New to 1911s - need expert opinions

UncleWalther

UncleWalther

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After ONLY ever owning HK centre-fire semi-auto pistols, I finally purchased my first 1911: an STI Ranger II 9mm.

I put 200 rounds through it last night, and I was VERY impressed with the accuracy. I shot more accurately with this gun than with any HK I've owned (and I've owned them all). However, I was not impressed with the reliability. I had about 5 misfeeds in the 200 rounds. 4 happened with one of the mags and 1 happened with the other mag. Essentially, the bullet was jamming up on the feed ramp and in a couple of cases the entire round stovepiped. Also there was one instance where the hammer did not #### after the shot (i.e. the slide did not retract far enough, after the shot, to #### the hammer).

I was shooting 147 grain, FMJ, winchester white box. Are these sorts of failures common with the 1911 platform? Perhaps the squared-off bullets of the 147 grain round aren't ideal for the 1911? Or, perhaps the higher velocity, higher energy of the 115 grain round would cycle the slide better, thereby increasing reliability? Any advice appreciated.
 
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Ahh...Grasshopper!;)
You have put your finger on the Curse/Attraction of the 1911 platform.
Accurate, easier to shoot well (Trigger/grip angle, etc.) but can be fussy about how you feed them.
Most 1911's feed 'ball' ammo reliably, but as soon as you ask them to digest either truncated cone or hollow points, they can misbehave....
My suggestion would be to try different bullet weights/profiles and stick to the ones that 'makes your baby purr'!:)
Either that, or go back to your H&K's with their ability to feed whatever you throw at them, with nary a burp!;)
 
I ve been told there s a break in period of around 500rnds and that i should use ball ammo during that time . But im new at this also !!!
 
What configuration is the barrel, ramped or non-ramped? If it's non-ramped it is common to have feeding issues.
My Colt Commander fed 115gr ball ammo perfectly but had all the failures described above with FN and HP ammo. (except Winchester Silvertips 115?)
Most generally need a "reliability job" to perform with most ammo.
 
failure to feed, in a 1911 is caused by bad mags and limp wristing during firing. Inspect your mags carefully. you mentioned that four of the failures came from one mag, most likely the feed lips are deformed a bit or put the cartridge i at the wrong angle, this can be corrected but do it gently, compare a reliable mag to the one you were having problems with, and adjust acordingly

the 1911 uses a timed locked breach and blow back design( thats what i call it anyway, my appologies to john browning) during the firing of the bullet the barrel and slide are locked by the rising pressure in the barrel. after the bullet leaves the barrel the pressure drops and the slide is allowed to travle back under recoil, this rearward travel is cushioned by the recoil spring. If the person firing the pistol does not have a good grip on the firearm then the hand absorbs some of this rearward momentum and the slide will not travel at designed speed all the way back to clear the spent case, leaving you with the stovepipe jam while you do not need a death grip on the pistol you do need to ensure a firm grip, with a locked wrist . to ensure good functioning.

just a thought

tg
 
Make sure you keep your thumbs off the slide when it cycles, this is very important with a 9mm as the cycling impulse is not as strong as a.40 or .45 and the added friction can slow the side down taking away the energy needed to strip the next roud. The extractor can cause a good lot of headaches if its not tuned properly. You can tweak it in or if your budget allows I would suggest installing an AFTEC extractor.
 
prproulx said:
What configuration is the barrel, ramped or non-ramped? If it's non-ramped it is common to have feeding issues.
My Colt Commander fed 115gr ball ammo perfectly but had all the failures described above with FN and HP ammo. (except Winchester Silvertips 115?)
Most generally need a "reliability job" to perform with most ammo.
Click to expand...

RangerII is suppose to be ramped.... http://www.stiguns.com/guns/RangerII/RangerII.html
My SIG P220 will hang the odd time with Winchester 147g HP's and it has a ramped barrel as well. Easiest fix is different ammo.
 
