After last round, slide will not stay open. Why?

[Big Boomer]

I have an old Colt Commander, nickel plated, that is a joy to shoot and is as slick as can be. Lately the slide will not stay open after the final round in the magazine is fired. I have tried swapping magazines, cleaning, etc., but the magazine does not appear to be the problem. Nothing I have tried seems to work. Any help appreciated. Big Boomer

[osteodoc08]

Handloads? Factory ammo?

How are the magazine springs?

[C.F.Plinker]

If you put an empty magazine in it and operate the slide by hand will the slide lock back. If yes then look at installing a lighter recoil spring or upping the load slightly if you are handloading. If the latter, what boolit are you using and what is the charge. If no, check to see if the follower is operating the slide catch.

[country gent]

HAs anything been changed on the pistol that could cause this change? On commanders the area for the spring is vry close in the area that is there as is the bushing clearence on the barrels hood. Commanders used a shorter bushing to gain need room. A weak grip or "limp Wristing" can cause this also. If the gun functioned and feed reliably before then some thing has changed. Try a new recoil spring and firing pin spring ( they come in sets). A weakened worn or compressed spring can let slide function to fast letting it jump over slide stop before mag has the brief instance to push it into place. Make sure existing spring isnt compressed or kinked. Also check any buffers if one has been installed for wear and or cracks.

[Frank46]

Could be that the slide stop is worn. Easy enough to replace and not expensive. I had a bunch of no name 45acp mags that were given to me. Found out that none of them would activate the slide stop when the slide was racked back. Slightly bent the finger on the follower that hits the slide stop and got about 4 that worked reliably. The others are in a baggie that says "Do not use" Frank

[Boogieman]

Could be a worn slide stop or the stop could be bent & binding on the frame

[jblee10]

Besides the mechanical issues listed above, have you recently changed your grip? Your weak hand thumb may be riding on the slide release. Happens to me once in awhile.

[toallmy]

I recently had the same problem ,I tried changing mags springs and a lot of tinkering.one day after dropping the bearel out to clean her up I took the slide stop out of my springfeld and put in the colt Walla locked back nice . So ask a shooting buddy to let you try swapping the slide stop to check its simple and cheep test . At least you can eliminate as a problem if not.

[DougGuy]

Try it with empty mags. Stick an empty mag in the unloaded gun, rack the slide back and see which ones lock it open. If none do, pull the slide back and look to see if the follower is under the part of the slide stop that sticks into the magazine. If it is, it may not have enough spring tension to push the slide stop up. Pull the slide back real slow and look to see if the magazine is pushing the slide stop upward against the slide. If it isn't, the spring isn't pushing it up. If it is, then read the next sentence.

Look at the end of the slide stop that goes into the notch in the slide on the outside. Is it all rounded off? If so, that might be what's wrong with it. The back top corner of the slide stop should be squared off and not rounded.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Had the same Colt as you are having problems with the slide not staying open after the last shot. I found that the slide stop had sheared off the end that locks into the slide. Got a new one from Brownell`s and that fixed it.Robert

[Big Boomer]

Thanks for the suggestions. Will give the Commander a once-over and get back to you. Had a family member
(wife's brother) die and haven't had time to fiddle with the pistol. Thanks everyone. Big Boomer

[DrCaveman]

I had the same problem after i bought my sti spartan. Got some good mags (mccormick and kimber) and still had problem. Bought a new slide stop, and now every mag works, even the crappy ones that came with the gun.

Like the guys say above, probably an edge has rounded off or maybe even sheared. It is a pretty cheap solution in any case, even if it doesnt solve your problem youre only out a few bucks. Cheaper than fancy mags!

[Big Boomer]

All right, I'm back. Brother-in-law's funeral is over. Problem with my Colt Commander is with a magazine in the pistol, the slide stop will not work. Ammo is not the problem. The problem is the slide stop. Have fired heavy and light plus factory and all produce the same results. After the last round the slide will not remain back. So the difficulty is with the slide stop. Will have to replace it. This is an older pistol and I sure hate to mess with it because otherwise function is great and is so accurate. Having swapped magazines around to insure that it is not a magazine problem, the slide stop is all that is left. With the slide stop out of an old Chas Daly, the Commander works fine. Big Boomer

[Frank46]

I used an Ed Brown stainless slide stop on my Springfield Armory 1911A1 (the one in Illinois) have not had any problems with an empty mag since I installed it. Got it from Brownells. Frank

[Char-Gar]

Boomer...Having had the same problem, I can tell you the most likely culprit, is the recoil spring. Put in a fresh factory strength spring and most likely your problems will go away.

[Wayne Dobbs]

Is the lobe on the slide stop lever that engages the magazine follower broken off? There was a run of those with improper heat treatment years ago that broke very easily and very soon.

