N555
Member
Oh poo I for got about the infamous n00b wrist. Powder puff 45acp loads require a nice firm grip.
1911 break in period
- Thread starter md7
- Start date
Just removed the 4 fingered collet bushing and replaced it with a made to order solid one (it's been in the gun since '78 but I've heard too many horror stories of them REALLY tying up the gun if they would happen to break)
It could probably stand a bit of "breaking in" (actually works perfectly but any excuse for some trigger time)
It could probably stand a bit of "breaking in" (actually works perfectly but any excuse for some trigger time)
bannockburn
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Y-T71
Nice looking Series 70 you've got there! How do you like the MMC rear sight? I have one on my Combat Commander and I really like the sight picture I get with it.
Like you, I have heard or read about the fingers breaking off the collet bushing but never experienced it first hand (and I have had a lot of Series 70s over the years) nor I have ever seen or heard of it happening to any others that I know.
Still it could happen (and maybe at a very inappropriate time too) so your playing it safe by going with a solid bushing is definitely a good idea!
Nice looking Series 70 you've got there! How do you like the MMC rear sight? I have one on my Combat Commander and I really like the sight picture I get with it.
Like you, I have heard or read about the fingers breaking off the collet bushing but never experienced it first hand (and I have had a lot of Series 70s over the years) nor I have ever seen or heard of it happening to any others that I know.
Still it could happen (and maybe at a very inappropriate time too) so your playing it safe by going with a solid bushing is definitely a good idea!
Beautiful pistol you got there!!
I like the MMC, my dad had it installed shortly after he purchased it (still have the original in the box)
It do like the sight picture even though the sights are definitely low profile!
Never seen a collet finger break in person either but from the stories I've heard about getting the piece unstuck and out it was a very easy decision.
I've also had at least 10 different grips on mine and while my Pachmayr grips are the most comfortable and useful by far, I just have a soft spot for wood and steel.
bannockburn
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Y-T71
Yeah that Combat Commander is one sweet looking and shooting .45! It was part of a limited run done by Colt's own Custom Shop and has, besides the bright nickel plating and being completely tuned and accurized, there's the Gold Cup trigger and the MMC rear sight. It shoots as accurately as a Gold Cup without being so fussy about the ammo I run through it.
I like to occasionally swap out grips on my 1911s as well, though there's nothing quite like the Double Diamond grips some of them came with.
Yeah that Combat Commander is one sweet looking and shooting .45! It was part of a limited run done by Colt's own Custom Shop and has, besides the bright nickel plating and being completely tuned and accurized, there's the Gold Cup trigger and the MMC rear sight. It shoots as accurately as a Gold Cup without being so fussy about the ammo I run through it.
I like to occasionally swap out grips on my 1911s as well, though there's nothing quite like the Double Diamond grips some of them came with.
Charlie98
Member
I had a stainless Springfield government model that did the same thing. I still have a tiny welt in my right eyebrow when a piece of hot brass got wedgied in between my glasses and my melon. It was otherwise a good pistol... but after that, I started calling it The Wretch.
I fixed mine by selling it to my brother and buying a Kimber.
FWIW, he still has it... it always shot fine for him. Knowing now what I didn't know then, was to replace the extractor. Oh, well. The Kimber and I are still on our honeymoon... for almost 20 years now.
RetiredUSNChief
Member
Contrary to some beliefs, the 1911 was not a "custom fitted gun", historically.
It was built to design tolerances and assembled as such.
If it were to have been custom fitted, then the U.S. Army would have had to custom fit every one of their 1911s any time they required repairs or parts replacements over the nearly 75 years they were in service.
Custom fitting of the 1911 came into play when people attempted to "tighten" them up into match grade pistols.
It was built to design tolerances and assembled as such.
If it were to have been custom fitted, then the U.S. Army would have had to custom fit every one of their 1911s any time they required repairs or parts replacements over the nearly 75 years they were in service.
