1911 feeding/lockup issues

[horse_men]

I have recently purchased a used Armco prepped Norc commander from a board member. It had only seen 50 rounds by him since new. When I recieved it, I stripped and cleaned it then took it to the range. the pistol is failing to feed properly as the rounds seem to hang up as they are entering the chamber. Almost as if they are entering at too steep an angle. If I push forward on the slide they will chamber and fire but it does not always do it on its own. Also, when cycling the action by hand the slide does not return into full battery all the time. if i push forward on the slide it will lock up but will not always do so on its own. to me it seems as though the recoil spring is weak but I'd like to know if you guys have had similar isues. It also has a 2 piece full length guide rod. i have put 100 rounds through it so far. Thanks for your help.
Shane

 

[canuck]

What kind of ammo?
Maybe give Gunnar a call?
250-565-7605 armco@telus.net

 

[sunray]

Ammo(factory or handloads?), mags, the feeding ramp will all affect feeding. Change ammo first. Then try another mag. Then look at the feed ramp. It may need chamfering. That's extending the feed ramp up the sides of the chamber a bit. Handloads require taper crimping.

 

[wobbles99]

Specifically what bullets are they? My norinco will only feed 230 grain round nose and won't feed hollow points or truncated points. They will jam half way into the chamber and still in the magazine.

 

[horse_men]

The loads are 230 gr. Winchester white box and 230 gr. Remington/UMC. Both are the round nose bulets. The problems occured with both types and with both mags that I have for the pistol.

 

[1899]

Have you tried a different length barrel link?

 

[45ACPKING]

i would be checking your ectractor fit as well
if these cases are getting to much extractor bite they won't feed right and the slide often wont return to battery while chambering a round. I would also look at magazine lips and open the tips slightly, as this can also be a small issue that can seem like a big problem. If the barrel hood shows wear on its top where the slide lugs contact it (not the barrel lugs, the hood) this could be an issue with a slightly oversized barrel link as well. last thing to have looked at would be feedramp to barrel throat mating.

Question, when you disassembled and cleaned it, did you remove your extractor?
if so, I would bet 5.00 that this is the cause of the problem and a little fine tuning may be in order
other question.... does it fail to lock up on a open chamber, with no magazine or cartidges in the action?? if so, the barrel link will prolly be a lil oversized and is not an extractor issue
just my 2 cents.... i'm a hobby ist.... not a gun smith

 

[horse_men]

Thanks for the repliee. I did not remove the extractor. It will sometimes not lock up on an empty chamber until I push forward on the slide. With a round, the nose of the bullet seems to be hitting the top of the chamber at an angle that is to steep to alow it to fully chamber. i will look at the mag lips and he barrel hood as well to see if it has the wear that you speak of.

At first I thought that i made a mistake in reassembly so I took it apart again and put it back together with the same results. One other question, howtight are you supposed to tighten the two piece guide rod? i snugged it up pretty good and it hasn't come loose during operation so i assumed it shuld be o-k.
thanks again

 

[Canuck44]

Boy I have three Norincos in .45acp and they feed everything I put in them and yours should to. If you have a shok buff in the gun get rid of it for starters. If your rounds are nose diving I would be looking at your mags and secondly your recoil spring. There is no reason for your Commander not to feed reliability, the make is known for this.

Stay Safe

 

[Janeau]

Since the gun is almost new, try a different, proven mag first.
This is Norinco 1911 weak point or if you prefer, the most common cause of failure to feed.What you describe sound like a mag problem.
Make sure the chamber is clean.
Lubricate the slide and frame rail, barrel link and lube also the locking lug on top of the barrel.Try it as it came from the factory, no shock buff as stated by Cannuck44.
The other common culprit is extractor tension and undressed extractor hook tip. If you are not familiar with this, have a smith look at it. It might be something minor that need a bit of stoning.

 

[horse_men]

Thanks again guys. I don't think it is the mags as the slide will not always close all the way without a mag inserted. I have not allowed it to slam home on an empty chamber as I was told it could cause damage. However, when I slide it slowly forward and release the slide, it will hang up bout a quarter inch back of being totally forward, if i push on the slide it will fully close. I admit to being new to 1911's, is there any good smiths in the Edmonton area that would be able to take a look at it as I am not familiar enough wih them to say if something is out of whack or not. I do know that there is no shock buffer and i have not changed anything on the pistol other than taking the slide off and then reassembling the pistol.