New Member, New GI

[meanjeans]

Hello,

My name is Josh and I am new here. I just traded in my P99 for a GI last week and today I had a chance to shoot it. A friend came along with his new Mil-spec too. The sights on the GI are not great quite frankly, the dot sights on the Mil-spec are superior. My GI also had about 10 -12 FTF in 150 rounds. I am hoping that will clear up after breaking in but it does seem excessive. The Mil-spec has had none thus far with around the same amount of ammo through it.

Thought I'd say hi. :)

[uspopo]

Congrats on an excellent buy! You can't beat the value of the Springfield GI guns and they are great base platform for custom builds...

[NetXteN]

I've seen posts of other guys with a GI that don't have the jamming problem.

However, a couple other things I've come across ...

I read earlier today that the GI was designed for the 230 grain bullets which have the rounded nose. I guess it would make sense that they may slide in easier and be less prone to catch, but I'm not sure the validity of that claim. I'm curious if it has jammed on you using that type of ammo? Also, I've seen mentioned that polishing the loading parts can fix an issue causing jams. http://forum.m1911.org/showthread.php?t=2449

It is possible to put Mil-Spec sights on the GI. http://forum.m1911.org/showthread.php?t=3048 Sending the slide into Springfield to have them put Mil-Spec sights on is an option. He also mentions 2 aftermarket brands that also will fit.

I'm a newbie so this isn't meant to be "the answer". Anyone else got ideas?

[meanjeans]

Josh (NetXten)

We'll have to compare barrel throats next time we go out. I believe they are identical barrels, yours is just in stainless. That would indicate that they should both feed the ammo we were putting through them Saturday regardless if the PMC has a flat tip on the bullet.

This article goes in to great detail with regards to tuning 1911s. This maybe something I will look into: http://www.sightm1911.com/lib/tech/reliability_secrets.htm

Again, I'll be more concerned after I put another 400 rounds through it.

[The 6.5mm Kid]

Hey Meanjeans,

Congratulations on your purchase. I just shot my new GI for the first time too. On the first magazine, I had one failure to return to battery which simply required a light push forward on the slide to fix. I got a little worried but then the gun proceeded to shoot 133 more rounds without a hiccup. I am totally happy with this thing for $399 and already am diseased with wanting to get another one. Yeah, the sights are a little tough but we knew that going in. I may get the mil-spec next. Somebody at the last big gunshow here in the DFW area had a OD mil-spec for the ridiculously low price of just $449 and I should have grabbed that one too.

What kind of ammo and magazines did you use? Was the gun almost getting the round chambered such that you just had to push the slide a bit or were your FTF incidents worse than that with a round hung up just after departure from the magazine? If you were using good factory FMJ, there is something wrong at that failure rate but i'd shoot a few hundred more rounds and try some McCormick or Wilson mags before sending it in if it comes to that. IF your problem is with the mags, they often show up on a certain round number like the last on for example.

Also, is your's parkerized or OD or stainless?


The 6.5mm Kid

[meanjeans]

Hello 6.5,

I used only the stock magazine with Winchester 230 Gr Ball and PMC 230 Gr Ball. The PMC did have a very small flat surface on the tip of the bullet. I did not notice FTF with the box of Winchester but I can't say for certain. My GI is parkerized.

My plan is to put a few more boxes through it and then consider a dremel with some flitz. Sounds fairly easy to do to polish the ramp and throat. Go from there. Maybe an 18.5 pound recoil spring?

[squid]

Josh,

I've been having the same trouble, but not as severe. I returned the gun to the shop, and they replaced the slide and springs. I've only had 3 FTFs(2 from brand new Wolff mags) since, out of 300 rounds.

If I knew how to post links to threads I'd include one, but I don't so try searching for any of my previous posts to see what I've had to do.

Let us know how yours works out. I love the feel and accuracy of my gun. I'm just not completely sold on it's reliability, yet.

Todd

[meanjeans]

I put another 75 through the GI today. There was one FTF on the last round of one magazine. I shot Winchester 230 ball which has a more round tip than the PMC - I plan to stick with this load until I get this worked out.

