New AO Owner!

[az1911er]

Hello all,

I am a new Auto Ordnance 1911 owner. It is brand new. The packaging says deluxe model, but it looks like a plane jane GI to me, except for a differing hammer, and grip safety but the correct mainspring housing.

Anyways I will post pics up here by Wed, (have to work tonight and tmrw). Right now, the pistol is all field stripped and soaking up oil. Once the kitchen is clear it will go in the oven for a bit... Anyways the parked coat really shows lots of scratches. So, hopefully after soaking up grease in the oven it will look better. Actually I will probably do oil in the oven first then put grease on in oven after I shoot it and confirm it works, so I can leave it leech the extra for awhile. It cycled rounds and ejected reliably, while testing.

Hey there is one problem though, the magazine doesn't fall freely? I press mag release and it drops an inch and then it needs to be pulled out. Even with 2 rounds in mag (to function check) it didn't. I bought a chip mcormick shooting star mag, and that doesn't even drop at all. I have to pull it out!!!

So, if anyone could give input on the mag problem that would be great! (I am worried but could it be just tight because its new?)

Let me know some fixes for the scratches, its not a safe queen so I don't care, just like it to look okay. Yes, I know park is hard to cover up scratches, but it came with the scratches from being handled by people looking at it, mostly from racking the action.


Later,
Paul

[Hunter]

AO pistols are a pretty good deal. I did a review on the 1911A1 Model last year and I liked it enough to buy it from Kahr.
I would check the stock screw bushings to see if they are sticking through the received enough to cause the magazine to drag.
If not take a look inside and see what it could be dragging on.
Why is it you are putting it in the oven?
The scratches are an eye sore but I have learned to live with them on my carry pistols, I tell myself they are character.:D
Welcome to the forum.

[az1911er]

Thanks hunter,

I will check the bushings, I have attempted to see what it was. Its the last inch or so the mag really drags up there. Pushing them with little effort from the slide locked back on the follower, makes them drop clean, so it can't be much holding them.


I am putting it in the oven to absorb oil. Its absorbed enough right now to be okay to fire. You see parkerizing is an incomplete finish. It needs oil and grease to finish it. I didn't put it in the oven today yet. The military firearms had cosmoline on them and were put over time in warehouses. The cosmoline leeched into the parkerizing. This gave a great rust-free finish. So, to duplicate that, I have done some research and you can put it in the oven to speed up the process and open up the parkerizing pores to accept oil/grease. Some have reported this phenomenon in AZ where our temps are hot, oiling the metal surfaces really helps after cleaning where we strip all oil off. If in the midwest/rust belt this cleaning without oiling the metal or pre-protecting it like with an oven can and will cause rust. I will try and find a few links on it, its a neat process:)

Later, and much thanks!
Paul

[AK625]

Concerning the Magazine not falling free, I'd also check that the sear spring isn't protruding through it's slot in the lower frame where it anchors behind the mainspring housing. If it is, remove it and file it until it fits flush.

Best of luck, and happy shooting!

[MAC79912]

+1 on the sear spring.Look on the back of your mags to see if there are deep scratches.I had this problem and after changing the sear spring the mags started dropping out.

[RedRiverSix]

as I just got a new WWII 1911 from AO and the mag catch sticks in the open position due to mold seams on the parts thet werent properly blended before finishing, but thats the start of the laundry list of things that convinced me that I should have spent my money on a Springfield or a Dan Wesson.

[JARHEAD82-86]

RedRiver6

Do not be discouraged with your purchase. I have an AO with 4500 rounds by me I bought it used. Some may take a little tweaking to get them right. But for the money there is nothing better on the market. I have had my Deluxe model for three years and have not had any major issues. I did have to retention the extractor a couple of week ago but nothing else besides a good cleaning now and then.

Mike

[L0UISVILLE]

I love my Kahr AO. Besides throwing brass at my nugget, the only problem I had was with the factory mag catch shattering. No biggie, I was looking at and did get an extended one from brownells anyway. IMHO, every GI model is a project gun anyway, and all you really need is a good frame and slide. For under $500 you cant beat that. Also, dont let the "newness" discourage you. Put a few thousand rounds through it, let it work out its own kinks, and youll have a nice, reliable pistol. If your having serious problems with your new AO, their CS is GREAT in my experiences. And on closing: The one thing Ive learned from this website is that there are always gonna be problems with any company, and all you can ask for is good CS.

