oh the trouble I have seen

boatdoc

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I will not name the company who made the gun . I am not looking to trash talk a company. I just wanted to relate the issues and see what our local experts think.

I have a great( or it was anyway) semi custom compact 45 acp 1911. shot only 600 rounds due to my hand surgery(not shot since April 2018). shot 100 flawless rounds yesterday and went home to field strip , clean and lube it. Noticed the slide binding when I took it down.

contacted the maker. It wa s suggeste d that maybe the ejector moved a bit. ha d me tap it down. It was still binding. Actually seemed worse .Had me detail strip the gun( yeah I did it again--so proud) . nothing seemed wrong . no huge amount of debris. a bit of powder and oil. cleaned and reassembled it. frame( action) worked fine. slid e was binding more than ever. Also firing pin stop could not be removed and seemed to be a bit low in location. Had to use s o much force( by hand) to get the gun reassembled it was unreal. tried to move the slide rearward with a lot of force and hammer went into a horizontal position. probably the hammer hooks grabbed something. worked that out and back into position. action works fine. slide can barely budge.

even the maker is stumped. we are hoping it is a faulty ejector. if so..then why now?

what do you think is causing the binding of the slide?

thanks in advance for your thoughts
 
Last edited:

azpoolguy

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Reassemble with one part at a time and test slide travel. There are only a few parts that contact the slide from the frame.

Also I see no issue in naming the manufacture for education purposes and to help diagnose problems. There is a difference between bashing "Kimber" and having an informative talk about 1911.
 

boatdoc

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Was the slide binding with all slide and frame internal parts removed?
YES that is what I checked first. I thought it was the disconnect but that moves easily. The CS rep from the maker then thought it might be a bent or moving ejector. after tapping it (as directed on the phone with the rep) the slid e binding became worse
 

boatdoc

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Reassemble with one part at a time and test slide travel. There are only a few parts that contact the slide from the frame.

Also I see no issue in naming the manufacture for education purposes and to help diagnose problems. There is a difference between bashing "Kimber" and having an informative talk about 1911.

I did that. the slid e binds when almost in battery position( slide and frame almost even in the rear--about 1/4 inch before the slid e and frame are even is when it starts binding( or did before we messed with the ejector)). that is why I thought disconnector.
 

Mike Galway

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Put dykem on all parts that contact slide , cycle , disassemble , inspect for rub marks . Sounds like something may have galled or become mis aligned . You can always send back to manufacturer . P.S. Thanks for not turning this into brand bashing .
 

boatdoc

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Put dykem on all parts that contact slide , cycle , disassemble , inspect for rub marks . Sounds like something may have galled or become mis aligned . You can always send back to manufacturer . P.S. Thanks for not turning this into brand bashing .
I am letting them handle it MIke

I would not bash a good company for this. it can happen to any gun(1911 anyway). Their CS is tops and I am sur e they will do what it takes to help me. My gunsmith skills are limited. I am letting the experts who built it ,fix it
 

gun_fan111

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Start posting lotsa pictures please.

Just to clarify. Does it bind when you rack a slide on a fully assembled gun - meaning, you move the slide to the rear and back into battery. Or does it bind when you are disassembling the gun - meaning, slide is in battery and you are moving it forward to remove from the frame?

Also, take out just the guide rod and recoil spring and try again - see if that "loose" part between slide and frame is to blame. If it is, check it for burrs.
 

boatdoc

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Start posting lotsa pictures please.

Just to clarify. Does it bind when you rack a slide on a fully assembled gun - meaning, you move the slide to the rear and back into battery. Or does it bind when you are disassembling the gun - meaning, slide is in battery and you are moving it forward to remove from the frame?

Also, take out just the guide rod and recoil spring and try again - see if that "loose" part between slide and frame is to blame. If it is, check it for burrs.
it shot just fine yesterday( 185 gr fmj and L swc ammo used) nothing noted until I tried to clean it at home. It binds during field strip and reassembly . the binding is felt mostly as the slide is almost totally on the frame( last 1/4 inch is where it catches) . no burrs found ejector pin is flush nothing obvious--no AH HA monent

. binds without any other parts present( just slide and frame being assembled ). that is why they thought it was an ejector. not the disconnector(like I thought it was).

cannot take it apart any more.it is binding that tight now.
 

deadguy

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YES that is what I checked first. I thought it was the disconnect but that moves easily. The CS rep from the maker then thought it might be a bent or moving ejector. after tapping it (as directed on the phone with the rep) the slid e binding became worse
Tap it a different way.
 

boatdoc

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Galling is the only thing I can think of that would get considerably worse with that little work?! Also galling is not always that noticeable.

