13 months old and broken - help please

My 1911-380 is 13 months old and has had less than 300 rounds through it. it shoots OK but is not the nicest, smoothest shooting .380 I have. Normal trigger pull is 4.5# empty and a bit heavier when loaded. Take up is only about 1/8" and it does feel a bit gritty, in that you can feel the "pause" before the click when you shoot it. I have field strip/ cleaned it regularly as I do all of my guns. I do not detail strip any of my guns - that is for the gunsmith who knows what he is doing - especially with a 1911.

Last week I shot 40 rounds (5 mags). Ammo was Speer Lawman. It was a challenge to get the empty magazines out, but the slide did mostly lock back when empty, except last week when it didn't.

Then when I did the final "verify empty, slide forward, hammer down" prior to putting my gun back in the range bag IT DID NOT. I tried everything, but that hammer was stuck. The range owner who is a good gunsmith tried also and said it needed to be taken apart, so I left it with him.

When my friend and I wen to shoot today he had the 1911-380 ready for me. I had around 22 rounds in a box in my bag so I loaded 3 mags to make sure the gun worked. Well, it didn't.

Sometimes you can get the hammer to go down (up, in fired position) when the gun is empty and you put the slide forward, insert an empty magazine and pull the trigger. Mostly not, because the trigger WILL NOT PULL.

BUT when you load the gun most of time it will shoot one round - occasionally 2 rounds. THEN it ejects the empty casing and the slide cycles but the trigger stays in the UP position. I mean it STAYS. In other words when the slide cycles the trigger will not go down into SA position. The only thing that will make the gun work again is to rack the slide, ejecting one live round - and then you can shoot one more round until it locks up again with the slide having cycled but the trigger still in the fired position.

The range owner/gunsmith said the 3 prong spring was wonky, with the middle prong having slipped out of place, thereby locking the trigger. He "fixed that." THE PROBLEM IS THAT WHEN I LOOKED UP THE 1911-380 SCHEMATIC ON LINE it shows a two prong spring. ?!?!?!? Now it will shoot one round (very occasionally two) but then the trigger locks again with the hammer in the fired position (up). Knowing What I Know about Browning CS, I am trying to get someone to figure what is wrong and perhaps fix it rather than deal with "the reluctant dragons" at Browning.

[Background on their CS: When my 1911-22 was brand new in 2018, it was shooting WAY high. I had a devil of a time getting them to send me a prepaid return label even though it was a brand new gun. They had it around 3 weeks and finally their "gunsmith" (I think they only have one) fixed it and sent to back. It has worked properly except for mostly not wanting to lock back when empty ever since then. Obviously it has been shot a lot more than the 1911-380. Of course I've also had it a lot longer, but because of my health and strength issues I only shoot 40 or 48 rounds at most with the .380 and then around 100 or slightly more rounds through the .22!]

I put off getting the .380 because of the bad reviews, but the reviews became positive and I bought one - black label, the prettiest and fanciest model. I also have 6 magazines. I'm really not inclined to pay to send it back because the only local shop that will do that charges $80 and that is highway robbery. I also don't want to spend another couple hundred dollars on this gun.

Can anyone help me?

I dunno if I can help, but it sounds to me like you have two problems, one with the magazine release button (the lockup with the trigger safety spur - do you have a broken spring in the mag release button? Has the small retention screw in the right side of the mag release button become loose?), and the other with the mag release spring protrusion.

Can you give more detail about the quote "It was a challenge to get the empty magazines out, but the slide did mostly lock back when empty, except last week when it didn't".

I have two of these 380s. I like and trust them, but both took a good bit of work during the tv commercials to get them working dependably.

"Mostly not, because the trigger WILL NOT PULL."

This is a sure indicator that the mag release button is too far toward the left side of the gun. Two most likely causes are
1) the small retention screw in the right side of the mag release has backed out to some extent due to vibration.
2) the magazine is not seating properly so that the retention slot in the magazine is in the wrong position.

1) is by far the most likely cause - and the easiest to fix.

"It was a challenge to get the empty magazines out,"

Need more information, but that right side retention screw in the mag release can cause this if loose.

"when the gun is empty and you put the slide forward, insert an empty magazine and pull the trigger. Mostly not, because the trigger WILL NOT PULL".

Loose retention screw on the right side of the mag release button will cause this.

That spring that he referenced has 3 prongs.
It is Item #14 in Numrich's part list and part diagram.
I can't post a photo.

In summary, pretty much all of the symptoms you have described are linked to the position of the mag release button. Most likely cause for button mispositioning is a loose button retention screw.
Most likely cause for a loose retention screw is several hundred rounds of shooting.
Most likely solution is snug it up, using a drop of blue loctite.

Thanks as always Jim. Late at night so I'll wait until tomorrow to get the gun out of the safe and see if your idea fixes it.. If it does WOW - that is something the 1911 experts I talked to didn't think of. But they don't have the Browning either.

Its due to the oddball trigger blocking mechanism the Browning uses to prevent firing when the mag is removed.

THAT does seem to be the issue!

OK - I got the gun out and that little screw-head lock thing which hubby says is not a screw at all but a half-turn locking "screw thing" is TIGHT. Now, trying again with an empty gun: slide forward, insert empty mag, pull trigger - two or three times. On the second or third trigger pull the hammer does release, but almost never on just one pull. It did that for me and also for hubby and that is what it was doing at the range on Friday also. It's like you have to "tickle it" to make it work.

Hubby said to push in on the mag release button and THEN try to turn that screw head. Nope not that way either.

I has always been reluctant to let the magazine drop, even when it was released by pushing the mag release button. Mostlly I have to PULL it out - loaded or empty all same, same.

Any other ideas we can try before contacting Browning? Darren, the range owner, already took it all apart and Bob, hubby, says no way is he going to take it apart again when Darren was not able to fix it.

Check and make sure you have your .380 slide stop installed and not the.22. They are different. Your problem is in your mag release positioning.

Before sending your pistol ito Browning, remove and examine your mag release button for unusual wear marks. Your problem is the horizintal positioning of the release vs the stub on the back of the trigger. Examine the release for trash, clean the release, reinstall, and try the pistol again before sending it in.

Also try pushing up and/or pulling down on the mag as you operate the trigger - the mag slot may be little off and interfering with the horizontal positioning of the mag release button relative to the blocking stub on the trigger. I know for sure that interferance there is what is causing your issue.

Some time ago I did check the slide stops.

I may have to get our friend John to come over and do those things because hubby says he is not going to touch it and that is wise. His fingers are not as "supple" as they once were. Way back he could take a 1911 apart and put it back together zip zip, but this is considerably smaller and that makes it more challenging and he is not as capable as he once was....... I'm not either. Old age you know.

I'm only 82, so old age hasn't struck yet.
I've forgotten where you guys live, but if it is anywhere near Memphis or Nashville, I have a hunch that I might be able to fix this thing for free and within a few minutes.
I repeat MIGHT be able.
Keep in mind that I am NOT a gunsmith.

I just sent you a PM but this web site is so old and sad that I don't know if you will get it. It doesn't even issue cookies anymore. I copied the last two things you wrote and sent them to our friend John and will see if he is willing to try to get it working. He put in the Volquartsen accurizing kit in my Ruger Mark IV and made it look pretty easy. LOL He is also maybe 20 years younger than dearest hubby.

I hope you get the PM because I don't want to put what is in it on the open forum.

Send me one and I'll let you know right away if I got it.

PM function is working OK, but notifications are not.
Shootergranny, I sent you a PM.

Jim - I got your reply via PM. It took a while to find it. I also answered you on that same PM.