Mike Galway
Well-Known Fanatic
Never had any real issues with 1911s , and like most here , I've owned a bunch and still have a bunch . I always invested in good mags , and replaced springs as necessary . Always keep them cleaned and lubed .
I don't get it. Are you a limp wrist shooter? Is it something you're doing? I'm not disparaging you. I'm asking an honest question that you may have already considered and ruled out. If you haven't, you may want to consider looking at that.I am happy your guns run or that you can make them run. DW Commander 9mm runs great. NHC T4 9mm is great too. Colt XSE built when Colts were "bad". Worked fine. Early Colt WW I Repro: Ate anything, great gun. Friends report mixed results too, but nothing like my 1911 Curse.
I sent two of mine to a big name company for reliability work and neither were fixed. Now I have to drive 35 minutes one way to a Fedex shipcenter to send them back.
Let's see... here are some highlights. Mags and lube were early lessons. First one was the Ultra Compact in 1997-98.
Springfield Ultra Compact. Never ran. Went to the gunsmith four times and they couldn't get it to run
SA LW Operator. Didn't run. Sent to SACS for remediation then SA Custom Shop for mods. It was a two mag jamomatic.
SA LOADED: Worked for awhile and then took a dump. Probably just needed a new extractor but I didn't know that at the time. Sold it to a guy who said he would get it running.
Kimber Tactical Ultra II. External extractor abomination. Too many problems to list here but the incorrectly cut frame could not be fixed. New replacement had most of the same QC defects. Both were one mag wonders.
EMP's...jeebus these were messed up. SACS got the second one running and it is still going.
SA Champion stainless. Bad barrel fit with peening. Basically needed a new slide and barrel. SACS did not want to fix it.
DW Valor: Starts failing around 150 rounds, every time. Got it used. It is now a $2,800 gun after all the awesome mods. Sigh.
DW ECO: Another two mag wonder. DW couldn't fix it.
NHC Enforcer: Got it used but finish was pristine. Looked like a low round count. Three mag jamomatic. I could have gotten a new one after spending the cash. Oh well, maybe it will actually get fixed.
I am missing several other Springfields.
I bought a Colt 1911 Officers model 1st year. That was the only Colt 1911 I ever had trouble getting to run.Let's see... here are some highlights. Mags and lube were early lessons. First one was the Ultra Compact in 1997-98.
Years ago I had a Firestar in 9mm , wish I still had it .I bought a Colt 1911 Officers model 1st year. That was the only Colt 1911 I ever had trouble getting to run.
Traded it for a Colt LW Commander, that is my primary CCW, trust it with my life 4 sure.
The only 45acp that wanted 185 JHPs fast & not 230 FMJ was my Star Firestar. However it had a cracked hollow guide rod,
so I made a solid rod that Star will feed empty's I know not why. Only problem is the Star weighs a ton to carry.
Normally it's hard to F-Up a 1911 just take a look at U-Tube to see all kinds of folks working on & running 1911s.
All good points. But I have never met anyone who had problems with every car they ever bought.As I said above when ever I have issues I have a friend try it out . Usually it's about accuracy . If I'm not doing well with a particular gun I have my friend shoot it or stand back and critique what I'm doing . Once I was experiencing some jamming while shooting steel plates , never had issues with this gun before . My shooting partner that day said he watched me relax my grip between shots . Sure enough I focused on that , jamming stopped .
Also as said above , some guns like some ammo better than others . Short slide guns don't seem to like light loads . A friend just purchased a Glock on the Blue Label special . The Glock jammed repeatedly with his reloads . Same reloads flew right thru my 5 inch 1911 . Factory ammo did fine in the Glock .
I understand frustration , you pay good money for something , it should work . Doesn't matter what the product is . Look at how many people buy a lemon of a car , then say I'll never buy that brand again even though others will swear it's the best .
My guess is it is a combination of bad mags and lack-of-training. Even those low-end guns he mentioned should function better than what he described.I've never seen one person with so much bad experiences . I honestly don't know what I'd do . All one can really do is hand the problem off to someone else , a known good shooter with some factory ammo , and see if they have the same misfortune .
Sorry to hear of these issues but it shines some light on your problem issues for us. Seems to me you need to stay away from Springfield to start with!I am happy your guns run or that you can make them run. DW Commander 9mm runs great. NHC T4 9mm is great too. Colt XSE built when Colts were "bad". Worked fine. Early Colt WW I Repro: Ate anything, great gun. Friends report mixed results too, but nothing like my 1911 Curse.
I sent two of mine to a big name company for reliability work and neither were fixed. Now I have to drive 35 minutes one way to a Fedex shipcenter to send them back.
Let's see... here are some highlights. Mags and lube were early lessons. First one was the Ultra Compact in 1997-98.
Springfield Ultra Compact. Never ran. Went to the gunsmith four times and they couldn't get it to run
SA LW Operator. Didn't run. Sent to SACS for remediation then SA Custom Shop for mods. It was a two mag jamomatic.
SA LOADED: Worked for awhile and then took a dump. Probably just needed a new extractor but I didn't know that at the time. Sold it to a guy who said he would get it running.
Kimber Tactical Ultra II. External extractor abomination. Too many problems to list here but the incorrectly cut frame could not be fixed. New replacement had most of the same QC defects. Both were one mag wonders.
EMP's...jeebus these were messed up. SACS got the second one running and it is still going.
SA Champion stainless. Bad barrel fit with peening. Basically needed a new slide and barrel. SACS did not want to fix it.
DW Valor: Starts failing around 150 rounds, every time. Got it used. It is now a $2,800 gun after all the awesome mods. Sigh.
DW ECO: Another two mag wonder. DW couldn't fix it.
NHC Enforcer: Got it used but finish was pristine. Looked like a low round count. Three mag jamomatic. I could have gotten a new one after spending the cash. Oh well, maybe it will actually get fixed.
I am missing several other Springfields.
Oh, yeah...learned my lesson hard every few years. But their guns look so neat in the case! I still find myself wanting another LW Operator and a Loaded with factory installed night sights (for about $800).Sorry to hear of these issues but it shines some light on your problem issues for us. Seems to me you need to stay away from Springfield to start with!
My guess is it is a combination of bad mags and lack-of-training. Even those low-end guns he mentioned should function better than what he described.