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Thread: Citadel 3.5" compact 1911 problems

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  1. #1
    Join Date
    10th March 2010
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    Exclamation Citadel 3.5" compact 1911 problems

    hey everyone. I'm new to the forum and 1911s in general and recently bought a compact citadel 1911.

    first day at the range i put 120 rounds through the gun and only one mag went through without a hiccup, the main problem was that the slide wouldn't come all the way back and hence the shell wouldn't chamber completely. sometimes i would have ftfs and ftes but the are less common than the slide not coming to battery.

    i am no expert by any means but i have shot a springer champion without the problems mentioned above but then again it was a loose range gun so feeding wasn't a problem and the barrel/slide was longer so the slide travel wasn't as fast as the 3.5 compact that i own.

    bear in mind that i am only 120 pounds @ 5' nothing so this gun might not favor me as the shooter, or is it a normal problem for new guns of this kind? before i get the "limp wristing" explanation i wish you could shoot the gun and see that unless you have some considerable strength the same problem would occur to you.

    i was using the mags that came with the gun and magtech 230 grain ball ammo. any advice?

  2. #2
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    23rd January 2008
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    Not sure I completely understand your description of the problem, so let me see if I got it.

    After the pistol fires, the rd ejects but will not go back into battery - you have to push the slide abit (1/4" maybe) to get it completely back into battery. Occassionally the rd is not ejected after the pistol fires. Is that all correct???

    If the above is correct the 1st thing I would suspect is the ejector is too tight.

    BUT before I got into that, I would ensure I had cleaned the gun very throughly of all the lube Armscor applies to ship them.

    Next I would apply a good gun oil or grease (i perfer grease and that's all I use on my pistols) to the frame & slide groves. Cycle the pistol (no mag or ammo) and see if it goes completely back into battery each time.

    Pull the slide back completely and let it go (sling shot). Next, pull back all the way and keeping a good grip, let it go back in a slower and more controled manner.

    If it doesn't pass those 2 tests 100% its either a weak recoil spring or binding between frame/slide, or . . .

    Try the above and post results back.

    I have a Citadel CS and it's a great pistol, you did good chosing it.
    https://forum.m1911.org/image.php?type=sigpic&userid=22562&dateline=160003  0626 The Natural Enemy of Guns: Rust & Politicians.

  3. #3
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    10th February 2008
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    Ok let me make sure I've got this right:

    New gun
    Factory Magtech ammo
    Factory mag
    Occassional failure to feed
    Occassional Fail to eject
    Occasional fail to return to battery.

    Is that about right???

    since this seems inconsistant,
    Limp wristing is always a possibility even for us old hat's, But not likely causing all your issues. Some of it could be from not being broke in. Usually around 300 roumds it should smooth out. I would continue to fire it and watch for something consistant before we go making adjustments. And in the end you may have to send it in, but I think it's premature to think about that now.

    Make sure it has been cleaned well and lubed with good gun oil or grease.
    There are 6,475 bolts and screws in a car, It takes 1 nut to spread them all over the road.
    Last edited by doctruptwn; 10th March 2010 at 12:53.


  4. #4
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    that description is correct, i lubed up the gun before shooting it the first time and the slide cycles flawlessly when i do it manually (slingshot) but sometimes it doesn't go back to battery when i do it slowly.

    i cleaned and lubed it after going to the range yesterday and i am going to shoot it again today to see if that was all it needed. if the problem persists then ill have a gunsmith look at it just to make sure.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    25th September 2006
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    Quote Originally Posted by sundevil
    . . .the slide cycles flawlessly when i do it manually (slingshot) but sometimes it doesn't go back to battery when i do it slowly.
    You can help the gun break itself in quietly by hand cycling it (no ammo) many hundreds of times while watching TV. Removing the recoil spring will make it a bit easier to do.

    Just make sure it's clean and well-oiled.

    Regards
    When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind. [Lord Kelvin]

  6. #6
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    All of the post above are correct IMO,stay with us we will get you thru this .the other thing is, to the forum, AND...........
    Last edited by nightal; 10th March 2010 at 14:17.


  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by nightal
    All of the post above are correct IMO,stay with us we will get you thru this .the other thing is, to the forum, AND...........
    sorry about that, here are a few from my phone (not very pretty, this gun isn't going to be a safe queen anyway).








    nothing too fancy, only modifications i have made to it so far is hogue grips and a Sig magazine.

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