[az1911er]

Had a few good friends with 1911 experience take a look, one said for sure its the mag release, the other didn't know but both said take it and shoot it and it should be allright. After putting the mag in and out for awhile the mags are easier to take out and stuff, still not dropping but better. Anyways here are some pics. I am still going through them to get some good ones. Its hard to take good ones to show the scratches on the mags.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t234/az1911er/1911013.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t234/az1911er/1911012.jpg


The scratches are on both sides some run down the whole thing, the one is parallel with the mag release. Hopefully I will get to shoot it soon. Just have to find time.

Later,
Paul


Sorry on a comp that doesn't have image editing so couldnt make it smaller. Will get a good one of it all assembled and looking pretty and 800x600 soon....

[L0UISVILLE]

I think all it needs is wear. I think mine was pretty stiff like that too. Just keep working it in and out, or let it sort itself out.

[az1911er]

Well my dad and I took it out today and shot 100rds of wwb through it in 35ish min! When it got hot we switched to my dad's .357 S&W magnum shooting .38spcl. The heavy gun doesn't even kick with .38s! Loved the .45! Very little recoil, I love the 3 dot sights they put on.

85-95% of the time the casings ejected as they should to the right behind. But, on the other times it popped right back onto my head, lip, or shoulder. My dad had a circle mark on the right of his mouth and i did as well. Dirty wwb ammunition! Anyways there was no rhyme or reason, most of the time "i think" it was on the last round or two in the mag, but don't quote me on that. Most of the time it was great. The gun shot good groups, at 15 feet thought I had to aim above where I was wanting to hit? I have to do more sighting in, today was just fun time to shoot and get the gun loose. It was 10x easier field stripping and operating slide because it is now looser! The empty mags still don't drop freely, the chip gets stuck all though it is 10x looser than it was, but still doesn't drop. The stock mag still drops an inch and doesn't drop freely, although it also is looser in there. It will drop fully loaded mags (both of them) great and partially loaded ones too. If it comes to it I will take it to the local smith and see if he can take some metal off or replace the mag release or whatever it is, I am sure that is it. You can see it, the whole mag is wearing down because it is putting too much pressure and pushing it into the mag well wall.

Anyways guns was 100% perfectly reliable, no ftf or fte!!!! Yeah!!! Even when it got hot, and it did, still 100% I even had a bit too much grease in there, it got all over my dad's white dress shirt:( I told him I would buy him a new one, but he was having too much fun, he loved it! It took me forever to drag him out, but I like testing guns with 2 people, and its fun you load your own mag and shoot, it goes fast and its fun. He was just getting used to it and now wants to go tommorow!

The only safety concern was once I put the mag in and the slide rammed home without me pressing the slide release. I tried to duplicate the failure and did, which was buy slamming a mag home without pressing it and then dropping that mag, putting it back in resulted in this problem. So I think my dad put a loaded one in but then dropped it, to let me shoot, and then gave me it where I put my in and it did that. Is that OK or should I look at getting that replaced? The slide always locked back, hammer never fell, slingshoting slide and slide release always worked perfectly. It could have been hot, or oily.

Thanks for your advice sorry about the long post. Will post some good pics, have some handsome wood grips coming today, if fedex ever gets here!!

Later,
Paul

[L0UISVILLE]

I think its just the mag release. Dont waste money unless you have to. Just email AO and tell them you need a new one. I got mine in just a couple days. Also, as far as the slide releasing itself, mine will to if I really slam a mag home. As far as the brass going in your face, it should work that out itself also. I know mine was a pain at first, at least a few rounds each mag. It still does it time to time though. Where are the wear marks on the mag? Could you take a pic? And you had so much lube that it was splashing you?

[az1911er]

No it wasn't splashing, but my dad had a white dress shirt and it had grey spots all over after we were done, lol. My shirt was grey but closer to white and was fine, there was only markings from the dirty wwb casings when they hit after ejecting straight back. I talked to my friends, they said their 1911s will occasionally throw brass straight back. I noticed that it happened mostly on the last round or 2. I think it my be the magazine pushing up etc plus normal forces cause it. It wasn't too bad and it was reliable at least for 100 rnds.

I would like to post pictures, but I never can get them good to show the scratches on the mag. The mags are blued. Right now both mags are wearing at the top around from getting pushed into the magwell by the mag release. It is all wearing. There is one scratch down where the mag release is, so it isn't too hard to tell, I guess.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t234/az1911er/1911017_edited.jpg

Just imagine on this pic that there is more scratched off on the top uniform like the picture. There is one big scratch down the front of the mag, where the mag release is. Its not all the way, but where the mag release is to the top. I may just have a gunsmith look at if and see what it is and then I can have Kahr get me the part, I am pretty sure its that, because I have taken grip screws out, the mainspring doesn't touch it, and there is nothing else except for if the magwell itself was out of round, but it drops loaded mags freely.

Thanks guys for the advice you guys are great!

Later,
Paul