Ruger 1911 Commander .45 Problem

[Excaliber]

I was feeling pretty optimistic after I fired about 40 rounds using magazines loaded with 5 each. When I went to full magazines, we went back to failures to feed and double feeds of live rounds - lots of them.

I suspect you had/have 2 issues - 1 being the extractor (hopefully fixed), the other being those magazines in that specific firearm (as you mentioned they work fine on other guns).

I'd be curious to see if the issue is resolved using a mag with a known strong spring eg CMC PowerMag. If so, either use only those in that gun or get rid of it altogether.

I agree that the extractor issue has been resolved - there's no issue at all with extraction and ejection.

I agree the magazines are the next thing to look into and will try several different ones. I've also ordered some Wolff extra power magazine springs to try in the ones I've been using.

I've also ordered a 20 lb recoil spring to see if the standard spring may be letting the slide come back and smack the frame hard enough to cause a round to jump the magazine lips.

When all this stuff comes in later this week I'll be mixing and matching things until I find a combination that works reliably.

The saga continues.....

[MONGOOSE]

You may want to have the extractor honed and polished first. MCM mags are excellent,
20 lb recoil spring should be more than enough.

[Excaliber]

One change at a time, yes - good luck. If I may suggest - try the recoil-spring first so that, if it works, you don't *have* to modify the mags.

We think very much alike.

That's exactly what I was planning to do.

If the 20 lb spring doesn't make a positive difference, I'll go back to the original one before trying new mags or mag springs so I can isolate the problem.

[Excaliber]

You may want to have the extractor honed and polished first. MCM mags are excellent,
20 lb recoil spring should be more than enough.

Since extraction seems to be fine, I'm going to leave the extractor as is for now unless I see any indication of a problem in that area. It appears to be pretty good as is, and has the proper radius cuts.

If none of this works, I'll be looking for a good 1911 smith in the DFW area to give it a good look. There's a lot I like about the gun, and if I can just get it to run reliably I'd like to use it as an EDC for a good part of the year.

[MONGOOSE]

Your answer tells me you need a Smith

[Excaliber]

I decided to give Ruger one more crack at it and sent it off again today. I hate to pay for a smith after I already paid to get a working gun.

We'll see how that works out. I'm thinking I just got a lemon, but I'd really like to understand what's going on with it.

Their original repair slip said they changed the extractor but also "repaired" the receiver and barrel. Unfortunately, the failures were more frequent after the repair.

[MONGOOSE]

Is your extractor cast or turned?

[Excaliber]

Is your extractor cast or turned?

It's the Ruger original part and appears to be machined from tool steel.

At this point I've eliminated that as the cause. It's already been replaced and tension is right on spec.

[MONGOOSE]

Still may need to be radius ex and honed T right angle planes

[Excaliber]

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Still may need to be radius ex and honed T right angle planes

I'll try whatever Ruger does this time first.

As Andy C said, one change at a time or you won't know which change made things better or worse.

[Excaliber]

Well, this gun came back from its second trip to Ruger and it still isn't right.

The Ruger tech called me and said he duplicated the problem in test firing, then "adjusted" the extractor and replaced the magazine.

The extractor tension measured a right on spec 26 ounces when I sent it in. When I got it back it was so loose it wouldn't hold a cartridge in place and the tension was so low I couldn't measure it (with a Weigand extractor tension feeler gauge and a Lyman trigger pull gauge.)

I reset the extractor tension and test fired it with multiple magazines. It extracts flawlessly, and it definitely requires a strong magazine spring. However, it is only completely reliable with one of the two Ruger magazines that came with it. I still get FTF's with Wilson Combat, Chip McCormick PowerMag, and Brownell's magazines. I also tried a 20 pound recoil spring to slow down the slide speed and increase the power of the movement into battery, and added a new top quality extractor. I don't get double feeds any more, but the FTF's stop the slide with the nose of the round stuck against the top of the chamber and the breech face against the base of the cartridge. I also get an occasional stoppage with the nose of the extractor against the base of the cartridge instead of engaged on the rim, and a very occasional failure to go into battery. Failure rate is about 8 per 100 rounds - clearly not ready for EDC.

I like the gun for its combination of a lightweight frame, titanium feed ramp, and original John Browning recoil setup that can be disassembled without tools, but without complete reliability it's an expensive paperweight.

I'd appreciate referrals from folks who know a really good 1911 smith in the DFW area (Fort Worth to Weatherford preferred).

Thanks!

[camjr]

Sounds like you're just chasing it at this point. My CMD functions flawlessly with Wilson, Chip McCormick, and Ruger mags. I've tried all different loads, FMJ, HP, 220+p, 230gr, etc. No issues. I guess, like cars, there are lemons out there. Sorry to hear about it.