S&W 1911 feeding issues

R

Rock Knocker

Well-known member
Last November I made the mistake of visiting the gun counter to see what they had for black friday deals and I left with a S&W 1911TA and it will be the last S&W I purchase. After I took it out shooting I took it apart to clean it and the ejector fell into my lap, it was never pinned in place. So I called S&W and told them what happened and added that my shield was also recently having problems feeding rounds reliably. They sent me out a new ejector that was not machined to accept a pin and a new pin plus new mag springs and followers for my shield. I used the old ejector and pinned it in place and was happy for awhile. The new springs and followers for my shield fixed the problem, for awhile.

My 1911 is now hammering the nose of my bullets enough to seat them further in the case. The two guns seem to be having the same problem, the mag catches are sloppy and the magazines can be moved up and down in the mag well.

I will be on the phone trying to hold my tongue with them first thing next week. I can pretty much guarantee that they are going to want me to send each gun back to the factory and wait very patiently for their return. Has anyone experienced their wait times?

Has anyone else had these problems and are there any fixes I can do here at home?
 
Forgot to mention both the magazine base pads that came with the gun broke before I had 100 rounds through the gun, which resulted in a second call with no parts sent my way. This will be my third call to them. All the years of shooting and never had a single problem that resulted in a call to the manufacturer, soon as I buy S&W I need their number on speed dial.
 
S&W has an excellent reputation and builds great firearms. I've never had to deal with their customer service but I've never heard any real horror stories about their customer service either. Can you describe the problem with more detail? What do you mean "hammering the nose of the bullet?" Pictures help...
 
This is what happens after chambering a round, this also happens with FMJ bullets.


This shows the virtical play that the magazine has in the mag well, just over 1/10th of an inch.




My shield has the same issue.

Another problem I have is that with the 8 round magazines that came with the 1911 I can't get the full magazine in with the slide shut, no matter how hard I push, making it a true 8 round gun not 8+1.
 
Just got off the phone with customer service and they want me to take it to a local place or wait around 6 weeks to send the guns back to them.

I don't know how you can put a MSRP of $1400 on a gun that has been made for over 100 years and still F it up
mad.gif
 
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I have had several issues with a S&W 1911. I sent it to the S&W customer dept in Coyote ,Texas( gun Shop/Gun smith).They really did me a fine job and fast.
 
That would explain their prices, they know they are still going to have to pay for shipping and gun smithing after the sale. Wonderful business plan. The wait isn't a huge deal but with the state of the country right now I have a fear in the back of my head of the guns never getting shipped back, I would rather pay more to keep it local.
 
Yes. I purchased a 10 round magazine that is even worse. Unless I keep the plastic sleeve that covers the extended part on the magazine on the mag will be inserted so high up in the mag well it gets hung up on the ejector and the slide wont be able to shut.

And it still hangs low enough to ram rounds into the feed ramp and seat the bullet further. The mag catch must be way out of spec. the 10 round magazine without the plastic thing can move up and down 1/8th an inch and the only thing that stops it from moving further up is the ejector.
 
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I removed the magazine catch but at not quite sure what to look for and I don't have any others to compare it to.

 
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No hero but I will be happy to send you a magazine catch. I have a new one that's never been in a gun, a Kimber replacement part. I'll get it in the mail Monday.
 
WOW! That's crazy! I have a M&P Shield 9mm and a M&P 45 and they have been flawless. I hope it gets worked out for you.
 
I have a M&P Shield 9 and a M&P Pro Series 9 and they have both been great. I had a M&P45c and had issues with the magazines holding advertised capacity, sent it down the road.
 
Originally Posted By: GCI dropped a new magazine catch in the mail this morning...

Thanks a lot!

I'm going to try to solve the problem on my own, with GC's generous donation and I believe a new ejector will be in order as well. I plan on getting a 460 Rowland conversion for this gun too so I want to replace most of the stock MIM parts before they're broken by the 460. I just have to make sure it's reliable before upgrading.

But I am a bit upset with S&W, I've spent nearly $1700 on their guns and even with multiple replacement parts from them I can't reliably carry ether gun. Good thing I've got some Springfield Armory's around, they will have my loyalty from now on. I do look at a lot of Sigs though too.......
 


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