If I use a felt wheel with a dremel and try to polish up the ramp, will that void my warranty with SA? I hate to be without it for weeks if it just needs to get cleaned up like that.

[squid]

Did you buy it new? If so, the gun shop should have a gunsmith on staff who will polish the ramp for you. That's what my shop did.

[brickboy240]

Polish the feed ramp, tension the extractor and use a Wilson magazine.

That ought to cure your failures to feed and to eject the last round.

I did this on my GI and it has never missed a beat since then!

-Brickboy240

[AKsRule]

I have a GI Champion ( it has the Ramped Bull barrel )

I have 300 rds of hardball through her without one bobble ! :D

I think ramps are the best thing that ever happened to 1911s .

[John]

Please do not use a Dremel for this job, or if you can't resist the temptation, use only the rubber-wheel that came with the Dremel. No abrasive stones or anything. You are trying to polish here, not remove any metal. Papers between #600 and #1200 are the ones to use (OK, some idiots go up to ... #8000, but this is a personal preference, not enough mirrors in the house).

Rgds

[meanjeans]

I was told to use the felt wheel with flitz. Also to work the wheel so that it rotates in line with the ramp. Is that not a good idea?

[John]

A lot of people have destroyed a perfectly good 1911, because they got the Dremel-mania. Your finger (well, at least my finger) with an emery cloth of the above grid numbers, is the perfect tool to use. I am not sure what the felt wheel is, if it is the one that looks like a soft brush (white) I do not think it is enough for the job.

Oh, don't forget, you have to polish the feed ramps on both the frame and the lower end of the barrel.

My 2 Eurocents only of course!

[meanjeans]

Sounds good John. Safer too. Thanks for the info.

[theArmedRebel]

I did have a couple of failure to feeds in the first 100 rounds. I agree on the sights, they suck, but I bought mine for the nostalgia. I then went out and bought a SW 1911 and a Mil-Spec (that I recently got back from the Springfield Custom Shop). The Mil-Spec is now wearing Heinie SlantPros and the SW 1911 is wearing Novak's (both trijicon front, plain black rear). If you continue to have an issue with jamming, give Springfield a call, they will make it right. You could probably get them to upgrade your sights while it's there too.

Robert

[mitchjoe]

meanjeans:

Most any 1911 will require a "break-in" period. If you can, take a mental snapshot of what the failure looked like (cartridge case stuck vertically in ejection port, etc.) while you were at the range. Frequently, the problem (if one exists) can be pinpointed using specific details of the failure.

All of the GI's I've seen have come plenty polished from the factory. Unless you have some experience, I would approach using a Dremel tool with appropriate caution. :D

mitchjoe

[bobelk99]

This is 'old' info but may be pertinent. I bought a reputable manufacturers gun is the fall of 2003. Included in the paperwork was a sheet that suggested not used PMC 230 ball. The reason given was that at that time PMC did not use a taper crimp, and the OAL was excessive. If this is still true, that would explain ftf.

[meanjeans]

Well, I put another 100 through it yesterday. No FTFs during shooting, however the first round of 4 magazines got stuck when I depressed the slide release. I had to press the back of the slide to get it to close. Technically FTFs but they didn't happen while I was shooting so that is an improvement.

On the other hand, it shoots low and left all day so it has to go back to SA anyway! Oh well.

[Woodman]

As I am not an expert, I may be wrong... but :)

When you use the slide release to chamber the first round, the slide is not fully rearward, so it may not have enough force to push that first round in. I've read somewhere that it is reccomended to do a "slingshot" (pull the slide back and let go) to chamber the first round of a magazine, especially on stock springs. I had similar issues on my new SA1911 with the stock recoil spring. When I pulled the slide backwards instead of just thumbing the slide release I eliminated the problem. Since then, I've put an 18.5# Wilson Combat recoil spring and it has been able to feed rounds by just releasing the slide catch as well as pulling the slide back.

If I'm wrong, please correct me! :)