Re: 1911 overhaul
When a 1911 works, it's a heartwarmer, and when it doesn't, it's a heartbreaker.
Failure to close on battery usually involves the feed ramp. The round don't slide smoothly enough when it goes over the top.
All cycling failure fixes begin by trying a known effective recoil spring. Often enough a secondhand pistol will arrive with a reduced power spring that former owner installed to shoot lighter loads. BTW, shooting hardball with a reduced recoil spring will eventually destroy the frame, I've seen it done. Also; often all that's needed is a good lubrication between slide and frame. Or; the disconnector may be poorly fitted and dragging in relationship to other parts, like the trigger. If you've tweaked the 'three finger' spring, this may or may not be involved, but having an unmodififed one to try is a basic diagnosis tool.
Assuming this is the original barrel, or a replacement that was competently fitted to the slide, the ramp could use some work. Polishing it, and if that doesn't work, some cautious <span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">minor</span></span> reshaping of the material where the curve goes over the top, followed by polishing, can ease the cartidge's transit as it aligns and chambers.
This all assumes that the slide has no pronounce tendency to hang up when being empty cycled. A very little bit, as it goes the last half inch, is normal and good; it assures that the correct length barrel link is present. If it's very noticeably stiff going into battery, that link may be overly long, creating an excessively tight lockup.
Also, a poorly fitted barrel/slide relationship can add to the problem, as can issues that increase slide drag with the frame.
Handloading with various diameter handloaded bullets, .451/.452/etc., the chambering can be affected, as can various bullet shapes, but standard hardball, seated to the right length (overlong can be a problem too), should always work, and dummy rounds made to the precise specs of factory hardball should be your test rounds for working on cycling.
Don't forget to check the magazines too, sometimes folks tweak, or acquire tweaked, magazines. Try several, and see if any work better. If they do; check things like spring force, lip, and follower shape to see where the difference lies.
Never had a problem with a grip safety, so I guess the replacement route's not a terrible idea; but I really can't say it'll work because I really can't say I understand the problem. Try a borrowed one first, before plunking down the buckage.
Greg
