Due to intermittent stoppages in the new Ruger SR1911-A – some literally tying the gun up with a failure to feed that wasn’t easily cleared – I’d had a friend reach out and offer different magazines.
With the 1911, old design that it is, a range of issues can create stoppages. The traditional 45 caliber pistol normally chokes when the bullet profile of the ammunition combines with an extractor issue and/or the design of the magazine being used.
I received magazines from Ed Brown Products. These are premium magazines in two capacity formats – one is a “Government”-length in the standard seven-round capacity. The other is a “Government” magazine with a slightly longer tube and a capacity of eight rounds.
I’d guessed that the eight-round magazine that shipped with the Ruger may have been sitting a bit low when latched into the gun. That requires a new magazine catch, one that holds the magazine a bit higher in the gun. Also, the extractor tension seemed a bit loose – and the type of ammunition could make that failure occur. Brass does vary some; while some brands were marginally held against the breech face with the extractor, some were quickly dumped during the extractor tension test.
One of each of the Ed Brown magazines had stainless steel bodies with a black nitride finish. Another pair of magazines had stainless tubes without the nitride finish.
I’d also gotten ammunition from a more recent production run. The ammo I’d been firing through the new Ruger has been around for a while; some of it was quite old. The newly produced stuff was Hornady Critical Defense, 185 grain FTX. It was not a +P load, at my request.
I elected to begin work from a seated bench rest on a target that had been shot with a 22 LR pistol. Every previous shot had been marked and I worked around the target, one used when sighting in guns with optical sights. This gave me a number of different target spots to line up on. From twenty yards, I started with the new ammo and worked “around the clock.”
The Hornady load is a close analog of the shape of the old Government ball round. As a result, feeding was trouble-free in both magazines. I put eight rounds into 3 ¾” with the best three in a surprising 3/8” group. The load’s a bit of a thumper from the bench, but not uncomfortable to shoot. It hit to the sights at 20 yards.
Federal Gold Medal Match was 100% reliable – for the run from the bench – and produced another 3 ¾” group with the best three in under two inches. Federal Classic 185 grain JHP ran through both magazines – again, this time – yielding a 2 7/8” group.
Stan Chen’s wonderful ASYM 230 grain FMJ Match round was 100% in function and produced a five-shot group of 1 1/8”. That load seemed to strike just a bit right of the sights but it was dead on for elevation.
From there, I moved into some more active shooting. I began to find a few stoppages – one ending festivities until I could get the round dislodged – and I found that the stock screws were loose.
This is why I’m a fan of slotted stock screws. I searched around until I could find the appropriate size bit and kept tightening screws for the remainder of the exercise.
I ended with a pair of seven round magazines of the older production Remington Golden Saber 230 grain +P. There were no stoppages with that load and the Ed Brown magazines.
You get a lot of gun for the money with Ruger SR1911s. A custom builder on social media speaks highly of the line and I’ve shot several of them.
What would I change? Stocks screws and the extractor; I doubt I’d change another thing.
-- Rich Grassi