Gun jams all the time

[milesga]

Hello all,
I recently bought a used 1911 made by Springfield, my first handgun! Its a great gun, but recently it has been jamming all the time, like once per magazine. The gun jams after the slide goes back and then forward, jamming just a half inch or so away from being fully closed. When its jammed I can't move the slide backwards or forwards more than an eighth of an inch. The barrel seems to be caught on the front part of the ejection port. The only way I can free the jam is by getting a knife in the back of the barrel (inbetween the barrel and the ejection port) and sort of pulling upwards.
I love this gun, but I'm not really willing to depend on something that might jam. All y'alls help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Miles

[sevenL4]

That's what they're called by those who don't know better. Since it's your first time with a govt mod pistol, you could be making a mistake that's pretty common with first timers. We experts call it 'limp-wristing' but only when we're talking about some one else 'cause it never happened to us. The pistol is recoil operated and to function it needs to be held firmly. Next time you're at the range, concentrate on keeping a firm, two hand grip on the pistol. If you get the Outdoor Life Network (OLN), check out Shooting USA. You'll see the pros and they all use a two hand grip. Their pistols hardly move under recoil. If your pistol continues to jam, drop the magazine and with your finger outside the trigger guard, push the lower front part (where the recoil spring plug is)of the slide against a wooden post. If you don't have a full length guide rod, you can probably clear your jam that way. In any event, find another way besides prying the barrel with a knife blade. If you find that there is a real problem with parts fitment, the guys on this forum are super. They'll help although there may be a few who can't recall ever limp-wristing their pistol.

[stans]

I don't think limp wristing has a thing to do with this since the slide jams solid. Are you shooting factory ammo or reloads? Reloads can jam like this if they are not sized, crimped and the bullet seated properly. If it is with factory ammo, I'd give that barrel link a real close inspection. You didn't put in a taller link to get better lock up, did you? If it's the factory link, I'm thinking the pin holes have become elongated or there is a crack in the link.

[1911Tuner]

Limp-wristing is a common term used by smiths and manufacturers when they want to put the blame on the shooter instead of on the gun or their work.
It does happen...but almost never contributes to a stoppage that you describe...and rarely even contributes to it. If it kicks the empty clear of the port, it should feed and go to battery. If the gun won't function with a limp grip, it ain't right. If it requires a perfect grip in order to function, ya just can't trust a snake like that in a defensive/carry gun.

Stans hit a good thing to check on the ammo issue. If that doesn't ID your bug, report back. I don't think it's a 3-point jam, since it's too close to going to battery. Excessive stem binds/3-point jams usually stop things well before that point, and rarely ever tie it up so tight that you can't clear it by racking the slide.

Standin' by...

[milesga]

The ammo I've been shooting was made by Woolf, factory load.

[bearandoldman]

The ammo I've been shooting was made by Woolf, factory load.

That couild be your problem some of them Wolf loads are a little wussy and can cause problems. Try some different ammmo and see what happens, I have had some problems when using Wolf in my short bvarrel guns.

[1911Tuner]

The ammo I've been shooting was made by Woolf, factory load.

Bingo! Stans nailed it! (Didn't I TELL ya'll he was good? Didn't I? Huh?) :D

Wolff is notorious for wildly varying bullet diameter and ogive geometry. I've pulled and measured some that varied as much a .003 inch in the same box...and as much as .002 out of round.
One will chamber fine and the next will hang up in the forward part of the chamber or even in the rifling just ahead of the leade. If the barrel has a little taper in the chamber...which many do these days... it'll happen more often and jam tighter.

For the record, I wouldn't use Wolf in a worn-out beater that I hated.
Try some decent ammo and report back.

Cheers!

[stans]

Wolf ammo is fine for Eastern Block made weapons, their chambers tend to be well onto the generous side. Western firearms generally have tighter tolerances and need quality ammo. Sellier & Bellot (S&B), Federal American Eagle, Remington UMC (even though it burns dirty), Winchester USA, Georgia Arms, CCI Blazer are all good makers of cheap practice ammo. Another one to avoid like the plague is American Ammo (AMERC), talk about junk? This stuff doesn't even qualify to be junk!

[milesga]

Hello again,
Well I broke it down, cleaned the hell out of it, and lubed it up. Got myself a box of Federal FMJ. Inserted the magazine, tried to rack it, and the same jam occured, where the slide was stuck both ways about half an inch away from returning to battery. Again, I had to pry on the back of the barrel, at the chamber, which seems to release the chamber under the ejection port. Not quite sure if this is where it is hung up though, it might be something internal that I just can't see. Well after clearing the first round, I tried it again with a different round, and the exact same thing happened. I then tried it with a third round. This time, the slide slid all the way forward. The slide was also able to move about a quarter to half an inch back, but after that it stuck again.
One more thing, I fired 4-500 rounds before this became an issue. After it happened the first time, it began to happen more frequently, up to the point that it seems to be happening with every round now.
So, any new suggestions?

Thanks,
Miles

[1911Tuner]

Hmmm...

Try this quick little test:

Empty gun. Point the muzzle downward at a 45 degree angle and ease the slide forward. If there's a slight "catch" that holds it up or even stops it,
you've got a little vertical lockup timing issue. basically, the barrel lugs are trying to cam up into their slots in the slide a tick too early, and either catching the front corners of the barrel lugs on the rear faces of the slide lugs...OR...the REAR faces of the barrel lugs and the FRONT faces of the slide lugs are geting in a bind as the slide makes the final approach into battery.
Not really common, but not exactly uncommon either.

If it goes to battery smoothly, you may have a burr on the breechface or around the firing pin port...the breechface guides are too narrow...or the extractor hook itself is causing a problem.

If you can remove the extractor and retest it with ammo, you could identify or eliminate it. Not hard to do.

[stans]

Seemy first post, could be a tall link was installed.

[milesga]

Hello all,
Well I pulled the extractor pin, which solved the problem of the slide not being able to sldie backwards. I'm pretty sure the problem is a burr or constriction of the breechface. Unfortunately, work is calling me up for a month detail, so it'll have to wait till after Christmas. Thanks again for the advice,

Miles

[stans]

I'm stupid. Check the link pin, make sure it isn't loose and walking out or is tight and is protruding from one side of the lower lug. Go ahead and look for burs or peened areas of the lower lug and also in the frame where the lug resides. Oh, and with the barrel out, stick the slide stop pin in the link and make sure it moves freely over the forward part of the lower lug and is not binding on that forward radius.