1911 break in period

Yes and a good example of bullet profile is with JHP, especially the angular bullets. You cannot have as long a round in JHP as you can in round nose because the bullet end of the magazine is rounded. A rough illustration I put together might help. I randomly drew in a couple of hypothetical HP bullet shapes on this image from
https://loaddata.com/Cartridge/45-ACP-45-Auto-Using-Nosler-Bullets/7437
So if a JHP were max length it would bind at the corners (edges of the ash tray) against the rounded side of the magazine.

 

Reportedly much of the original "rifle break-in period" caution began with a guy who sold rifle barrels years ago. He was said to have been the first person to include written descriptions about the procedure with each product he shipped.

He realized that the more ammo people tested in his barrels, over time the more he could sell.
I can't remember his name or location (or where I read this), however this seemed very plausible.

Could the general idea, or a Variation of it, have spread to some segments of the handgun industry? As with everything else, so many "adult decisions" to be dealt with....

 

Not surprised. I worked alongside Rob when he was at Les's shop , before he started Alchemy. He is as fine a craftsman as I have ever seen.

 

A most excellent, and informative post. Thank you for taking the time to share this. Appreciate you, sir

 

Mulling all of these symptoms over in my head I can only suggest these few things.

I would take an accurate measurement of the angle of the frame feed ramp. It is supposed to be 31.5 degrees with no +/- variance.

I would check to be sure there is a minimum gap of .030" between the top of the frame ramp and the bottom of the barrel ramp.

There are other dimensions that could also be checked e.g. barrel ramp angle, barrel hood to first lug gap, etc but those listed are the first ones to check.

Check the barrel's bottom lugs (feet) for evidence of barrel bump.

I would replace the mag spring in that magazine in your picture.

Getting bonked in the noggin by hot brass is a symptom of a poorly fit extractor. You can try adding more tension to it to see if that solves the problem. However there's a lot more to a well fit extractor than tension so if that doesn't work, I'f fit a new EGW GI extractor using this thread as a guide: https://www.1911forum.com/threads/steve-in-allentown-extractor-fitting.829865/

 

Thanks, will puzzle over this.

Before the case head rupture, I sent the pistol back to Rock Island because the pistol shot so low. They brought the point of aim up. You would think they would have checked out the mechanism, but, maybe not. If I send the thing back to them, I may not receive a pistol that shoots to point of aim, nor have one that is as tight and with a good trigger pull. This was a best out of three selection from Gander Mountain. And of course, I will loose my fitted slide stop and extra heavy mainspring.

 

Believe me, I get it. I've heard horror stories.

I'd still be inclined to check things out if for no other reason than to know if there is a bad dimension somewhere that is causing the problems. Barrel bump is easy to check. Here's an obvious example.

Here's a less obvious example.


Here's a horrible example.
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If you see any barrel bump, the fix is simple. File down the bump, "paint" the area with a blue Sharpie or Dykem, then reassemble the pistol and rack the slide a couple of dozen times. Pull the barrel out and check for contact between the lugs and the slide stop. Repeat this operation until there is no contact, You want the slide stop to make contact on the flat of the lugs but you do not want contact at the transition between the rounded portion of the lugs and the flat.

 

You get your new 1911, go to the range and fire 100 rds of various types of ammunition and it seems to run flawlessly. Is it broken-in yet? Probably not. Most people are NOT testing their pistols under adverse conditions, so how would they even know if their pistol is actually reliable?

Did you ease the slide closed to see if it would still chamber a round and return to battery? The metal finishes inside some pistols are rough enough that they create needless friction that may prevent your pistol from operating reliably under adverse conditions, right out of the box. The pistol may need to be cycled many times in order for the metal to metal surfaces to wear off the high spots and operate smoothly. How much break-in is necessary will depend upon how well finished the pistol is.

I'm sure that someone is going to say that you are supposed to release the slide quickly so that the inertia will help return the slide to battery. But that is not an ADVERSE condition. Firing enough rounds will likely smooth out the rough spots eventually. But until this happens your pistol may not be operating as well as it could.

Are the metal to metal contact points inside your pistol smooth enough that your pistol will operate reliably WITHOUT lubrication? The better the contact points are polished the less need they will have for lubrication. Well polished steel parts may not even need lubrication per se. They may only need a lubricant for it's corrosion protection or to make it more difficult for gunpowder residue to adhere to the parts.

Can you easily retract the slide over a magazine loaded to capacity? Have you actually tested this? A rough stripper rail can make it very difficult to retract the slide by hand, even though the slide may still cycle when fired under ideal range conditions. But will it still cycle if you accidentally ride the slide with your thumb, or if any contamination gets into the slide rails???

A rough finish on internal contact points will reduce your margin of reliability under adverse conditions. Either manually polishing these contact points, or firing enough rounds to smooth out the contact points will help your pistol operate at maximum reliability under all conditions.

If I buy a $200 gun it's a safe bet that will will need a substantial break-in period. If I buy a $5,000 gun I would hope that it was finished well enough that it didn't actually need any break-in. But that it still likely wishful thinking.

But what is the purpose of your pistol? If it's only going to be used at the gun range, then reliability isn't a big issue. But if it is a self defense pistol, I would certainly want the pistol to be completely broken in before I carried it.

Barrel break-in is a subject of it's own.

 

Well that is what Gale McMillan SAYS is the motive of barrel makers less pure of heart than him.

 

I have been very pleasantly pleased in the reliability of the Tisas, Charles Daly, and ATI with my assortment of crap GI magazines, bargain basement new magazines, etc. My good magazines are being used in pistol matches. I am surprised how well my KCI bargain basement magazines are doing, I hope they keep on running.

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Thank You Sir for this report. Thinking of a Charles Daly 1911 for my next acquisition.

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A new owner of a 1911 should shoot the thing enough with the magazines he plans to carry, until he is convinced of the reliability and accuracy of the thing. New 1911’s can be finicky about magazines and bullets, and that has to be determined at the firing range. The Charles Daly and my Remington R1 1911 do not like my 230 LRN loads. I loaded these cartridges to 1.250 OAL but the slides won't close fully. Pushed the bullets in to 1.245" and the same cartridges feed like a champ in these pistols. These are things you have to find by shooting.

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Concur. Believe this is true of any new acquisition and caliber. If you're going to trust the weapon for defense you need to make Real Sure it works reliably. Range Time....
I have a SIG 238 that took a while to find something it liked in ball and JHP.

Again - Thank You for this report.