrication

Another thing to look at would be lubrication and ammo. My Springer needed extra lubrication on the rails at the 100 round mark when I shot Remington bulk 230 grain FMJ (dirtiest 45 I have ever shot, but cheap). I now spray it down with Gun Scrubber at around 100 rounds and relube the rails and barrel and she runs like a top.

If the gun is functioning well through the first 100 rounds and then starts to have issues I don't see how it is only a spring issue. If it was a spring issue I would think that would show up from the very beginning. It may be a spring issue plus....

 

[otasan]

What kind of jam was it?

 

[kwo51]

I grease my rails when going to range.Still not enough info on type of stoppage to make a good call. 1911's been around long enough that a good smith should make it run like a new one.

 

[Arckadian]

The 1911 I have jams after the first 100 or so rounds go through it. I believe it is because of the damage to the return spring. One end of it is damaged and I think that is the fault point. I just need to get off my duff and look for a replacement spring and order it.