A 1911 is a very reliable pistol...when manufactured to JMB's original specs. This means a 5" barrel, traditional recoil spring, non-ramped barrel, and .45ACP. I have a Colt Series 80 in the above configuration and I have never had any feeding issues with ball or truncated cone ammo (though I haven't tried JHP yet). It’s been as reliable as my USP.

Your Ranger II differs quite a bit from that original design. It's almost an inch shorter. With 1911's, the general rule of thumb is that the shorter they get, the less reliable they will be (as there is less slide travel). You also have a ramped barrel. Now, the advantages/disadvantages of ramped barrels in a 1911 platform have been discussed ad nauseam and I’m not gonna there, but it's something that should be kept in mind. Finally - and I suspect this is the real cause of the problem – your gun has a "recoil master". I'm not familiar with the particular unit used by STI, but from what I heard and read, the general consensus in the 1911 world is that recoil reducing devices are generally quite finicky and often cause problems.

So to answer your question, no it is not normal for a 1911 to stovepipe. If the problem continues, send it in for a warranty service.
 
I know this ammo. It's not bad stuff and shot exactly the same as our old duty ammo.

I can see you having a feeding problem given the almost SWC profile of the bullet. Still that wouldn't cause a stovepipe. My guess there would be mag lips. Also the ammo might not have the oomph to properly cycle the pistol. A lighter spring might help in that regard, but first ensure that you're not doing something that causes the pistol to not cycle properly (ie limp wrist or thumb against the slide).
 
UncleWalther said:
After ONLY ever owning HK centre-fire semi-auto pistols, I finally purchased my first 1911: an STI Ranger II 9mm.
Also there was one instance where the hammer did not #### after the shot (i.e. the slide did not retract far enough, after the shot, to #### the hammer).
Click to expand...

Make sure that in fact the slide did not travel enough, and not that the hammer slipped at full ####, but slipped off and went to half ####.
(Insert ###### joke here):p

I too used to be only interested in HK, Glock etc.
Then I bought my first 1911, a Para LTC. Welcome to your new addiction.:rockOn:
 
gushulak said:
1911 and reliability shouldn't be used in the same sentence. Welcome to the world of 1911, where about 3K at a gunsmith "should" make the gun work as it is designed.

For me, I'd rather have a Glock.
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If I was carrying it for self defence, yes. A 1911 is too much fun not to have one. The challenge of making it work teaches us alot.
 
Interesting comments about the m1911 pistol being unreliable.
COMPLETELY FALSE!!!
The fellows who have trouble with their m1911s are blaming the gun where in most cases it is the operator or what the operator is feeding the gun.
In over 35 years of competitive shooting, in Bullseye, Speed pistol, Action Pistol, PPC, and steel challenge the M1911 45 acp pistol is without doubt the most consistantly reliable gun on the range.
Bear in mind what the M1911 design was built for...the 45 ACP...not 38 super, 9mm or any of the 40 cals. The engineering was based on the 45. As soon as manufacturers started messing with a proven concept there are problems. I don't fault ayone for shoting a lighter caliber in a 1911, but do not paint the entire design as being unreliable if your gun doesn't work whe shooting zombies.
My own 45 compensated 1911 would feed empty cartdige cases with ease and rarely failed on the firing line. The gun would print consistant 2' groups and 25 yards fired with one hand.

OK, it is not as "###y and Racy" as a Sig or "Tupperware" Glock...which by the way I have watched guys battle with on the firing line many times...but it will keep on shooting when the rest have long since fallen apart.

Cheers
 
Alonzo said:
OK, it is not as "###y and Racy" as a Sig or "Tupperware" Glock...which by the way I have watched guys battle with on the firing line many times...but it will keep on shooting when the rest have long since fallen apart.

Cheers
Click to expand...

Usually at the ISPC matches I've attended its been the 1911 shooters struggling to get their guns to work. I agree with your points about it being designed for the .45, but a 1911 out shooting a Glock in a reliablity test......

NOT GONNA HAPPEN.

What's Chuck Taylors G17 round count at now, a million and counting without a hiccup?
 
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