STI Spartan multiple problems

[DrCaveman]

Got this gun a few weeks ago, fell in love at first shooting session... Other than the factory mag not locking open after clip was empty.

Bought a kimber magazine, much different profile, and the lock worked great. So far no probs with lee 230 TL loadings. Factory mag still doesn't lock the slide open but at least the rounds feed and chamber fine.

Tested my new 200 gr swc loads with 4.4 gr ramshot competition. First three magazines full worked great. Then the failure to feed started up, about once every three rounds. Round would slam into the barrel at an angle and get the side of the brass dinged up in the process, no chambering.

Tucked my remaining 50 loaded rounds back into the range bag, went home.

I CANNOT MAKE THIS PROBLEM HAPPEN AT HOME, MANUALLY RACKING THE SLIDE.

I thought I thoroughly tested the loadability of this round before heading to the range, but apparently my tests are not thorough enough.

OAL settled on was 1.235", anything longer would not sit properly in my disassembled barrel, and likewise has proven to not chamber (go into battery) when I try to ramrod it through the process. Don't tell me I have to ream out the chamber? Just for simple h&g 68 clone feeding?

I went ahead and researched about good aftermarket mags for the Spartan. Mec-gar was the only affordable option that received literally PERFECT testimony from other reported Spartan owners. Slide will not lock back! Help?

I am curious how much money typical 1911 owners piss straight down the drain when tinkering with them. I was excited to get this gun because it actually resembled something with a huge market for accessories MADE FOR THE GUN SPEC and a huge network of support through 100+ years of use and passion. Quite the opposite of my CZ97.

I am very frustrated to say the least and despite how smooth shooting and operating the gun is (with carefully selected ammo) it seems like all my assumptions were bunk.

I am holding out hope that one of my problems is poor shooting technique... I am not great, and have no formal training. Any tips regarding this as it may pertain to the problems I am describing would be most appreciated. Don't hold back any suspicions you may have.

Thanks.

[contender1]

Internet gun diagnostic isn't an exact science. However,, The mag follower is what pushes up the slide lock. Different designs work better than others. Good springs in the mags also make a difference. I use a lot of Chip McCormick & Wilson mags in my 1911's and have very few issues until I've beat them up in several USPSA competitions.
As for the failure to feed issues,,, a bit more complicated. First, many 1911's are a bit finicky about SWC's feeding. I'd find a GOOD 1911 gunsmith to discuss why your gun isn't feeding them reliabily. And your manual slide racking doesn't match the physics of actual firing.
Since I shoot a 1911 in competition,, I want it to be as reliable as possible. Therefore I use a bullet with a good history of good feeding,, a RN design.
Just a few of my thoughts!

[gray wolf]

Relax, the shooting platform you chose is one of the finest. I think what I am hearing you say is that is functions with factory ammo. If so it sounds like a little tweaking of the reloads should help. You say the factory mag will not lock open, a simple call to
S T I should handle that. Aside from not staying open do the rounds you loaded work with the factory mag ? Mags can be funny,
and some do not present the W C bullet properly. Relax and take a breath,
Many things to explore and questions to be asked and answered.
I have never seen a 45 that could not be figured out.

[DrCaveman]

Thanks for the responses so far. I haven't found any 'solutions' per se but at least have been provided with a few avenues for further explanation.

The rounds that worked so well were my own cast/hand loads. I am pretty comfortable with 230 gr ball ammo, that seems to work great in both guns I own, and rightly so since that is the standard issue military round around which this platform has developed. But I am pretty sure that John Browning originally designed the 45 acp for a 200 gr bullet at about the level I am loading. Wondering if the 1911-a1 is part of the reason for being finicky about 200 gr?

Also, yeah I have sadly learned that mags can be funny. Is there any reliable resource telling us which mags work with which 1911 makes? Or is each gun/mag a combo unto itself?

Btw I tried this question on 1911forum.com and that crew is not nearly as quick or thorough. Thanx for castboolits!

[tomme boy]

Take the slide off. Put the slide stop back in the gun. Insert the bad mag into gun. Check to see if the mag is pushing the slide stop up. If it is moving up an down freely, increase your charge a little to make more recoil to get the slide to come back farther. Or change out the recoil spring for a lighter one.

The cuts on the slide for the sights are not the standard cut. So there are only a couple of them that will fit. Anything that fits a Rock Island Armory pistol will fit. It is the same gun.

[jh45gun]

FWIIW I had a 200 grain bullet mold in SWC a Lee one and I had issues with the crimping. (Not the fault of the bullet and a Lee taper crimp die took care of that problem.) Now when I asked about the problem I had Several here said they had issues with that bullet. I gave it to a friend and I ordered the TC 230 mold which the guy forgot to order so I ordered it again and will pick it up the first part of Nov. I probably should have ordered that mold in the first place since it is the same weight as ball.

[gray wolf]

My Springfield 1911-A1 loaded will chew up and spit out anything I feed it.
200 gr. #68 SWC 200 gr. lead HP 200 gr. lead solids 230 gr, ball
and 230 gr, lead R N 230 gold dot HP 230 Remington golden sabers
Never a hick cup, never, all out of 9 different mags, different followers and some beat up and dented.
The slide should stay back even with soft hand racking. The feed ramp must have the proper geometry and also the barrel throat must have the correct radius.
Granted some pistols are made in a way they favor ball ammo, but most today will cycle WC just fine. Sometimes extractor tension is a little great and a round will not chamber cause it sticks against the breach face and binds a little, it don't take much to drive the gun out of speck. Please don't over spring the pistol.
23 # main and a 16 pound recoil spring is what it should have.
A round hitting the barrel: the round is stripped off the mag, tucks under the extractor and up against the breach face. It does not ride directly into the chamber,
it hits the feed ramp, then the bottom of the barrel, hits against the top of the chamber, then goes into the chamber completely. At some point your bullet is not following that sequence correctly.
You do not have to pi$$ any money down any drain to get your pistol to work properly and make you happy. If it's a new gun call the dam manufacturer and explain your problem and get it fixed for nothing. Tell them what you shoot and what you expect from the pistol. If they don't fix it on there dime send it down the road. there are to many people making 1911's that will stand behind thee product.
Hitting the side of the barrel does not sound like a reloading problem concerning
crimp or bullet seating, from what you are saying the f u b a r rounds never make it to the chamber. UNLESS-- it is an OAL problem that is not making the bullet hit the feed ramp and or barrel throat correctly, that could disturb the round on it's way into the chamber.

[Fluxed]

A little work on the throat will help. Do you have a good gunsmith? Ask him about it - this is not hard, but does need someone with 1911 smithing experience. Generally, unless the manufacturer states otherwise, a 1911 pistol is made to shoot ball ammunition. But it's not hard for a good smith to change that.

[Piedmont]

The Lee isn't an H&G 68 clone. It is a sorta' similar design. I have no experience using it, but the bullet design might not be as reliable as you hoped you were getting.

[Moonie]

I find in our 4 1911's that lee SWC feeds perfectly when loaded with just a sliver of the front band showing, maybe a fingernails worth. Any more and it has issues.