[Mk42gunner]

I have an old Colt Commander, nickel plated, that is a joy to shoot and is as slick as can be. Lately the slide will not stay open after the final round in the magazine is fired. I have tried swapping magazines, cleaning, etc., but the magazine does not appear to be the problem. Nothing I have tried seems to work. Any help appreciated. Big Boomer


All right, I'm back. Brother-in-law's funeral is over. Problem with my Colt Commander is with a magazine in the pistol, the slide stop will not work. Ammo is not the problem. The problem is the slide stop. Have fired heavy and light plus factory and all produce the same results. After the last round the slide will not remain back. So the difficulty is with the slide stop. Will have to replace it. This is an older pistol and I sure hate to mess with it because otherwise function is great and is so accurate. Having swapped magazines around to insure that it is not a magazine problem, the slide stop is all that is left. With the slide stop out of an old Chas Daly, the Commander works fine. Big Boomer

Big Boomer,

My condolences to your family.

Regarding your Commander, it seems the biggest problem will be finding a slide stop that matches the factory nickel plating. It would be nice to have one that matches perfectly, but better to have one that works 100% and doesn't quite match than to have one that matches and doesn't work reliably.

Robert

[Greg S]

As country gent stated. Sounds as a candidate for a new recoil spring and mag springs. As stated, check for factory Colt recoil parts and remove any shock buffs. Buffs can be used reliably on the Government models for range use, but when installed on the smaller barrels 4.25 & < it restricts the the slide window by not allowing the slide to go fully to the rear. Recoil spring on G moels 16lb should be replaced at 1.5K intervals. I change mag springs annually during high use (but i use Wilson 47D's). Wilson 8 rd i change annually reguardless. 1911s with shorter barrels wear out recoil springs faster so replace accordingly. I used to change officer springs at the 500 rd mark or perceptule weakening but have since switched over to flat wire springs.

Another item to check is the plunger tube and plunger tube spring w/detents. For this part there is no substitute, Colt factory is the Gold Standard. If after inspection a slide stop is required, check Brownells or the Colt Custom shop for a Colt nickel SS. If going aftermarket I'd recommend Wilson BP.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Is the lobe on the slide stop lever that engages the magazine follower broken off? There was a run of those with improper heat treatment years ago that broke very easily and very soon.

This was the same news I was given back in the `80`s about my series 70 Commander in brushed nickel. Lots of luck to you finding another slide stop in that finish! I tried many sources and came up empty for one. Finally just bought a stainless model from Brownell`s and installed it with great results for many years.Robert

[MBTcustom]

As country gent stated. Sounds as a candidate for a new recoil spring and mag springs. As stated, check for factory Colt recoil parts and remove any shock buffs. Buffs can be used reliably on the Government models for range use, but when installed on the smaller barrels 4.25 & < it restricts the the slide window by not allowing the slide to go fully to the rear. Recoil spring on G moels 16lb should be replaced at 1.5K intervals. I change mag springs annually during high use (but i use Wilson 47D's). Wilson 8 rd i change annually reguardless. 1911s with shorter barrels wear out recoil springs faster so replace accordingly. I used to change officer springs at the 500 rd mark or perceptule weakening but have since switched over to flat wire springs.

Another item to check is the plunger tube and plunger tube spring w/detents. For this part there is no substitute, Colt factory is the Gold Standard. If after inspection a slide stop is required, check Brownells or the Colt Custom shop for a Colt nickel SS. If going aftermarket I'd recommend Wilson BP.

I agree with this.
Go through the pistol and clean it thoroughly. Look for worn edges on the slide stop and the shelf on the slide it contacts. If these things seem sharp and functional, then buy new springs for your mags (this should be a regular thing that you do bi-annually whether they need it or not and the first thing you do when you buy a used 1911).
If this fixes the problem, then praise the Lord and pass the ammo, but if not, buy a Wolff spring kit (you want an 18lb recoil spring if you shoot standard 230gr hardball) and a new slide stop.

One thing that should be mentioned is that the recoil spring on your 1911 is a buffer of sorts. It is supposed to be strong enough to absorb 99% of the recoil produced by firing the gun. This is how the 1911 is prevented from beating itself to pieces as the front of the rails crash into the slide.
Therefore, if you start shooting reduced power loads, the slide may come back far enough to eject the shell casing, but not far enough to catch the slide stop. I know gents that will go to the range with a bunch of different weight springs and a pair of wire cutters, and they will tune the recoil spring precisely to their loads. Some of these guys keep a separate recoil spring for each style of ammo they shoot.

[gray wolf]

Is there a shock buffer in the pistol ?

[Big Boomer]

No shock buff. Slide stop problem. Problem resolved. Big Boomer