I have a gorgeous full size Clackamas Kimber (Oregon made rather than NY). I shoot the hell out of the gun, put thousands of rounds through it and never had an issue (like a lazy asshole, I actually shot the thing to the point the slide slowed down it was so dirty). I cleaned it thoroughly last week, and this past weekend we were shooting it and I noticed the slide wasnt locking back, it was locking to the little notch you take it down with.

The gun has had work done (trigger work, briley pieces, etc.) I dont know exactly what was done, as I got it from a forum member and he never told me, but I want to say briley barrel and bushing as well as guide rod.

Could this be a worn out spring? Something else? Other than that, it functions great.

quote:

Originally posted by cmr076:
I have a gorgeous full size Clackamas Kimber (Oregon made rather than NY). I shoot the hell out of the gun, put thousands of rounds through it and never had an issue (like a lazy asshole, I actually shot the thing to the point the slide slowed down it was so dirty). I cleaned it thoroughly last week, and this past weekend we were shooting it and I noticed the slide wasnt locking back, it was locking to the little notch you take it down with.

The gun has had work done (trigger work, briley pieces, etc.) I dont know exactly what was done, as I got it from a forum member and he never told me, but I want to say briley barrel and bushing as well as guide rod.

Could this be a worn out spring? Something else? Other than that, it functions great.

might be time for new followers in your mags. If it does it with all mags and you (or someone else) didn't intentionally disable the slide stop... then im not sure what the issue would be... possibly riding the slide stop or bumping it in recoil??

Replace all the springs.

As noted above, sounds like a spring issue. After "thousands of rounds," you should change the recoil spring at the very least. 16-pound springs from Wilson Combat are my favorites for five-inch 1911s.

I can see where too stiff a recoil spring could possibly cause the OP's issue, but not sure how a worn out recoil spring would keep the slide from locking back... maybe I'm dumb, dunno.

I change recoil springs about every 5k rounds and intentionally disable my slide stop on my 2011's...

briley has a full spring kit, I guess it couldnt hurt. Is replacing all the springs an "at home" job? Or better left for a real gun smith?

Check some youtube videos and see if you're comfortable with doing it. It isn't difficult.

I had a Ruger 1911 do the same thing. It was an out of spec slide lock lever. Mine was new and out of spec but with your level of use, it may be a wear issue.
Just my guess.

If you want to start simple, borrow a known to be reliable mag or two from somebody. If the problem persists, it ain't the mag springs.

I have old Colt and MetalForm 1911 mags from the early seventies that are reliable. I've never replaced a spring on any of my two dozen 1911 mags after firing tens of thousands of rounds over a 30-40 year period.

Also, try disassembling (if possible) your mags and cleaning them. I recently had three mags I flagged as "bad" due to reliability issues. Marked them and set them aside. Finally decided to disassemble and clean ALL of my 1911 mags. No more problems with the "bad" mags. Eventually, especially with handloads, you get a gummy, cruddy residue on the inside walls of the mag body. It them prevents free movement of the spring/follower.

I know I'm a contrarian on this mag spring stuff, but give it a try. It will either cost you nothing or you'll have an additional spare mag.

FWIW, get into the habit of cleaning/inspecting and lubing after each range trip. Among other things,gives you a baseline in the event of problems. A clean gun is a happy gun...

ADDED: Thought about this some more and decided to add a clarification.

Seven versus eight round mags. Since I've been using 1911's for so long, ALL of my range mags are seven round. Don't know if the eight round springs are more prone to fatigue. Interesting question though.

When I bought my Wilson Pro in 2005, I requested they ship seven round mags and not the eight. Eventually, tried some eight rounders and currently use them for my carry guns. That was after Wilson modified the base plates so they didn't disassemble when dropped on concrete.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Nipper,

When my 1911 stopped locking back, it was a broken take down lever.

It sounds like you are saying the slide lock instead of locking in the appropriate notch is locking in the take down notch- this may be a weak plunger spring a worn slide stop plunger or the plunger tube is loosening from the frame.

thanks everyone. I have a ton of mags.. everything from Wilson and chip Mccormic, to colt and springfield. The issue seems to happen with all of them. I'll order a spring kit and see how it goes. It's not a self defense or carry gun, it's just a range toy ill never sell, so I want it functioning, but my life won't rely on it.

If you another 1911, try a different slide lock. I have one that works intermittently, one of these days ill order a replacement.