One thing I did not see mentioned is what is the materials? SS, Carbon Steel, Aluminum?

not 100% sure. I believe it is carbon steel . it is painted black (nitride I think). they say it is a forged frame
 

Jerre

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You guy's had a problem like this ?....Bought a Browning 1911 .380 Black Label Compact. Had all kinds of problems. Sent it to Browning and they sent me a new gun. The 2nd one ran fine and was very accurate for about 500 - 600 rounds over a period of a couple of months. Went to the range, inserted a mag, racked the slide, pulled the trigger....nothing. Thought it didn't pick up a round out of the mag and went to rack the slide again...and, it wouldn't budge. Locked up. I tried to push up the thumb safety...and it wouldn't budge...locked up. The hammer would cock and fall when you pulled the trigger, but it wouldn't fire the shell. Still the slide wouldn't budge and the safety wouldn't go back to the "safe" position. I cocked the hammer and pulled the trigger 10 - 12 times and the gun finally fired. Then the slide and safety would work. I put another mag in, racked the slide, and pulled the trigger...nothing happened. And, again the slide and safety were "locked up"....neither would budge. Any suggestions ??
 

RStone

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At the very time they suggested the first solution and required you to use excessive force on it would have been the time I would have asked or a shipping label back to their gunsmiths. Some things can be diagnosed over the phone. This needed the time and effort of a gunsmith and CS reps who handle phone calls aren't.
 

boatdoc

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You guy's had a problem like this ?....Bought a Browning 1911 .380 Black Label Compact. Had all kinds of problems. Sent it to Browning and they sent me a new gun. The 2nd one ran fine and was very accurate for about 500 - 600 rounds over a period of a couple of months. Went to the range, inserted a mag, racked the slide, pulled the trigger....nothing. Thought it didn't pick up a round out of the mag and went to rack the slide again...and, it wouldn't budge. Locked up. I tried to push up the thumb safety...and it wouldn't budge...locked up. The hammer would cock and fall when you pulled the trigger, but it wouldn't fire the shell. Still the slide wouldn't budge and the safety wouldn't go back to the "safe" position. I cocked the hammer and pulled the trigger 10 - 12 times and the gun finally fired. Then the slide and safety would work. I put another mag in, racked the slide, and pulled the trigger...nothing happened. And, again the slide and safety were "locked up"....neither would budge. Any suggestions ??
send it back. doe s not sound like the rounds are feeding properly and seating
 

boatdoc

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At the very time they suggested the first solution and required you to use excessive force on it would have been the time I would have asked or a shipping label back to their gunsmiths. Some things can be diagnosed over the phone. This needed the time and effort of a gunsmith and CS reps who handle phone calls aren't.
that is what happened. the CS rep had me detail strip the gunto be sure nothing in the grip area was causing the issue( brass shards,...) and when I tried to reassemble it--it really jammed. they will have it in house tomorrow

I will r elate their findings and of course report the result when it returns
 

Almostgem

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Jerre,
Are you loading these cartridges yourself or are they factory ? Reason I ask is that I had purchased some 230 gr 45 acp projectiles that were very round.(ogive) The gun wouldn't go into battery because the bullet was binding in the barrel. Luckily, I load relatively lightly, so was able to shorten the rounds to where they would load and turn freely. Just wondering if you are seeing the same thing with your Browning 380. My suggestion is to take the gun apart and check that the round seats completely in the barrel without binding. You should be able to twist it in the barrel when fully seated.
 

KHFrench

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Is this a series 80 ? Sounds like the safety plunger lever is binding - or is locked up. Simple problem to fix if this is the issue.
 

KHFrench

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that is what happened. the CS rep had me detail strip the gunto be sure nothing in the grip area was causing the issue( brass shards,...) and when I tried to reassemble it--it really jammed. they will have it in house tomorrow

I will r elate their findings and of course report the result when it returns
A series 80 model?
 

Jerre

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Jerre,
Are you loading these cartridges yourself or are they factory ? Reason I ask is that I had purchased some 230 gr 45 acp projectiles that were very round.(ogive) The gun wouldn't go into battery because the bullet was binding in the barrel. Luckily, I load relatively lightly, so was able to shorten the rounds to where they would load and turn freely. Just wondering if you are seeing the same thing with your Browning 380. My suggestion is to take the gun apart and check that the round seats completely in the barrel without binding. You should be able to twist it in the barrel when fully seated.
These were all factory loads.....Federal Hydra-Shok. But, why would the slide and thumb safety "lock up" ? Neither would move at all, but the hammer would cock and would fall when the trigger was pulled, but the shell wouldn't fire ??? I've had 1911's all my life and never experienced anything like this with any gun.
 

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