Custom fitting of the 1911 came into play when people attempted to "tighten" them up into match grade pistols.
TomJ
Contributing Member
I pasted the break in instructions from Dan Wesson below. When I bought my first Dan Wesson, the 9mm Guardian I was surprised to see this. I spoke to their customer service, explaining that at that time at most I would be able to get to the range once a week which meant it would take 6 to 10 weeks for me to break the gun in. They told me to shoot it until it started to fail and then clean and lube it and continue to do that until it functioned without failure with the understanding that after approximately 500 rounds it should be broken in. I put 500 rounds through it without a single failure of any kind the first range session and have yet to have one with it.
Break-in 1. Your Dan Wesson Handgun is built to tight tolerances. Lubrication and cleaning is key in the break-in process. 2. Only use generous amounts of the recommend lubricants on the rails of your Dan Wesson. 3. We recommend that you felid strip, clean and re-oil every 50 rounds during break in. 4. We recommend a break-in period of 300-500 rounds before the gun is competition/combat ready.
Break-in 1. Your Dan Wesson Handgun is built to tight tolerances. Lubrication and cleaning is key in the break-in process. 2. Only use generous amounts of the recommend lubricants on the rails of your Dan Wesson. 3. We recommend that you felid strip, clean and re-oil every 50 rounds during break in. 4. We recommend a break-in period of 300-500 rounds before the gun is competition/combat ready.
Otto
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Agreed. I shot next to a guy with a brand new compact Kimber. It was jamming every 3rd round. He was convinced that the issue was 'break in' related. So in frustration, he fired off another 200 rounds in quick succession. Unsurprisingly, the problem persisted. This was when 45 acp factory ammo was costing $1 a round...ouch! He should have sent the gun back to Kimber after the 4th malfunction.
Anyway, Wilson Combat verifies that their 1911's function with various types of ammo (ball, HP and SWC). If there's an issue, it goes back to the smith..
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CoalCrackerAl
Member
My RIA baby rock and my Browning .380 took a few mags to ''break in''. My 9mm's 45's and 10mm worked out of the box right away.
Jim Watson
Member
Stories like this are a big part of the reason I have not bought a gun in some time and do not plan to unless I see something that I think will substantially improve my scores or increase my level of self defense.
RA40
Member
A firing pin stop, ejector and extractor. The thread detailing that adventure is here:
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/fte-what-did-i-do-wrong-here.777712/
I agree. And those companies who claim their guns won't run straight out of the box will be selling them to someone other than me.
Skylerbone
Member
Browning engineered the 1911 firstly to meet the requirements set forth by Uncle Sam. Being capable of mass producing them, using interchangeable parts for quick repair was indeed critical but not necessarily conducive to accuracy or to ultimate reliability. Consider the example of Colts M-16 vs what can be assembled using better, stronger parts, trued upper receiver, and purposely accurate barrel, not to mention that GI trigger…
The real rub is that a 1911 is a 1911 is a 1911 is such a bogus mantra but so often repeated. Would anyone say the same of vehicles or compare a Yugo to a Lotus because “cars”. The unfortunate truth is that most 1911s bought out there aren’t optimized in the least when compared to a Les Baer for example.
If you ever have the opportunity to inspect a full custom, the differences are even further evident with hand-fit extractors, milled to match the FPS to optimize hook to breechface distance. I’d take a tight fit pistol (if correctly built) over any “GI” fit every day of the week.
The real rub is that a 1911 is a 1911 is a 1911 is such a bogus mantra but so often repeated. Would anyone say the same of vehicles or compare a Yugo to a Lotus because “cars”. The unfortunate truth is that most 1911s bought out there aren’t optimized in the least when compared to a Les Baer for example.
If you ever have the opportunity to inspect a full custom, the differences are even further evident with hand-fit extractors, milled to match the FPS to optimize hook to breechface distance. I’d take a tight fit pistol (if correctly built) over any “GI” fit every day of the week.
