Colt Defender feed issues

[Stomper]

GLOCK <—————- @sigmadog

 

[EPS]

GLOCK <—————- @sigmadog

Hilarious

 

[Medic!]

In your heart of hearts. Are you ever gona trust that gun?

 

[Vendor Hidden]

In your heart of hearts. Are you ever gona trust that gun?

It's kind of like a classic car. It may have problems but I stick with it because when it's firing on all cylinders there's nothing like it; plus I learn a lot working out these issues.

I've lowered the malfunction rate to about 2% and I'm working on reducing that further (extractor adjustment, alternate slide lock, etc.). Is that worth trusting my life to?

First off, what's the statistical probability that I would need to use it defensively? One in a thousand? One in a hundred thousand? Given the long odds on a probable need, I think a 98% chance of correct function is worth it.

I figure a 98% chance of success with my gun is better than a 0% chance without it.

 

[Colts4me]

In your heart of hearts. Are you ever gona trust that gun?

Just opinion but since it was ammo related and he learned so much it should give him confidence in himself and his gun. Everything can fail and now he knows that gun inside and out. Every time he shoots it now will build even more confidence. Lots of guys just sell their problems, it's inspiring that a man works to solve them. Now he can take on any gun problem he might have with the full understanding of how to solve problems.

 

[Koda]

It's kind of like a classic car. It may have problems but I stick with it because when it's firing on all cylinders there's nothing like it; plus I learn a lot working out these issues.

I've lowered the malfunction rate to about 2% and I'm working on reducing that further (extractor adjustment, alternate slide lock, etc.). Is that worth trusting my life to?

First off, what's the statistical probability that I would need to use it defensively? One in a thousand? One in a hundred thousand? Given the long odds on a probable need, I think a 98% chance of correct function is worth it.

I figure a 98% chance of success with my gun is better than a 0% chance without it.

woah there pardner, those statistics isn't the way to go about this... you either trust the gun or you don't, just tell us you trust it. If you have a 1% chance of needing your gun and a 2% chance it will fail then what are the odds those will come together?
It sounds like you got the problem solved but it would bother me if I had to grind something down to get it to work right, on a brand new gun. Thats great if it really was the problem but since I'm not a gunsmith I would validate that with a new slide stop, they are cheap enough and should never require hand fitting.

 

[Vendor Hidden]

Thats great if it really was the problem but since I'm not a gunsmith I would validate that with a new slide stop, they are cheap enough and should never require hand fitting.

Not disagreeing with any of that, but consider this:

The slide lock in my Defender is the exact same size and configuration as the slide lock in a Commander and the full size model. The parts are 100% interchangeable. It seems reasonable to consider the possibility that a part originally designed for a 5" gun may occasionally present problems in a 3" gun where things happen faster and some physical aspects are distinctly different (weight, recoil, springs, distances of slide travel, etc.), an environment where even the slightest variation may cause unexpected results. With that possibility in mind, making a slight modification to solve an obvious issue (how else did that brass/copper residue get onto the slide lock?) seems very reasonable.

Again, I'm not one to bow before the purity of a design if it obviously isn't working in this case. From where I sit, pragmatism must win out, because in the end I want a gun that works, whether or not John Moses Browning would approve.

That said, getting a new slide lock is certainly something I'll be doing for a backup. In the meantime, I can swap out my LW Commander slide lock for some testing.

 

[Colts4me]

What shooting stance are you useing?

 

[Vendor Hidden]

What shooting stance are you useing?

Isosceles. Gun raised to eye level. Thumbs forward.

I used to go with the Weaver, but felt it wasn't as stable for me.

 

[Koda]

The slide lock in my Defender is the exact same size and configuration as the slide lock in a Commander and the full size model. The parts are 100% interchangeable.

you must mean that it is the same now after you ground on it? I could be wrong but I thought the slide lock was the same on all 1911s too, if so you should be able to buy a new one and it will work and if it doesn't then its not the slide lock lever and your 2% failure rate is just a statistical sample... is all I'm suggesting.

don't get me wrong you've done good and have a good methodology, I just think you need to validate it.

also, a new lever might mean you can use that original factory mag you set aside.

 

[Ura-Ki]

A lot of folks forget that the 1911 is a hand built piece of machinery that takes time and skill to build and to tune to function properly. Being a labor intensive prosess involving a lot of hand fitting and tuning, it shows a level of time, skill and dedication to producing a quality product. Being that it involves so much, it's inevitable that things get missed or that certain tuning steps might not be fully completed, and that can lead to Q.C. issues that should have been caught but were not and it went out to a customer in that condition. It happens and it sucks! I had a friend who bought a brand new customs orderd Peterbuilt semi truck and he was really steppin in high cotton, three weeks after he brought her home, the engine started making an awefull racket and lost all power. Needless to say, my buddy was not happy waiting for some one to fix it and make It right. Point is, even with very high end products and awesome Q.C. things do happen! Glad the O.P. Got his issues figured out and his pistol is working good.

 

[Colts4me]

In my expearience the weaver is far better for the small light guns. Let me see if I can use words to tell you why. The dynamics of the firing cycle with the iso stance allows more flop in the gun. Iso was designed for speed shooting heavy low recoil guns in games and doesn't work well with heavy recoil guns that are light weight.

