Colt LW Commander Issues

[OldLincoln]

I posted a few up from here that I discovered the HST are 1mm longer than the Federal Hi-Shok which I grabbed when I couldn't get anything else. Don't know anything about them other than "Mikey" (my 1911) likes them a lot. Test fired from all mags today fast, slow, in-between and narry a hitch.

So I tried to swap my 1.5 boxes of HST for Gold Dots and the range master was eager to get a hold of the HST, but he simply didn't have any suitable defensive rounds.

As for the cleanup of Mikey, I'll replace the recoil spring and may take it to my gunny who would like to deal with one like this. I'll try to get him to detail strip, clean and change out the other springs, but show me how to do it without charging too much extra. He's a little older than me and likes to teach so he may go for it.

I have more homework to do on the 1911, gb6491, what's an extractor tunnel?

So guys, all of you have been great helping me with this one. I'm sticking around and will be trying to learn from each of you so thanks for this and thanks in advance for the next one!

Edit: PS: My new Silent Thunder IWB holster came today and it is really sweet. I now have one for each gun and ammo for each, so for the first time am in the position of "which one shall I carry today?"

[gb6491]

I have more homework to do on the 1911, gb6491, what's an extractor tunnel?

Hi,
The extractor on your Commander sits in a hole that is drilled in the slide from the breech face to the rear of the slide. If you hold the pistol out in front of you as if shooting, you'll see an oval piece on the right rear of the slide: that's the rear of the extractor.
Here's a pretty good "how to" for removing it:
1911 Disassembly: Detail Strip Slide

Some other good info:
The Sight 1911 Maintenance Page

Regards,
Greg

[jlottmc]

Greg, good stuff that. Took me a few years of doing it before I got to where I can do it with out looking. That wasn't a bad series 80 either...

P.s. Lincoln appears to have the series 70, and an internal extractor.

[OldLincoln]

I received the Wolf springs, recoil and firing pin, and tore it down and replaced without incident. I cleaned all I could in the upper first with brake cleaner then Gunzilla and finally lubed where I thought necessary - pretty much the equivalent of lube spots on a Kahr. It was really easy and a good experience.

The slide no longer feels mushy when racking. It has a good resistance and, just for kicks, I'll hand rack a few HST at the house to see if it likes them now.

I read where you are not supposed to slingshot or slide release the slide on an empty chamber because it can crack the alloy frame. Did you know that? Do you buy it? I saw pics of a cracked alloy frame and read lots of warnings like don't remove the main spring without fully supporting the frame as it can warp, etc. The alloy frame is a lot lighter than steel but fragile. This is a good reason to not shoot +P ammo as warned on the 1911 forum.

[johnh]

I recall there were many heated discussions about the durability of alloy frames in 1911s. Personally I have never seen it be an issue, even on guns that were shot a lot. I suspect it depends on what one defines as "a lot". 10,000, 25,000, 100,000 rounds? Good 1911s run for a very long time. So comparing alloy to steel over the guns lifespan with a high round count, alloy would not be as durable. For most shooters, the round count probably never becomes high enough. I have not worried at all about it with my Kimber CDP Pro Carry. I shake it down now and then to make sure everything is working as it should be, but tend to shoot other pistols more when at the range.

John

[oldtex]

I received the Wolf springs, recoil and firing pin, and tore it down and replaced without incident. I cleaned all I could in the upper first with brake cleaner then Gunzilla and finally lubed where I thought necessary - pretty much the equivalent of lube spots on a Kahr. It was really easy and a good experience.

The slide no longer feels mushy when racking. It has a good resistance and, just for kicks, I'll hand rack a few HST at the house to see if it likes them now.

I read where you are not supposed to slingshot or slide release the slide on an empty chamber because it can crack the alloy frame. Did you know that? Do you buy it? I saw pics of a cracked alloy frame and read lots of warnings like don't remove the main spring without fully supporting the frame as it can warp, etc. The alloy frame is a lot lighter than steel but fragile. This is a good reason to not shoot +P ammo as warned on the 1911 forum.

Letting the slide go forward on an empty chamber on a 1911 can cause the sear and hammer to collide, or bounce against each other. This is typically referred to as "trigger bounce". If the gun in question has had a trigger job, this practice can allegedly degrade the trigger job.

I've never heard that dropping the slide on an empty chamber can cause frame cracks in an alloy 1911.

My understanding that the following can cause frame cracks in an alloy 1911: shooting the gun with a weak recoil spring, shooting +P ammo, and shooting too many rds of any kind ( but there's no general agreement on how many is too many).

It might be a good idea for you to seek expertise on 1911s from a smith who specializes in them. Also try googling "sightm1911" and "10-8 performance" Those are a couple of good websites with info on 1911s.

[OldLincoln]

Thanks, guys. I just spent the last 2-3 hours reading the articles in the 2 sites oldtex mentioned. Very informative even tho they don't go into the alloy frame. I did read that it isn't a good idea to let the slide slam shut on an empty chamber as it causes wear to a few components. I don't intend to do that anyway, but it's good to know why.

The not shooting +P is particularly painful right now as I have 1.5 boxes of HST +P. I cannot find another decent defense round locally. With the replacement of the recoil spring with 18# Wolf the HST feeds flawlessly via slide stop and slingshot. So it's only the damage factor that holds me back.

If I could shoot a few rounds to prove it in and only carry the rest do you think it would be okay? Maybe shoot 3 rounds a month to prove the feeding is still okay. I suspect it;s one of those things where it would be A-OK up until it cracks the frame and nobody can predict if that would be the next round or 100 from next.

[Bawanna]

I suspect it's one of those deals where a few rounds wouldn't hurt anything but a steady diet would be bad. Myself, I don't think I'd take the chance with your dads gun even though I think they would work fine.
Maybe you could get a couple boxes of Gold dots or Winchesters or something, standard velocity.
Since the +p's arent recommended it would be a shame to get them working, use them up and then have to switch to something else all for a box and a half.
Just typing out loud. If you figure out something you want to try but can't get it, I'll get it and mail it to ya. If I can't get it, it can't be got. Least ways thats what the cops around my office always say. Not sure it's good or bad.........................

[OldLincoln]

I'm posting in my old Colt Commander thread to finally and publicly announce my Colt Commander 45 is officially placed in service!!

It's been thoroughly scrubbed re-springed and has 3 new Check-Mate 7rd mags (stiff springs) feeding it through Hybrid Lips and pushed by the patented CheckMate follower. I park it in my new Tucker Answer holster which fixed the sag problem.

Today I shot 3 mags of FMJ and HST standard Pressure and it ran so smooth it's hard to believe it's the same gun.

Now I need to sell 63 rounds of Federal 45 HST +P ammo ($50) and 2 10rd Chip McCormick Power Plus Stainless Mags ($30).