S&W 1911 3-point failures

[emsjeep]

So here is my $1200 paperweight...just came back from S&W for issues with 2x feed and 3-point failures.
Factory:
"Customer Complaint: Chambering
Repaired: Barrel Modification

Customer Complaint: Extraction
Repaired: Adjust Slide To BBL Fit"

I can't even chamber a round from slide lock without it jamming, no less cycle a whole magazine by hand. I haven't fired it since getting it back, the failure is on the first round and either one of the other first three or the last or all of the above.

S&W has "no idea what that could be," and has no further information about what actual service was performed. Sending it back AGAIN tomorrow.

This gun has 200 rounds through it, cleaned and lubed, factory Federal or WWB ammo and 3 brands of 7 different mags.

Help.

[zachomega]

If I had a dollar for every time my S&W Walther PPK/S did that...well I'd buy another...However, that problem seems to go away mostly on its own from being fired and broken in more.

However, if it won't chamber anything, that is no good. Did you try different ammo? My PPK/S wouldn't chamber American Eagle .380 until I shot hundreds of rounds out of her.

-Zach

So here is my $1200 paperweight...just came back from S&W for issues with 2x feed and 3-point failures.
Factory:
"Customer Complaint: Chambering
Repaired: Barrel Modification

Customer Complaint: Extraction
Repaired: Adjust Slide To BBL Fit"

I can't even chamber a round from slide lock without it jamming, no less cycle a whole magazine by hand. I haven't fired it since getting it back, the failure is on the first round and either one of the other first three or the last or all of the above.

S&W has "no idea what that could be," and has no further information about what actual service was performed. Sending it back AGAIN tomorrow.

This gun has 200 rounds through it, cleaned and lubed, factory Federal or WWB ammo and 3 brands of 7 different mags.

Help.

[emsjeep]

If I had a dollar for every time my S&W Walther PPK/S did that...well I'd buy another...However, that problem seems to go away mostly on its own from being fired and broken in more.

However, if it won't chamber anything, that is no good. Did you try different ammo? My PPK/S wouldn't chamber American Eagle .380 until I shot hundreds of rounds out of her.

-Zach

PMC, WWB and Federal...I asked Smith about break-in, they told me "You shouldn't have to break it in at all."

Upon closer inspection it appears that they throated the barrel....which is nice, but its a geometry issue and they didn't change the angle in the process...

No way in hell I can carry it like this....

[gold cup abuser]

Ok lets try a few things...

1. Field strip the pistol, and lets try 3 things with the barrel.

a. With a bright light take a look at the chamber area. Look for tool marks in the chamber or other areas where the chamber is either shiney in spots or the chamber is not even in apperance.

b. With the barrel pointing chamber up attempt to drop a round in the barrel. the round should go in evenly and fall into the chamber and not stick or hang. let gravity do this NOT the force of your hand.

c. take a look at the barrel/feed ramp. with the stripped pistol put the barrel into the frame and push it back into th ramp area. feel the area where the ramp of the frame and the barrel meet up. the area should be smooth with no projections of the bottom of the barrel into the feed ramp area.

d. with the weapon stripped, load a round into a magazine. insert the slide stop into position. then insert the loaded magazine. please do this with the bare frame. look at the slide stop and see if it is either too deep and hitting the round or is not moving freely in its hole and touching the magazine. the slide stop should only be deep enough to engage the magazine follower and not touch the rounds or touch any area of the magazine.

e. remove the extractor and inspect it for burrs in the hook area that hits the case, uneven size of the hook area or any machine marks on the extractor hook or the face of the extractor that is touching the back of the bullet.


Hope this helps........

[emsjeep]

Ok lets try a few things...

1. Field strip the pistol, and lets try 3 things with the barrel.

a. With a bright light take a look at the chamber area. Look for tool marks in the chamber or other areas where the chamber is either shiney in spots or the chamber is not even in apperance.

b. With the barrel pointing chamber up attempt to drop a round in the barrel. the round should go in evenly and fall into the chamber and not stick or hang. let gravity do this NOT the force of your hand.

c. take a look at the barrel/feed ramp. with the stripped pistol put the barrel into the frame and push it back into th ramp area. feel the area where the ramp of the frame and the barrel meet up. the area should be smooth with no projections of the bottom of the barrel into the feed ramp area.

d. with the weapon stripped, load a round into a magazine. insert the slide stop into position. then insert the loaded magazine. please do this with the bare frame. look at the slide stop and see if it is either too deep and hitting the round or is not moving freely in its hole and touching the magazine. the slide stop should only be deep enough to engage the magazine follower and not touch the rounds or touch any area of the magazine.

e. remove the extractor and inspect it for burrs in the hook area that hits the case, uneven size of the hook area or any machine marks on the extractor hook or the face of the extractor that is touching the back of the bullet.


Hope this helps........

a) If I push a round into the chamber by hand, with the barrel removed, I can feel where its hanging up, there are drag marks and copper deposits on the top side of the chamber...cleaning that smooth with a brush didn't help at all.

b) Round drops in smooth.

c) I don't know much about 1911's but I see a gap there in addition to a really steep angle.

d)It looks pretty close, if its touching anything its the round as its coming up.


e) extractor looks good, but I don't have a punch with me.

[cdi]

Have you tried a different magazine?

A rough breech face and too much extractor tension can contribute to the slide failing to go into battery.

Poor barrel fit can do that also.

If you bring it by the shop with some of your ammo and mags (I'm in Chalfont)
I'll take a look at it for you at no charge.

[emsjeep]

Have you tried a different magazine?

A rough breech face and too much extractor tension can contribute to the slide failing to go into battery.

Poor barrel fit can do that also.

If you bring it by the shop with some of your ammo and mags (I'm in Chalfont)
I'll take a look at it for you at no charge.

7 Mags 3 brands. I'm actually in Connecticut now and then back to New York, but Thank You!

[Flash]

Look here:
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/cid=2...Products/Books
Numbers six and seven, Jerry Kuhnhausen's books.

The extractor needs a bit of fine-tuning, probably, and Mr K's book shows exactly how.

The important book is now out of stock I see, so PM me .

There is just a bit of stoning on the extractor that needs to be done. (PROBABLY)

And there is just a little trick to polishing the ramp. It needs to be done in line with the direction the cartridge is traveling, NOT with a rotary tool like a Dremel.

Flash

[emsjeep]

Look here:
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/cid=2...Products/Books
Numbers six and seven, Jerry Kuhnhausen's books.

The extractor needs a bit of fine-tuning, probably, and Mr K's book shows exactly how.

The important book is now out of stock I see, so PM me .

There is just a bit of stoning on the extractor that needs to be done. (PROBABLY)

And there is just a little trick to polishing the ramp. It needs to be done in line with the direction the cartridge is traveling, NOT with a rotary tool like a Dremel.

Flash

Thanks to everyone, I'll include all recommendations and observations in my letter to S & W, if they can't sort it out this time around I suppose I will embark on fixing it myself. I have absolutely zero tools at school though, so it will have to wait for December. Cross your fingers...

[Neko456]

That is strange everybody I know that owns one and everything that I've read says that the S&W 1911 is one of the better made mass producted 1911s available on par with the Sig 1911.

I'm sure S&W will fix it and you will have a fine weapon, but that just shows that even good companies can make some mistakes. I can't figure out what happen they are all cut on the same machine and tested before they leave the factory.

Good luck in future.