1911s suck, help

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  • sajidakh

    Active Member
    Dec 28, 2010
    981
    Well, at least mine...

    So I just bought me a Dan Wesson Specialist 9mm and it's my first 1911. I'm having serious issues in which I do not attribute to the break in period that I'm hoping one of you could figure out:

    1) The gun COMPLETELY locks out when loading from slide lock maybe 50% of the time. Mag release, slide release, and the slide itself is locked. I have to bang the rear of the grip against a ledge while holding the slide. Eventually slide will come foreard and I can release the mag.

    2) I can make the slide "hang" in between being in battery and slide lock. The slide release will not be engaged and no mag in the gun.

    Otherwise when the gun did shoot it shot smooth as hell no recoil.
     

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    Ski169

    Active Member
    May 28, 2012
    939
    Can’t say I’ve had any issues like this with any of my Colts. Not bragging but I certainly would have expected a DW to run out of the box. Without knowing enough about 1911s to have any suggestions about your problems, have you tried contacting DW about it? I’m not sure that sounds like it’s magazine or ammo related. But again, I’m not familiar enough with the platform to say that in confidence.
     

    sajidakh

    Active Member
    Dec 28, 2010
    981
    Can’t say I’ve had any issues like this with any of my Colts. Not bragging but I certainly would have expected a DW to run out of the box. Without knowing enough about 1911s to have any suggestions about your problems, have you tried contacting DW about it? I’m not sure that sounds like it’s magazine or ammo related. But again, I’m not familiar enough with the platform to say that in confidence.

    Yep I filled out warranty claim info. Should be getting a shipping label soon. I thought it was magazine and/or ammo. But i had several different types of ammo and could replicate the issue with both supplied dan wesson mags.
     

    inkd

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 4, 2009
    7,512
    Ridge
    I had a 1911 one time that the slide would sometimes lock up going into battery. The disconnector was too long and the slide would hang up on it at times. Mainly with lighter reloads.

    I'm not really sure if that's the same type of,problem you are describing though?
     

    Mr.Blue

    Living In A Bizarro World
    Nov 21, 2011
    1,523
    Miserable in MD
    My Specialist Government .45 did the same thing. I had to hand rack the slide about 200 times to loosen it up.

    It still gets stuck sometimes, so I called Dan Wesson this week. The guy on the phone (Keith maybe) told me that some guns are tighter than others and that it is getting caught up on the disconnector. Sure enough, that is where it was getting stuck. He said to oil the disconnector and fire the gun. The disconnector is the silver semi-circular piece in your second photo.

    My Silverback is smooth as butter.
     

    sajidakh

    Active Member
    Dec 28, 2010
    981
    Mine did the same thing. I had to hand rack the slide about 200 times to loosen it up.

    It still gets stuck sometimes, so I called Dan Wesson this week. The guy on the phone (Keith maybe) told me that some guns are tighter than others and that it is getting caught up on the disconnector. Sure enough, that is where it was getting stuck. He said to oil the disconnector and fire the gun. The disconnector is the silver circular piece in your second photo.

    My Silverback is smooth as butter.


    Yeap today was the first time. Put 150 or so through it with the hangups. RO said disconnector may have a burr on it. But there's no way ANY gun should require me to bang it on a table for it to work.
     

    -Z/28-

    I wanna go fast
    Dec 6, 2011
    10,649
    Harford Co
    No "Well the problem is it's not a .45" comment yet? Y'all are slipping.

    In all seriousness, good luck with it. Hopefully when you send it in DW will get it sorted out.
     

    Mr.Blue

    Living In A Bizarro World
    Nov 21, 2011
    1,523
    Miserable in MD
    Can’t say I’ve had any issues like this with any of my Colts. Not bragging but I certainly would have expected a DW to run out of the box. Without knowing enough about 1911s to have any suggestions about your problems, have you tried contacting DW about it? I’m not sure that sounds like it’s magazine or ammo related. But again, I’m not familiar enough with the platform to say that in confidence.

    The difference between Dan Wesson and Colt is that Dan Wesson will have it back to him in a couple of weeks. Colt would take months to get it back. I’ve experienced this first hand with my Special Combat Government, which is a Colt Custom shop 1911. Supposedly their top of the line model.
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,151
    Sun City West, AZ
    I've heard such good things about Dan Wesson 1911s but have no experience with them. No matter who makes it something can go wrong and get by. When I was a law enforcement officer we received a shipment of new revolvers from S&W and one wouldn't target when testing. It was a smoothbore...no rifling at all. It had passed through a number of inspector's hands and wasn't caught. S&W had it back to us in a week with a proper barrel.

