I recently had an EGW bushing fitted by a local smith on my Kimber Custom 2. I had it fitted after the original "disappeared" in the desert so I can't swap it back in. Since I got it back I have had very persistent FTF issues on the 2nd and 3rd round of each mag. The rounds hit the roof of the chamber and generally won't chamber even with a tap on the back of the slide.
I have tried Kimber, Colt, and CMC mags with WWB, PMC, UMC, Blazer and reloads, with the same result. First round chambers fine, 4th and subsequent rounds do as well.
I changed out the springs... cleaned... etc and no change.
Reading seems to suggest extractor and or mag issues but the issue came up right when the bushing was added... I could take it back to the smith but I'm not too confident it will leave functional.
Barrel "springing"? This is a condition in which the bushing is fitted too tightly and does not allow the barrel to link down freely and completely.
Unload the pistol and be sure the chamber has been cleared and is empty. Pull the slide back about 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch, and hold it. Look into the ejection port and see if the barrel is resting on the frame bed, or if there is a VERTICAL gap. (The barrel throat should be a fraction of an inch forward of the frame ramp, but the barrel should be seated on the frame bed.)
If the barrel is not resting solidly on the frame bed, press down on the barrel hood and see if the barrel can be pushed down farther, against a "springy" resistance. If so, the bushing isn't fitted properly.
Another test would be if you can borrow a standard barrel bushing from someone who owns a 1911, and see if a standard bushing allows the barrel to link down more completely.
Thank you! I cannot discern any springing, and the barrel appears to drop all the way down to the frame bed, although I may be performing the test incorrectly.
Retracting the slide slightly and pressing down on the barrel seems cause the slide to retract a bit further as it lowers.
I did notice that it seems to hang up during the last little bit of forward travel, on my full length guide rod assembly its from when the "cap" becomes flush with the guide rod to where the slide reaches its fully "closed" position but I am not sure if it is because of the bushing or something further back in the pistol. I will try a friends bushing tomorrow to see if that helps.
I still can't figure out why it would consistently be the second and third round through all my mags... if it was a bad mag, or a serious gun problem I would expect problems throughout the mag's capacity... not sure why this is. I'll try the swapping bushings tomorrow.
Slide assembly off of the frame, push the barrel up into the locking lugs, and let it fall out (down) under it's own weight. Does it go down far enough to clear the locking lugs (in other words, can you push it forward as if you were working the action while it was on the gun)?
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The rounds hit the roof of the chamber and generally won't chamber even
with a tap on the back of the slide.
That's a 3 point jam, and it produces a curved dent about 3/16" back from the case mouth. If the case rim contacts the extractor (covers up the firing pin hole) when jammed, see if your extractor tension is too high by doing this:
Same method can also be done with just the slide and a 230gr cartridge fully up under the extractor and fully forward against the extractor's claw: after being pushed up, the bullet should droop down and the bottom of the rim should contact the breechface.
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reading seems to suggest extractor
So. . .
Q: How did the extractor tension check out?
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I still can't figure out why it would consistently be the second and third
round through all my mags... if it was a bad mag, or a serious gun problem I
would expect problems throughout the mag's capacity
Here's why it is: 1911's feed every round from their magazines a little bit differently, depending on how many rounds there are in the magazine.
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Thank you! I cannot discern any springing, and the barrel appears to drop
all the way down to the frame bed, although I may be performing the test
incorrectly.
With recoil spring removed and the slide pulled back about 1/4", the barrel should rest solidly (no gap) on its bed in the frame. The barrel is said to be "fully linked down".
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Retracting the slide slightly and pressing down on the barrel seems cause
the slide to retract a bit further as it lowers.
This is not a part of the test but is normal because the barrel is not yet fully linked down and the radial locking lugs remain engaged. Therefore, when you push down on the barrel, the link also causes the barrel to go aft and the barrel pulls the slide back with it - until the barrel is down far enough to disengage the radial locking lugs.
Thank you to everyone for the insight! Alright I have tried the additional tests outlined and I think its an extractor tension issue that just coincidentally showed up after the barrel bushing was changed. I appreciate all of the help!
I'm probably going to go ahead and get a Cylinder and Slide extractor and try dropping it in, and if it doesn't work out take it to another smith around here.
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I'm probably going to go ahead and get a Cylinder and Slide extractor and
try dropping it in, and if it doesn't work out take it to another smith around
here.
If all that might be wrong with the extractor is its tension, just check and adjust its tension using the instructions in our Tech Issues section or here: http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/lid=...ctor_Adjustment
Alright I checked the tension using the procedure outlined above and it seems like it was way too tight, that might have been it. I tried adjusting the tension to make it a little lighter and cycling it by hand feels much smoother and less "kachunk"-y if that makes sense. I also bought a wilson 47d today and with that mag it is incredibly smooth even with hollowpoints. Tomorrow morning I will go fire it and report back, thanks again for all the help!
Well I think the extractor was contributing to the problem, as today I fired around 70 rounds with only one hang up. Out of curiosity I tried pulling back on the barrel while the round was pointed into the roof of the chamber (stuck before the rim was up to the extractor) and it slipped right in... is that a barrel link/bushing problem? The one failure to feed occurred with my new wilson 47d, less than 30 rounds through it.
Thanks again for the help! I at least can use it for matches now and it is running much better with the extractor adjustment. I also used the instructions to fix a friend's Springfield that he was about to give up on (and go Glock), and he was 50 for 50 in reliable operation. Much happier!
You didn't say which round from the magazine jammed or whether the jammed round suffered any bullet setback, but such 3-point jams occurring before the case head reaches the extractor can be caused by/be the result of:
* a rough breechface
* a burr at the bottom of the firing pinhole
* weak recoil spring
* lack of lubrication
* bullet being set back into case upon hitting feed ramp
* rough radius at the top of the barrel feed ramp
Q: What kind of ammunition jammed?