Spartan 9MM Question

[DT Guy]

Just picked up my 9mm Spartan, and found I could *barely* rack it. Seriously tightly fit, frame to slide. In fact, it took a number of forcible hand cyclings to get it where it could close from slide drop.

After a couple days of hand cycling and manipulation (sounds so much better than 'playing with your new gun', as my wife usually puts it) it still hesitates to fully close with recoil spring pressure alone. If you pull the slide back 1/2", for instance, it just stays there until you give it a shove to get it moving again. It's to the point that a slide drop will let it close, though.

When in battery, NOTHING moves; not the slide, the barrel, the slide stop-nothing.

Now, to be clear-I'm not upset about this. In fact, when I build a 1911 this is just about where I leave it before I 'shoot it in'. I'm just surprised a budget gun would come fit like this.

Unless there's some hidden flaw in this thing, I'm really taken aback at the amount of gun I got for $630. The trigger is usable as-is, and should require no more than a spring tweak to become 'very good.' Very few machine marks inside or out, and overall just very, very nice. Not knowing what they go for, I'd have guessed it was an upper-end 1911, to be honest.

Finally shooting it today, so we'll see if the magic lasts....

Larry

[benny hill]

They are all tight.Just shoot it.

[Chris Keen]

Go shoot it! 100 rounds should break it in.

[EkuJustice]

The only thing I changed right off the bat was I put a lighter recoil spring in mine as the factory one felt kid of tight. It now has a dawson front sight(slimmer and smaller FO), trigger job, and a XT magwell. It is definately a good value

[Duane Thomas]

Please let us know how it works.

[DT Guy]

Please let us know how it works.

Tried about 100 WWB and 50 Federal Wally World specials today. Had three or four FTF's, which I'd consider normal for any gun breaking in. Slide movement is much smoother, although it still won't return to battery if the slide's retracted about 1/2" and released slowly. I'm guessing another 200 rounds and it will be ball-bearing smooth and still nice and tight.

I'm surprised, I'll admit. I'm used to paying more or doing more work to get a 1911 that runs about like this; I keep waiting for the catch, somehow.

Oh, and a 9mm 1911 feels like cheating, which is just what I was after....!

Larry

[Paul Burtchell]

Fill that thing full of Mobil 1 and shoot the snot out of it

[Duane Thomas]

What sort of mags are you using? Don't know what sort of mags are supplied with the gun, but I'd be surprised if they're top-notch, they almost never are with the mags supplied with a factory gun. And in a 9mm 1911, more so even than most other guns, having the mag right is the key to having a gun that runs 100 percent.

[DT Guy]

What sort of mags are you using? Don't know what sort of mags are supplied with the gun, but I'd be surprised if they're top-notch, they almost never are with the mags supplied with a factory gun. And in a 9mm 1911, more so even than most other guns, having the mag right is the key to having a gun that runs 100 percent.

Just used the stocker, Duane. Seems OK, but I wanted to isolate any problems with the gun before I bought more mags.

I'm hearing that for 10 rounders, Tripp is the way to go?

Larry

[donnyglock]

I would say Tripp is the way to go. I have Wilsons as well and feel Tripp is a far better mag.

[Paul Burtchell]

I would also recommend the new Dawson Precision mags as well. They work great in my Spartan 9mm

http://www.dawsonprecision.com/ProductDetail.jsp?LISTID=80000AA0-1260218910

Edited November 27, 2010 by Paul Burtchell

[EkuJustice]

Tripp. The wilsons have a tendencey to sit higher and hit the extractor especially on a slide lock reload

[XD Niner]

Mine was quite tight also and took a good 600 rounds to break in. Now it is still very solid but 100% reliable. For some reason, it seemed to work better with Zero bullets than Montana Gold bullets when I was breaking it in. Now it swallows both with equal ease.

I have the Tripp mags. The bottom plates work loose on a couple of them occasionally. Nothing like firing the gun and then watching all the remaining rounds drop to the ground.

[larry1096]

Thanks for the info.

Has anyone tried the Metalform Ultra mags that Dawson has on sale (for....gulp...$50 or so) right now? Just wondering if there could be an advantage to those that I'm overlooking-

Larry

[warpspeed]

Mine ran just fine with MG JHPs and Colt mags. I did replace the spring with a 9# one. The factory was way to stiff.

