Factory Length vs Long Length .40 rounds in 2011

[Smokin]

I have a 2011 that funds perfectly with .40 S&W loaded .180 long by Atlantic Arms & Ammo. Runs without a hiccup,...basically a sewing machine. Well, I ran low on the long loaded Atlantic stuff today so I tossed some Federal 180 Gr FMJ factory rounds in the mag and the slide would occasionally fail to completely go into battery. Happened 2x in 50 Rounds. Ive heard some here say that STI's just like the long bullets and don't even bother to run factory length. Others say that they run fine with both types. Whats the deal here? Should I send the pistol to my smith and have him work the feed ramp a bit or should I just succumb to running the long stuff?

[CocoBolo]

There are two things that cause the gun not to go into battery: 1. Extractor tension too tight. 2. Fatboy brass or OAL too long. The third is user induced, dragging thumb on slide. So which was it?

I've owned 3 40 2011's all 3 have run factory ammo with no problems. I load long becuase I use fast powder and when they are short it blows the tops off the cases.

[Duane Thomas]

We get a fair number of questions on this board that could be summed up as, "My gun ran perfectly. I changed something and now it doesn't. What should I do?" The answer of course is, "Put things back the way they were when the gun ran perfectly."

Years ago I had a good pistolsmith tell me two things I have never forgotten. One was, "Whenever a previously 100 percent reliable gun suddenly starts puking on you, the first question you should always ask yourself is, 'What did I change?'" The second was, "Whenever a gun chokes people always blame the gun, they think they can solve the problem by changing the gun. But the fact is that the ammunition is overwhelmingly likely to be the problem."

In this case you're lucky, you know what you changed. You changed the ammunition. Go back to firing the ammunition you used when the gun worked 100 percent, it will go back to working 100 percent.

I would not let anyone mess with the feed ramp, or anything else, on a gun that is verified 100 percent reliable with a particular ammo type. It would be all too easy in that situation to wind up with a gun that no longer feeds that ammo type reliably.

[EEH]

I don't know if my edge will run factory ammo or not,I started loading long,40 s&w,and still load the same way,I have not changed anything and don't plan too--just saying

[Singlestack]

There are two things that cause the gun not to go into battery: 1. Extractor tension too tight. 2. Fatboy brass or OAL too long. The third is user induced, dragging thumb on slide. So which was it?

I've owned 3 40 2011's all 3 have run factory ammo with no problems. I load long becuase I use fast powder and when they are short it blows the tops off the cases.

That's 4 I do believe!

[Singlestack]

1911's were designed to run ammunition that is ~1.260 OAL. That is why it is harder to get a .40 or 9mm 1911 than a .45, 10mm or .38 Super to run reliably. If your gun likes 1.180 OAL (mine does too), then feed it that.

[Smokin]

There are two things that cause the gun not to go into battery: 1. Extractor tension too tight. 2. Fatboy brass or OAL too long. The third is user induced, dragging thumb on slide. So which was it?

I've owned 3 40 2011's all 3 have run factory ammo with no problems. I load long becuase I use fast powder and when they are short it blows the tops off the cases.

1)I don't think its the extractor since it runs the longer ammunition without an issue. Also the extractor was replaced with an after. I know that an after can also cause issues if not installed correctly, but Im doubting that (its a possibility though).

2) Well I don think Federal 180 Gr is fatboy brass, and its OAL is definitely shorter than the 1.180 OAL load that runs perfectly.

3) Not dragging the thumb.

It seems that many here also have 2011's that don't like the shorter rounds. Is there something about your feed ramp/extractor thats different than mine?

[BlueOvalBruin]

I for one think that the gun should function with both factory and long loads. The gun should be able to function reliably with a diverse set of conditions, so that as things wear (springs get lighter, fits get looser, loads wander, etc.) the gun can handle it. I would try figuring out the problem or having a gunsmith help you diagnose it.

My STI (made by barsto) runs factory short (including white box, commercial reloads, and speer gold dots) to 1.200" reloads. I tuned the extractor, throated the chamber, and slightly polished the feedramp but it runs like a top now.

[tk2]

I agree with BlueOvalBruin, I want my guns to run with anything I put in it. I built a 2011 that ran perfect with my long handloads, then a friend tried it out with his factory lenght ammo and it failed to feed reliably. I adjusted the feed ramp and now it feeds everything, even empty cases.

I would suggest taking it to a gunsmith you trust, and have it make it run with anything.

[blaster113]

You could send the gun out to a smith to have some work done on the feedramp and such. seems like a lot of .40 STI 2011's dont run too well with factory length stuff. had a tuned Edge that would run most factory length ammo including old Hydrashok hollowpoints but would occasionally choke. it ran my 1.180 OAL reloads perfect. my new semi-custom STI from the same smith chokes a lot more with factory ammo, and occasionally 1.180 reloads but runs 1.200 oal loads 100%. from what Ive read its luck of the draw if your gun will run with factory OAL or not. A reputable smith on this board recommends .40 loaded to 1.180 for STI's (which also happens to be the OAL for AA ammo); the smith that built my gun recommends 1.200.

if you dont reload then save a stash of the AA ammo for matches, and regular factory stuff for practice. if you want hot factory ammo try WWB 180 grain or Blazers. I shoot the Federal stuff once in a while too and its pretty spunky

[2MoreChains]

I have a 2011 that runs good with 1.180" and 1.130" OAL ammo. Color me lucky I guess. I load my major loads long probably more for to keep the pressure down, and my minor loads short so I can also use them in a Glock 35. So far so good when I shoot the shorty-40's in my 2011 for ESP or Steel Challenge, and I'm pretty sure that if something was going to have puked it would have done it by now.

Moly-coated truncated cone 180 grs... if that helps.

[Jonathan Taliani]

My Brazos 5" will eat anything I feed it, but I wouldn't be too concerned if yours only likes long loads. As long as there is something that it feeds reliably, I would just go with what it likes.