My Slide on my 1911 won't go far enough back to go back together

[Chatter]

Hi all. New airsofter here. I bought a King Arms Predator Tactical 1911. I took it apart to clean it today and after assembling it again the slide just won't lock back far enough to allow me to put the pin to move the parts forward again. 

I don't know whats wrong or how to fix it and am really worried I've bought my first gun and broken it on the first day. 

View attachment 53860

 

[Samurai]

Just a guess but looks like the grip safety doesn't let the hammer move out of the way of the slide. Grip it.

 

[Cyberlawyer]

Silly question, but have you taken the magazine out?

I can’t see from the picture you posted.

 

[Nick G]

are the recoil spring and guide correctly positioned ? pic of the underside of the slide might help

 

[Cr0-Magnon]

Have you checked for woodland creatures which may have sought shelter from the storm?

 

[Macv276]

Silly question, but have you taken the magazine out?

I can’t see from the picture you posted.

Please tell me you've removed the magazine before field stripping ?

1, is the barrel bushing fitted? Bushings are the last thing that goes back in a 1911 during reassembly and can cause reassembly issues. 

2, does the slide come to a complete stop in the position shown? It could be (as suggested above) your recoil spring and plug are misaligned. Some 1911 patterns rely on a precarious balancing act in this part of reassembly, which can be tricky. 

3, check your nozzle isn't stuck in the forward position. I had a M45a1 that did this every time I field stripped it. 

Just a guess but looks like the grip safety doesn't let the hammer move out of the way of the slide. Grip it.

If this is happening, this doesn't sound good. I have numerous 1911s and none of them have this issue. 

Hopefully this helps, if not I'd suggest taking the gun back to the store or searching out a decent tech.