Brian Gonsalves Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 Went out to shoot my .40 Single stack yesterday, shot about 6 of my IDPA (minor) loads. The next round failed to fire, it felt weird when I racked the slide, round had a light hit and then would chamber another round. Here's what i found when I took the slide off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Sweeney Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 Typically, that is caused by uneven impact of the barrel foot against the rear of the frame opening. It can, however, happen from a too-hard barrel or brittlenss caused by plating. What to do? Ask for a new barrel, fitted at no charge. Let the barrel maker and the gunsmith argue it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny hill Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 Have seen nowlin lugs break but never clark type. What pound recoil spring & have you shot major in it? Maybe bad heat treating? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Gonsalves Posted August 29, 2006 Author Share Posted August 29, 2006 I use an 11 pound recoil spring, changed fairly often. Approximately 15,000 rounds of 135 pf IDPA loads and a box or two of factory ammo. Maybe it was time to go through it anyway? I'd like to think I could get more than 15,000 rounds shooting minor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wide45 Posted August 29, 2006 Share Posted August 29, 2006 (edited) Go here and punch up the link "Timing Test Kit". http://www.schuemann.com/ Edited August 29, 2006 by wide45 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdragon Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 All things considered, Timing is off. Ivan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Sample Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 (edited) Looks like a bad barrel fit to me. This can happen with ramped barrels and SS barrels. I only use barrels made by Fred Kart and have for over 20 years. I am still waiting for the first failure. Have whoever built it install a new barrel for you. It's bad work and a bad barrel so they should take care of you. I would also check with Wolff and see what the proper recoil spring weight is. I don't do .40's so I can't help you there. Good luck on getting it up and running again. Edited August 30, 2006 by Dave Sample Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckS Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 Looks like timing. I had a SA 1911 do the same thing. Go read that Schuemann link above. Wil claims that if the barrel is hitting the frame early the lugs will shear within 5000 rounds. He was dead wrong, mine sheared in 5180 . Later, Chuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 Looks like the hole was not drilled perpendicular to the foot.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reneet Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 Possible problems... Improperly milled frame (barrel failed instead of breaking link) No radius behind ramp causing stress fracture Improper heat treating Either way, agree with Patrick. Your gunsmith owes you although I don't know that I'd trust the work again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
00bullitt Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 (edited) Is the frame cut for a Wilson/Nowlin ramp or Para/Clark ramp? If its cut for the Wilson/Nowlin......theres your answer. I've seen a few times where smiths would fit up the Para/Clark ramped barrels into the Wilson/Nowlin cut frame and they would work fine for a couple thousand rounds and the same thin happened that happened to yours. Ask me how I know. Can you post a pic of the top view of the frame where the barrel lug would lock up? Edited August 31, 2006 by 00bullitt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L9X25 Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 00bullitt , As an experiment, I converted a Clark/Para barrel lug into a Nowlin style barrel lug to see if it would last. It lasted forever which leads me to believe that, if the timing and fit is correct, either lug style can last indefinintely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny hill Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Cannot fit a clark barrel into a nowlin cut frame w/o cutting the barrel lugs .100 . This barrel lug is still a clark cut. You can see a dark area on the lug, this is where it was cracked for awhile before breaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L9X25 Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Cannot fit a clark barrel into a nowlin cut frame w/o cutting the barrel lugs .100 . This barrel lug is still a clark cut. You can see a dark area on the lug, this is where it was cracked for awhile before breaking. That's exactly what I did ... I cut off the rounded part of the Clark lug and made it match the dimensions of a Nowlin lug barrel. It lasted until the barrel was shot out (years). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bountyhunter Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 (edited) All things considered, Timing is off.Ivan that gets my vote as well. In lockup, a properly fitted 1911 barrel has contact at the upper lugs against the slide and the two lower feet rest "just right" on the cross pin. No play, but no stress either. If it's fiitted wrong, the slide stop pin will be stressing the lower feet each time it goes into battery. Don't know if that's what happened here, but barrels sure as hell are not supposed to fail after 15k rounds. ADD: I doubt if you did this, but lower barrel lug fractures are common in 1911's which are "slide dropped on empty" from lockback repeatedly and regularly. That also stresses the lower lugs. Edited August 31, 2006 by bountyhunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Gonsalves Posted September 1, 2006 Author Share Posted September 1, 2006 Thanks everyone for your help! Just to update, KKM said to test the Rockwell hardness, 40 to 42 is the magic number. I don't have a way to test it. The gunsmith who built the gun has moved out of state. So I'm just going to send it out and have a new barrel fitted. Benny, please check your inbox! Email in route! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry White Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 Send the broken barrel with the pistol.----------Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Sample Posted September 2, 2006 Share Posted September 2, 2006 The barrel went south when the shot was fired. That means it was standing on the link and slide stop pin. There was too much pressure on the pin and that is why it failed. it was an improper fit. Period. It was probably a barrel that was stainless steel and not properly heat treated. It just couldn't take it. Let someone who knows how to fit barrels install a Quality Barrel in it. You can change frame cuts if you know what you are doing. Claudio Salass did one for me 15 years ago and it still works great. he wanted me to try a New (At that time) Barrel in a .38 Super I was building from extra parts. Then his company sent my gun to a guy who ordered a pair of binoculars, and sent me the binocs! Thank goodness he was honest! We made the switch and created the Red Eye Special. I still have the letter he wrote me about my checkering on that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRT Driver Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 A friend of mine had a gun where the lower lugs were cut wrong on a Nowlin bbl. This led to two slide stops shearing. Similar problem but not the same. He "fixed" it by taking it to a reputable 'smith (APG member) who identified the problem in about 15 seconds. He welded the lugs, recut them and welded the hood like they did in the old days with bullseye guns and refit the bbl. It shoots now and he hasn't broken a slide stop. Could a loose link pin cause the lugs to shear? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Sample Posted September 4, 2006 Share Posted September 4, 2006 A loose link pin? I really don't know. My guns are tight everywhere and have been for a very long time. I don't do much factory gun tweaking so I can't help much on sloppy fits. My slide stops are .200 in diameter and I use Kart Barrels, with his links and pins. They are hard to smack out, too! I don't think it would matter much because all the link does is pull the barrel down to the barrel bed while it feeds. Then the recoil spring takes over and locks it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonglee0507 Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 can i modify a clark/para ramp barrel and make it into a wilson nowlin barrel by cutting the lugs? is this advisable???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul-the new guy Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 You can, the smith that built my gin did that. 5k rounds in or so the barrel cracked. There was no radius where he made the cut and that is probably what caused it to crack. I would just buy a W/N barrel and sell your clark barrel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonglee0507 Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 You can, the smith that built my gin did that. 5k rounds in or so the barrel cracked. There was no radius where he made the cut and that is probably what caused it to crack. I would just buy a W/N barrel and sell your clark barrel Hey paul, sorry for the ignorance but what do you mean there was no radius in the cut? Thanks Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul-the new guy Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 this is my old barrel, note the crack it starts where the cut should have had a radius: This is the new barrel, it is not a great pic but look at the same area and not how the cut is rounded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonglee0507 Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 (edited) this is my old barrel, note the crack it starts where the cut should have had a radius: This is the new barrel, it is not a great pic but look at the same area and not how the cut is rounded. This is mine, my gunsmith made a radius to the cut Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk Edited January 2, 2013 by bonglee0507 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now