Modded TM M1911A1 won't cycle

[martinlb]

Hi all - geez, it's been a while since I've posted, but here's what's gotten to me this time:

I've got a heavily modified TM M1911A that won't cycle properly. Mods include a Nova frame, an Airsoft Surgeon slide and upgraded spring, Nova housing (contains the hammer spring), Nova grip safety, Nova trigger, and magazine release.

After I rack the slide the first time, it fires but doesn't fully return to the closed position. The hammer also is left only about 1/4 of the way towards being fully cocked. I can use the pistol by racking the slide manually for each round. The slide also does not stay in the "open" position after the last round has been fired.

I've got another TM M1911A1 with a metal slide. If I "trade" slides, the pistol works well, and the slide is left "open" after the last round has been fired.

Any guidance about what I should be looking at to fix this will be MUCH appreciated!

Thanks!

[John]

I just noticed this thread, so I am sorry I am late.

From your description, it appears that the slide is not travelling all the way back. Do you find a BB in the chamber, after the pistol jams or is the chamber empty?

[martinlb]

Hey John - thanks for getting back to me. No woorries about the time-frame! :-)

I should have followed up here myself because I did solve the problem and maybe someone else could benefit.

What ended up being the problem was that there's a "block" (for lack of a better word) that the hex-nut holding the blowback housing in place goes through. This is the nut that holds the blowback housing in place on the inside of the slide. Well, the "block" the nut goes through ends up being too thick in some applications for the hammer to fall properly. Due to that, the striker doesn't release enough gas to properly cycle the gun. The fix was to file down the "block" significantly. Redwolf Airsoft has a news item that describes it, and that was what it took for me. It's working (and looking) great now!

[John]

Those strange things with the TM pistols, make the job of an airsoft gunsmith interesting. In my first attempt to build a metal 1911A1, the screw holding the assembly in the frame was a bit too tight. Just tight, nothing extreme. The gun didn't work, I had to loosen it to the point of "it just stopped" for the gun to work.

Different specs in airsoft gunsmithing than the real word, where "tight" is good.