For me it all depends on what I will be using a 1911 for.
For strictly range/target/competition use then a really tight 1911 is fine and will be more accurate. Again the main thing that makes them more accurate is the barrel to slide fit and the bushing to barrel and slide fit. Yes a tighter fit of the slide to frame does help with accuracy, but the barrel to slide fit is way more important.
For HD/SD use I want a 1911 with a little looser fit between the slide and frame. I want it to work 100% no matter what type of environment I am in. And the GI issue 1911s have proven themselves effective since WWI. And yes I have carried an old "battle rattle" GI 1911 on several occasions in combat.
LaneP
Member
Not a fan of guns that require "breaking in" in order to be considered reliable. Although I used to subscribe to the process of firing several hundred jacketed bullets through a bore before looking for a good cast bullet load to shoot. I'm not even sure that's still a thing now with various bore polishing compounds available.
Jim Watson
Member
Long ago, Maj. Geo. C. Nonte recommended 200 rounds of your business ammo, not for "break in" as such, but to prove the compatibility of gun and ammo.
mljdeckard
Member
Yeah. I mostly think that a manufacturer-mandated round dump is to expose and isolate manufacturing flaws. My Kimber has been flawless. My Para is still very tight and only likes factory ammo. My RIA had extractor issues, which I think were mostly rooted in trying to make an extractor work for a 22 TCM and 9mm. I put in an extractor tuned for 9mm, and it has been fine. They just want you to shoot it enough that flaws can't be blamed on shipping grease.
halfmoonclip
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Some of the 'break in/vetting' depends on the reputation of the gun. Walther PP-series guns, especially in .380, have a rep for sometimes being fussy eaters. The Walther forum is full of questions about "what does your gun like?" I wouldn't trust a PPK without 100 rounds of defensive ammo thru' it.
Guns with a solid rep don't trouble me so much; Glocks, and most SIGs, run right out of the box. Nineteen elevens can be a little more questionable, depending on who made it.
A PP mentioned newer shooters transitioning to a 1911, after learning on a Glock. It is common knowledge that a Glock is adequately lubricated if there is a needle oiler in the same time zone while the gun is field stripped. Okay, I made that up, but having the oiler in the same room is usually adequate....
Nineteen elevens are a different matter, and they actually want some fairly generous lube. A buddy had a Springer GI down at camp, bone dry, it simply wouldn't run.
Moon
Guns with a solid rep don't trouble me so much; Glocks, and most SIGs, run right out of the box. Nineteen elevens can be a little more questionable, depending on who made it.
A PP mentioned newer shooters transitioning to a 1911, after learning on a Glock. It is common knowledge that a Glock is adequately lubricated if there is a needle oiler in the same time zone while the gun is field stripped. Okay, I made that up, but having the oiler in the same room is usually adequate....
Nineteen elevens are a different matter, and they actually want some fairly generous lube. A buddy had a Springer GI down at camp, bone dry, it simply wouldn't run.
Moon
200 rounds is extensive? From Kahr Manual.
As for fitting guns...
Here is one of my manuals.
![IMG_0897[1].JPG](https://www.thehighroad.org/data/attachments/1029/1029591-ca9da052b1ba7625d184a0cffabe47ef.jpg "IMG_0897[1].JPG")
Jim Watson
Member
My SI&W Plastic M&P .22 Compact was reliable from the start with MiniMags. After about 300, it would shoot practically anything.
Was that "break in?"
Even my Kahrs were good from the start, except the one that kicked its front sight off; which they cheerfully replaced.
My 1911 types either worked or required gunsmith intervention, no break in involved.
Was that "break in?"
Even my Kahrs were good from the start, except the one that kicked its front sight off; which they cheerfully replaced.
My 1911 types either worked or required gunsmith intervention, no break in involved.
A Kahr is not a Wilson Combat® pistol, tough to make the comparison there.
Jim Watson
Member
No, one is roughly made, the other is marginally too tightly made.
