Fail to Feed issues

Folks need your help.

I have a Caspian frame and slide which I recently sent out to have a new barrel and a Clark slide mount
installed. A 2pc guide rod and a 12lb Wolff recoil spring was installed as well.
I have mounted an Ultradot II red dot on the slide mount. When shooting a 200 LSWC with 4.0 gr of
Alliant Bullseye I am getting failure to feed issues, the previous case ejects just fine every time
but the next round does not chamber. The round seems to be partially in the magazine still. To correct
the issue all I have to do is pull the slide back and let go and the round chambers with no issues.
I have also put some 200 LSWC with 4.2 gr of Alliant Bullseye through the pistol with the issue happening
less frequently, and ran about 25 rounds 185 LSWC with 4.0 gr of Alliant Bullseye with no issues. The
Pistol is clean and well oiled, I have used several different Wilson Combat magazines.
I have had very few instance where the slide fails to lock after the magazine is empty.
Does this sound like a possible recoil spring issue, either being to light or to heavy, or possibly a magazine issue.
Please post your thoughts. Thanks in advance.

Hello hongach,

Replace magazine springs....test....go to an eleven pound recoil spring....test....let us know.

Jim

If the round is nose diving in the magazine I would say it's a magazine problem.

Both of my BE pistols will feed empty cartridges from the magazine unless it's a bad magazine, then they nose dive and jam.


YMMV.


Virgil

I had the same problem with the same exact loads.I found the 4.2 load with a 12lb spring solved my problem.

Len

Id drop the recoil spring to a 10 lb and leave your load at 4.0, the reason your having issues is that a 12lb in that gun with the heavy dot is too strong. You can up the charge till it works but then you have more recoil.

DavidR wrote:Id drop the recoil spring to a 10 lb and leave your load at 4.0, the reason your having issues is that a 12lb in that gun with the heavy dot is too strong. You can up the charge till it works but then you have more recoil.

I'm sure you have more experience than I do, but.

I shoot both a 1911 I built myself and a Clark Long slide. They both have Clark slide mounts on them with 30mm Ultra Dots.

Both pistols are set up with 14 pound springs from Wolff and will reliably feed 200 grain SWC with 3.5 grains of Bullseye and I never have an alibi, ever.

IMO it's a mistake to up the powder charge when having problems. The issue should be addressed first as to whether there is something wrong with the pistol or magazine.

4.0 grains of BE should easily  be enough to cycle the gun and function properly with this setup . By upping the powder charge or going to a lighter spring you are forcing the slide to remain in the open position longer, banging the slide and lower leg against the frame and thereby hiding the real problem.

I'm still betting that it's a magazine problem and the cartridge is nose diving in the magazine. Just because big money is spent on so called "Brand Name" magazines doesn't mean that they are working properly. Check like I said with empty cartridges and see if the feed from the magazine or nose dive.

All of my 1911's including a Kimber that I use as a CCW weapon will feed 5-7 empty cartridges from a magazine when I slingshot them. If they nose dive then it's the magazine, if they hit the barrel lip and hang up it's the timing that is off or the barrel to frame gap is not set at 1/32 of an inch.

Not trying to flame anybody here but I hear all to often that someone should up the powder charge to correct a cycling problem in semi-autos.

It's the easy thing to do but not always the right thing to do.

The only other question I would ask is how many rounds do you have through that Caspian frame and slide with the new barrel?

If it's still new I'd put about 500 rounds through it first with the load you have and then re-evaluate the problem.


Virgil

I re-read the OP and realize that I didn't notice that your scope is actually quite a bit heavier then the 1" ultra dot I have on my 45. That being the case I would agree with Virgil and go with a little heavier spring.I know he didn't actually say to get a heavier spring but he is using a 14# with good results.Virgl also mentions the possibility of bad magazines but the OP also said that all you had to do was pull the slide back and release again and it worked fine.That sounds like everything is lined up right just not enough spring with that heavy dot to bring it back to battery.There is a test you can do to see if you don't have enough spring.In a safe place load a full magazine in the pistol and with the pistol pointed down range just release the slide stop.Do it over and over again by cycling manually.If you have enough spring (and a good magazine) it will go to battery every time.If it doesn't then try a stronger spring.I do it this way because it is a true test of the spring.If you test it by firing the pistol you add the possibility of recoil and bounce back from frame adding to the springs capabilities.Thats how I figure out what spring to start with.Hope this helps

Len

I would agree with Len except for one point.

  When the round doesn't feed but you pull the slide back and sling shot the slide the cartridge may have enough time to pop back up to the proper position in the magazine. If you have a bad magazine spring (or a bad mag) it doesn't have enough time in the normal cycling to do this,  spring is to weak and slow to bring the cartridge into proper alinement,    but once the slide is pulled back taking the tension off the cartridge  it allows the spring to re-set for a lack of a better term and pushes the cartridge up to the proper spot between the feed lips. You release the slide and it racks the cartridge in a normal fashion.

I have found that if too weak a recoil spring is used the the slide will pick up the cartridge in a normal fashion but the slide doesn't go all the way into battery and hangs up by about 1/8 inch.

I have had real good luck with Checkmate mags with Hy-bred lips although some don't like them. The worst mags I ever had were Chip McCormick 8 round magazines which always nose dived the cartridges. Come to think of it most mag problems I have seen in BE shooting came from 8 round magazines and in BE there is no reason for an 8 round magazine. I save my cheapo Chip McCormick and all other 8 round magazines  mags for shooting hardball and they work fine for this but they sure are a problem with SWC's

If you had a picture of how the cartridge hangs up with  the FTF it sure would help. I'm gathering from the way you described this is that the bullet (cartridge) is stuck on the feed ramp or the front of the magazine and not a 3 point jam (which wouldn't clear and chamber by re-racking the slide). 

I'm still betting on a bad magazine or weak magazine spring. The slide locking open when the last shot is fired has nothing to do with it. Even with a weak magazine spring the slide will lock open because after the slide strips the last cartridge there is no weight on the spring like there is with cartridges in the magazine.

BTW my 1911 BE guns w/slide mounted 30mm UD's will run perfect with loads as low as 3.5 of BE under a 200 grain SWC and 3.6 grains of BE under a 185 grain SWC.


I hope this helps you.

Virgil