Help - Colt Defender Plus Feed Problems

[SnooseGoose]

I'm having some feed problems with my colt defender plus and I was hoping someone could help me as this is my first and only 1911 style handgun and I'm not real experienced in trouble-shooting them.

I can manually cycle a magazine of ammo through the gun and it works fine, but when firing it, at least one round in every magazine fails to feed causing the gun to jam. I've had them block on both the bottom and top of the chamber when they fail to feed and I've had this happen with both HP and ball ammo.

Also occasionally when firing the top round in the magazine will stand up right and the slide will come forward catching the round in the middle of brass and again jamming the gun. I replaced the factory colt magazine with a Wilson combat mag but this didn't seem to change anything.

Anybody have an suggestions on how to trouble-shoot and/or correct these problems, preferably without having to send the gunsmith as money is tight right now. Thanks in advance for any and all help.

SG.

[michael t]

Is this a used or new defender. One of my compact 45's was doing same thing It needed new recoil springs.. I also stopped useing 230 and went to a lighter round 200 or less. With those changes every think worked. and less recoil also. Yours might be different.but since you already changed the mag and still having trouble might help.

[SnooseGoose]

Thanks for the reply.
It's a used defender though from my understanding it does not have that many round through it. Though I guess it can't hurt to replace the recoil springs so may give that at try. Any specific reason you went to a lighter load, or just tried it and it the problem disappeared so stuck with it?

SG.

[Kruzr]

Check and adjust the extractor.

[SnooseGoose]

Originally posted by Kruzr
Check and adjust the extractor.

Can you elaborate on what I'm checking for and how adjustments are made? Thanks,

SG.

[Kruzr]

Originally posted by SnooseGoose
Can you elaborate on what I'm checking for and how adjustments are made? Thanks,

SG.
Sure. Take a look at this link.
http://m1911.org/technic2.htm

You should follow what it says in the first step to check and adjust the tension. The round has to be able to slip up under the hook when feeding from a magazine. If the round doesn't get up under the hook, you get FTF's.

[SnooseGoose]

Kruzr,

Thanks for the link. I followed what it said and it appears that tension of my extractor is fine. Any other ideas?

Anybody? Ideas?

SG.