[steel1212]

Get on the phone and call up Virgil Tripp and order some 10 rounders from him. I prefer the XT techwell but if you do that you'll need some of Tripps basepads for the mags as well. Like Duane said with a 9mm 1911 you'll want top notch mags and that is either Wilson or Tripp and I've much better luck with Tripps.

[BigGabe]

My Spartan was also tight when new. Bought the Dawson 10 round mags and have had 0 problems from them. They all fed very well. Also add a Dawson fiber optic front sight along with an ambidextrous safety and a little trigger work. All good. Go enjoy.

[DougBarnes101]

Mine was tight but due to recommendations form this forum I bought 10 Tripp magazines. (It came with a 9 rounder and a 10 round Dawson) I have almost 1000 rounds thru this gun without a hiccup. I love this gun!!!

[Duane Thomas]

Has anyone tried the Metalform Ultra mags that Dawson has on sale (for....gulp...$50 or so) right now? Just wondering if there could be an advantage to those that I'm overlooking-

Assuming you're talking about the 10-round stainless steel Metalform 9mm mags where the top front of the tube dimples in then back out to form a sort of "pre-feed ramp", then yes, I have shot them, and did not find them at all reliable. OTOH the 9-round Springfield pre-feed ramp mags on which the front of the tube is scalloped in along its entire length, then bent back out at top to form the pre-feed ramp, are probably the most innately feed reliable 9mm 1911 mags in existence.

[DT Guy]

Has anyone tried the Metalform Ultra mags that Dawson has on sale (for....gulp...$50 or so) right now? Just wondering if there could be an advantage to those that I'm overlooking-

Assuming you're talking about the 10-round stainless steel Metalform 9mm mags where the top front of the tube dimples in then back out to form a sort of "pre-feed ramp", then yes, I have shot them, and did not find them at all reliable. OTOH the 9-round Springfield pre-feed ramp mags on which the front of the tube is scalloped in along its entire length, then bent back out at top to form the pre-feed ramp, are probably the most innately feed reliable 9mm 1911 mags in existence.

Thanks. I can pop $35 for the Tripps, but dreaded having to 'need' the $50 Ultras!

Larry

[TonyT]

Both mhy former SA 1911 Target 9mm and Dan Wesson PM-9 function perfectly with Metalform magazines (both 9mm and 38 Super). The Metalform magazines are also quite inexpensive.

[Sean Gaines]

just got mine Saturday.

Plan on being an IDPA gun, never thought I would say that. , but hey its more trigger time! while I am having my .40 singlestack being built, I can use this for practice. Anyways I plan on flat topping it 20lpi on top, checkering the front strap, putting a dawson front sight. Polishing the sides, and re-blueing. I am debating on having a welded magwell put on it. since my .40 cal has a welded magwell and it feels sooo good in my hand, I will probably have that done, when its all said and done.

So far I have put and ed brown beavertail, SV trigger with large curved insert, 10-8 extended mag release, Polished the internals, replaced the open ended cap, replaced recoil spring to a 10#. Installed the aluminum grips that I won at the Briley Generation 300 match.

Are you guys loading long with this gun. I shot some 1.135 oal length when I was test firing, and I was wondering if you were loading long for reliablity. at 1.135 oal, I could get about 5 rounds in the mag, when the mag started acting a little funky (9mm metalform). I am thinking of getting some Tripp .38super mags. What do you guys think?

Anyways here is a photo.

[sparks701]

Hey guys new to the forum and just got a Spartan 9mm, my slide was tight but I tried some nano oil and it is smooth as glass, better than anything I have used before. but the reason I'm here is the tightness of the barrel bushing, I could not get it to come off without force and a few whacks with a brass hammer and a cloth to protect the finish, the same going back on, I've posted this on a few other forums and was wondering if they are all this tight or is mine just extremly tight? some one else said the same thing and he polished his to bare metal, I really don't want to do that for rust reasons. Any advice would be great or is it just the way it is?

[sparks701]

Just a little info, I am not new to 1911s, I have a few others, so I do know a bit about maint. Its bushing to slide that is the problem not bushing to barrel.

[pbosik]

i recently purchased a 9mm trojan and have been loading 147fmj zeros to 1.130,,so far it runs great, no hiccups,,btw it will also allow me to use the same reloads in my m&p, or if u have a g-lock that would work also..hope that helps..i am using the tripp 9mm mags and they are great!!