Why it doesn't work well is without that firm grasp of the weaver it's like limp wristing the gun. The actual jam is because the gun flops and twist on firing the next cartridge in line moves forward too soon in cycling and allows either the ogive to hit the slide stop or a fail to feed because of angle.

Iso is great for games if you have the right gear, it was developed by one of the greatest IPSC shooter ever named Rob Leatham. It was designed for speed shooting and he was fastest ever but he designed it for the 38 super in a compensated gun.

Sometime get on you tube and watch the gun fails in IDPA shoots. The guys are quick to fix that glock jam but they shoot iso which in the heavy recoil does a limp wrist jam on their glocks. Glocks have a tendency to have weak magazine springs which allows the next round down to move forward too soon.iso magnifies that.

Anyway I talk too much but it's fun gun talk to me and I thank you for letting me be part of this.

 

[Vendor Hidden]

you must mean that it is the same now after you ground on it?

No. The factory slide lock design is the exact same for the Colt Defender, Commander and Government model. I moved it away from that design when I filed mine down.

I could be wrong but I thought the slide lock was the same on all 1911s too, if so you should be able to buy a new one and it will work and if it doesn't then its not the slide lock lever and your 2% failure rate is just a statistical sample... is all I'm suggesting.

A new slide lock will take me back to the factory configuration prior to filing the slide lock. If I experience premature slide lock, then my changes are validated. If I don't experience premature slide lock, then my changes are invalidated.

don't get me wrong you've done good and have a good methodology, I just think you need to validate it.

also, a new lever might mean you can use that original factory mag you set aside.

Well, I've half-validated it by eliminating slide lock with the modded piece. I see what you're saying, that I need to achieve FULL validation of the change.

 

[Vendor Hidden]

In my expearience the weaver is far better for the small light guns. Let me see if I can use words to tell you why. The dynamics of the firing cycle with the iso stance allows more flop in the gun. Iso was designed for speed shooting heavy low recoil guns in games and doesn't work well with heavy recoil guns that are light weight.

Why it doesn't work well is without that firm grasp of the weaver it's like limp wristing the gun. The actual jam is because the gun flops and twist on firing the next cartridge in line moves forward too soon in cycling and allows either the ogive to hit the slide stop or a fail to feed because of angle.

Iso is great for games if you have the right gear, it was developed by one of the greatest IPSC shooter ever named Rob Leatham. It was designed for speed shooting and he was fastest ever but he designed it for the 38 super in a compensated gun.

Sometime get on you tube and watch the gun fails in IDPA shoots. The guys are quick to fix that glock jam but they shoot iso which in the heavy recoil does a limp wrist jam on their glocks. Glocks have a tendency to have weak magazine springs which allows the next round down to move forward too soon.iso magnifies that.

Anyway I talk too much but it's fun gun talk to me and I thank you for letting me be part of this.

I'll have to give Weaver another try and see what happens. Truly I'm comfortable either way, it's just a matter of practicing.

 

[Koda]

A new slide lock will take me back to the factory configuration prior to filing the slide lock. If I experience premature slide lock, then my changes are validated. If I don't experience premature slide lock, then my changes are invalidated.

but did you measure the original stop before you ground it, how do you know its profile was in tolerance?

it sounds like it wasn't but if a new stop doesn't work too then that might mean the problem is elsewhere and you have a gun that requires a modified slide stop...

If I said that right (I may have just confused myself actually...)

 

[Colts4me]

Weaver was designed for stability in a firing platform. The push with the gun holding hand against the pull back of the support hand allows pressure enough to keep the gun stable when firing. Minimum flop in the firing cycle means the gun has a better chance to operate well if ammo and parts are right.

Think about what the gun does in firing, without firmness the rounds in the magazine move around. When a round fires the slid hits the back and keeps moving the entire gun which makes the next round up move out of time. Ya excuse me for beating this to death but I had to learn it the hard way and wish someone explained what's different so I could have understood it.

I bet you have more fun the next time you shoot, good luck.

 

[Vendor Hidden]

but did you measure the original stop before you ground it, how do you know its profile was in tolerance?

I eyeballed it compared to my Commander slide stop from many different angles and they were the same. I did not measure with calipers if that's what you mean.

it sounds like it wasn't but if a new stop doesn't work too then that might mean the problem is elsewhere and you have a gun that requires a modified slide stop...

Ha Ha! Kind of like the slide stop I already modified!

I think I just saved a step!

 

[Vendor Hidden]

Ya excuse me for beating this to death but I had to learn it the hard way and wish someone explained what's different so I could have understood it.

No need to apologize. Keep talking. I'm interested.

 

[Colts4me]

It's not theory, it's just learning the mechanics of how a gun operates. Understanding comes from solving problems and you are well on your way to a good understanding. Hitting the slide stop had nothing to do with the slide stop. The gun was made smaller from the original design and it takes different operating skills to run a machine changed that way. You have to hold them better and feed them better for them to work right.

A very firm hold and better ammo will solve your problem.