[Solved] WE 1911 slide stop not catching slide

[TimeDeatH]

Well, I got my WE 1911 in the mail yesterday, did a couple of test fires, lubed it up, etc. I've never owned a 1911 before, so I thought I should learn how to take the slide off at least. I did so, and when I had the gun reassembled, the slide stop would do either one of two things:

1. Stop on the little opening that allows you to pop out the slide stop to take the slide off.

2. Not catch the slide when there is an empty magazine in the gun.

I've tried using google and here to search for similar problems, with no luck.

P.S. I know the quality of WEs

[mopedman (Fighting Tacos)]

It could be your mag. The pusher on your mag has to push it up when it is empty. Some times they break then it doesn't work.

[TimeDeatH]

It's not the magazine for 3 reasons:
1. Magazines are brand new.
2. Tried it on 2 magazines, and it still did not work.
3. It worked perfectly before I took the slide off.

It almost seems like the slide stop isn't in all the way, because when I push it against the gun while I let go of the slide, it pushes itself up. The thing is, I can't push the slide stop in any further than it already is, not even by tapping it (lightly) with a heavy object.

[triggs]

Logically it's because you took it apart and wasn't supposed to

To start with, make sure the slide moves freely and the spring guide isn't binding or anything.
If that isn't it, then the slide catch is the next part to consider as the fault.

One of my WE 1911's had the same issue, I'm not sure what happened to the mag catch, but it simply decided to stop working. I ended up getting a new slide catch and it worked fine from there.

Make sure the slide catch is all the way in, and works when you manually rack the slide. While you're firing it keep the slide catch pushed in, it could be rotating loose and jamming up the slide.

[TimeDeatH]

Just tested and the problem is that it's not pushed in all the way. I tried putting the slide stop in without the slide on (where it is much easier to get in all the way) and the magazine pushed the slide stop up as intended.

Or the problem is that the lock pin that's pushing against the slide stop is resting on that horizontal nub on the slide stop, when it should be below the slide stop.

Edit: I fixed it. I was correct about it not fitting, so I sanded down the top of the slide stop and now it works like a charm, thanks for the help! Moderators may lock this now.

[Dahm]

Mods: Perhaps move this to quick fixes section now? It seems like a simple solution to what might be a common problem, at least for some.

[TimeDeatH]

I might want to add, that instead of sanding the top down, sand the bottom where the slide stop meets the magazine, so you don't have to look at the scratched paint. I wish I would've realized this before sanding it down.

Picture reference on where to sand (underneath on the bottom):