The snow has finally cleared out here in Alabama, so I decided to take my new DW CCO and my work in progress Remington R1 to the range. The R1 surprisingly ran without a hitch (only original parts are the slide, frame, barrel, and firing pin). It will actually shoot my SWC reloads now that I've run a Clymer finish reamer through the chamber.
The CCO ran fine with a couple of issues. The last round would frequently pop loose from the supplied Checkmate 7 round mags. The slide would lock back and leave the last round loose and sitting on top of the follower. Doesn't happen with Colt 6 round Officer's mags.
I was also shooting high. Shots pictured are off of a sandbag at 25yds using 230gr GDHP ammo. I also shot a group using 200gr SWC reloads with nearly identical results. Looks like I need about a .03" taller front sight. Question is, should I contact DW or just buy a taller sight. Will they require me to ship the gun to them or has anyone had luck with them sending a replacement sight? If I have to pick up the bill for shipping the gun, it would be cheaper to just buy a new sight.
Edit: Just checked and the installed front night sight is .150"
Thanks for the tip. I took the mags down and wiped out the inside with a paper towel. They weren't dripping with oil, but there was definitely a healthy "coat".
Just emailed DW with the picture of my target. Unfortunately, I got an out of office reply. The reply says they're out until 1/24. I'll try to call in the morning.
I answered your post on the other site about the sights.
Checkmate mags are usually good. I have had ZERO issues with them and recommend them. There is a 50/50 chance your "Colt" mag was made by Checkmate. But like all things and especially with a 1911 always suspect the mags. I had a Baer that was mag finicky before I replaced the SS. So fix it or find mags it likes.
While not 100% the same gun, the sight off my Guardian is .325" and the front is .140" (which is the same as my SA Champion .325" and .140").
I know that i used a .325" 10-8 sight on knedrgr's CCO and it's dead on with the factory front sight.
Heh, last time I had a bout with the flu I couldn't do anything right for a week. I still don't know how the house was left standing after that was over with. Feel better soon!
Well, I took some real measurements with the sights off of the slide and found my front is actually .140" and rear is .325". Measuring sight height on the slide is hard. And I don't have the flu to blame:biglaugh:
Decided I needed to take another trip to the range with some 230gr ball ammo and try the front sight from my Valor which is .190". The .190" sight shot pretty close to POA, but still a tad high.
Grouping isn't quite as tight due to the bright sun on my white target and the distractions from the concealed carry class going on at the range this morning.
After discussion with Keith at DW, the slide is in the mail for installation of a taller front sight. Thinking a .195" would be spot-on, but don't know if they make one.
The CCO ran fine with a couple of issues. The last round would frequently pop loose from the supplied Checkmate 7 round mags. The slide would lock back and leave the last round loose and sitting on top of the follower. Doesn't happen with Colt 6 round Officer's mags.
Do those Checkmates have a dimpled follower? The reason the dimple is on JMB's original design is for exactly that reason. If it does have the dimple, you might want to verify it is tall enough by comparing to the ordnance spec. Checkmate put out some mags where the dimple wasn't tall enough, if I remember correctly. Also might want to check that the feedlips are in spec. Actually, you should probably just call Checkmate and tell them about it, their customer service is good and if it needs replacing they'll take care of it.
My aluminum frame Springfield had this issue using full power ball ammo. I tried several different mag brands and follower/feed lip configurations, still happened intermittently. If I use my handloads that are slightly less warm than full power factory ammo, it runs fine. My theory is that there is something going on with the impact against the aluminum frame during recoil that is sharp enough to jar that last round loose, even when held firmly by a dimpled follower and a fresh 11 lb. Wolff mag spring. I tried a square bottom firing pin stop with 23 lb. mainspring, heavier recoil spring, different factory ammo, problem was still there. What seemed to have cured it, of all things, is a Wilson shock buffer. That little plastic donut allows the gun to run reliably with full power ammo. Take it out, the problem starts popping up again.
If your gun runs with the Colt magazine though, sounds like it's an issue specifically with that Checkmate mag.
No dimple on the Checkmate followers. The Colt mags have the dimple. Side by side, the feed lips and mag geometry all look to be nearly identical between the mags.
I'll give them a call.
Thanks for the tips :rock:
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