The year was 2002...or maybe it was 2003. Memory is a funny thing sometimes.
A young friend of a friend found his way to my humble abode with a nice, new Colt. Nothin' fancy. Just a solid, blue Government Model that came with a Checkmate 7-round magazine with the "Hybrid" feed lips. It was his first ever 1911.
If it won't run with that magazine, there's somethin' wrong with the gun. Said that many times.
There was just one little problem.
The first four rounds fed and fired...pulled and shucked. Green grease through a loose goose. The last three would nose dive into the feed ramp and stop. Bam.
Every time.
Owner wasn't happy.
Did a quick check to see if anything stood out, and...nada. My educated eye told me that the frame and barrel ramps were fine. Extractor deflection was good. Hand-cycling proved that the slide moved smoothly without any hitches in the gitalong. There didn't appear to be anything that would cause this fine-lookin' pistol to repeat the same bad behavior over and over again. Yet, there it was.
And then I found it...and I was like...lolwut?
Little things. Simple things. The mantra that I've come to live by. Say it with me. No, seriously. Put the Dremel back in the damn box and say it!
The fix took all of two minutes. Didn't need a file or a scrape or even a dial caliper.
Noodle it and I'll be back later.
A young friend of a friend found his way to my humble abode with a nice, new Colt. Nothin' fancy. Just a solid, blue Government Model that came with a Checkmate 7-round magazine with the "Hybrid" feed lips. It was his first ever 1911.
If it won't run with that magazine, there's somethin' wrong with the gun. Said that many times.
There was just one little problem.
The first four rounds fed and fired...pulled and shucked. Green grease through a loose goose. The last three would nose dive into the feed ramp and stop. Bam.
Every time.
Owner wasn't happy.
Did a quick check to see if anything stood out, and...nada. My educated eye told me that the frame and barrel ramps were fine. Extractor deflection was good. Hand-cycling proved that the slide moved smoothly without any hitches in the gitalong. There didn't appear to be anything that would cause this fine-lookin' pistol to repeat the same bad behavior over and over again. Yet, there it was.
And then I found it...and I was like...lolwut?
Little things. Simple things. The mantra that I've come to live by. Say it with me. No, seriously. Put the Dremel back in the damn box and say it!
The fix took all of two minutes. Didn't need a file or a scrape or even a dial caliper.
Noodle it and I'll be back later.
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