1911 reassembley malfunction

[Zeke 55]

Came back from range and broke down V 10 compact for cleaning.(Slide seperated from frame hard) After cleaning could not reassemble slide to frame witout force.Do I have a problem with ejector? :confused: Thanks in advance for any advice. :o

[1911Tuner]

Howdy Zeke,

Sounds like a little interference between the sides of the lower barrel lug and the frame. Strip the gun again and push the barrel into the frame from front to back. if you hit a tight spot just as the lower lug enters its recess in the frame...that's your bug. Clean it well and try again. If it's still tight...and some are...you can clearance it just a little with a 6-inch smooth mill file.

COlor the sides of the lug with a permanent marker and force the lug into the recess, and you can see the point(s) of contact. Dress those points and try again...being careful to keep the cuts flat and even.

Take a light cut on either side of the loking lug...and another equal cut on the other. Keep the file away from the fillet at the junction of the lug and the barrel. You don't want a sharp corner there. Check the rear corner of the lug for a sharp edge or burr, and dress lightly on an angle, forming a
very small bevel.

When you get it to the point that it'll let the barrel slip in easily, polish the sides of the lug with a flat stone and break any sharp corners.

Luck!

Tuner

[Zeke 55]

Thanks Turner,
I,ll give it a try this afternoon{Grandson slept over otherwise I,d try it now,he can be a little terror when Pops trying to do something}Let you know how I make out.

[Zeke 55]

Hi Tuner,
Getting back to you with the outcome of your suggested fix but I,m a little embarrased as to what I found the problem to be.While I own a few 45,s,this one is my favorite for the 15 to 20ft range.Shot it so much that I seperated the link from the barrel lobe last year{Sheared the lobe right off the barrel}Sent it back to factory and they machined the frame and installed a ramped barrel.Began shooting again and it developed a problem with stovepiping spent shells.Back to the factory where they installed new slide stop,extractor,recoil plug,guide rod,inner and outer recoil springs and recut slide stop notch.[All under warranty]
Broke it down,reset barrel,inserted guide rod[21 and 22 lbs springs]and reassembled firmly,no problem.Have to get used to the dual spring tension as apposed to the old single spring.Thanks for the help and making me think.

[1911Tuner]

Howdy Zeke,

That sheared lower lug wasn't likely the result of heavy use. There was
a problem with the barrel unlocking and linkdown phase. If the barrel's locking lugs were damaged at the front, the barrel's impact surface in the frame was too far forward, and the rear face of the lower lug was striking the impact surface while the barrel was still partially locked to the slide. If the lower lug was the only thing that was sheared off, either the impact surface was too far rearward, and the barrel was being stopped by the link...or the barrel was stopping on the frame bed instead of the vertical impact surface,
and stretching the link...and stressing the lug in the junction with the barrel.

Hopefully, they got the problem resolved while they had the gun.

Luck!

Tuner