    When you get it back and test it give us a report on Dan Wesson's customer service and was the problem resolved to you satisfaction.
     

    Mr.Blue

    Living In A Bizarro World
    Nov 21, 2011
    1,523
    Miserable in MD
    I've heard such good things about Dan Wesson 1911s but have no experience with them. No matter who makes it something can go wrong and get by. When I was a law enforcement officer we received a shipment of new revolvers from S&W and one wouldn't target when testing. It was a smoothbore...no rifling at all. It had passed through a number of inspector's hands and wasn't caught. S&W had it back to us in a week with a proper barrel.

    When you get it back and test it give us a report on Dan Wesson's customer service and was the problem resolved to you satisfaction.

    It’s true. Even Wilson Combat and Nighthawk sometimes have malfunctions and have to go back.
     

    Mr.Blue

    Living In A Bizarro World
    Nov 21, 2011
    1,523
    Miserable in MD
    Knowing that and experiencing aren't the same thing. It's part of life when it happens to someone else but a real tragedy and enraging when yours is the statistical anomaly.

    I’m well aware of that. My Colt Special Combat Government went back to Colt this year. I had the gun for a week and then it spent 6 months at Colt.
     

    Ski169

    Active Member
    May 28, 2012
    939
    The difference between Dan Wesson and Colt is that Dan Wesson will have it back to him in a couple of weeks. Colt would take months to get it back. I’ve experienced this first hand with my Special Combat Government, which is a Colt Custom shop 1911. Supposedly their top of the line model.

    I certainly won’t argue against you on this. I’ve heard the stories. I’ve just been fortunate as to not have experienced it first hand. At least not yet anyway. Hopefully, DW will have the OP taken care of soon.
     

    Shamr0ck

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 6, 2011
    2,505
    Frederick
    MDS member trikshot is a great resource for 1911 challenges. I’ve used him several times for mine and found his prices very reasonable and his turn around times in the days range rather than weeks/months.

    I didn’t have any warranty issues and preferred to not ship my pistols away for work to be done. Good luck


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
     

    Huckleberry

    No One of Consequence
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 19, 2007
    23,306
    Severn & Lewes
    Is this with just with one or all your DW factory mags?

    Your bottom pic, the mag lips look pretty battered, bent and unsymmetrical.

    Have you tried a better quality mag like Chip McCormick, Ed Brown or Wilson?

    Also, what type of lube or grease did you use or your slide and rails?
     

    sgt23preston

    USMC LLA. NRA Life Member
    May 19, 2011
    3,994
    Perry Hall
    Man made products have problems some times...

    Sorry that yours has an issue...

    Call DW explain the problem...

    Write down who you talked to, the date & time & what he said...

    Tell him that you have not been able to fix the problem or use the gun...

    Ask him for a prepaid shipping label for you to send the pistol back for repair...

    Make sure that you send the magazines back with the gun...

    Then follow up & confirm when it arrives at DW...

    It should be a very simple & quick fix, depending on their shop backlog...

    DW wants you to be happy...

     

    lee2

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Oct 8, 2007
    19,012
    no excuse for this out of a factory gun.
    maybe it was made on a monday or friday.:rolleyes:
    seriously their QC has slipped.
     

    Mark75H

    MD Wear&Carry Instructor
    Industry Partner
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 25, 2011
    17,172
    Outside the Gates
    Is this with just with one or all your DW factory mags?

    Your bottom pic, the mag lips look pretty battered, bent and unsymmetrical.

    Have you tried a better quality mag like Chip McCormick, Ed Brown or Wilson?

    Also, what type of lube or grease did you use or your slide and rails?

    Nothing I have bought from Wilson in the past 4 years has been anything except junk. Its a has-been name selling purely on their previous reputation, not on today's quality.
     

    Huckleberry

    No One of Consequence
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 19, 2007
    23,306
    Severn & Lewes
    Nothing I have bought from Wilson in the past 4 years has been anything except junk. Its a has-been name selling purely on their previous reputation, not on today's quality.

    Been a while since I bought from them. Still have his mags I bought in the 80s&90s. I use different springs and followers when I rebuild them.

    So scratch Wilson then and thanks Mark for the heads up.
     

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