Observation at the range last night..."break-in period"?

[CountGlockula]

OK, my ex-military buddy had just picked up his 1911A1 and it needed to be baptized by giving it some range time. I had my Glock 35 and he had his Kimber 1911A1 in 10mm, so off to the indoor range we go.

I was doing my thing and in my buddy's booth...his 1911A1 had a "jam" session. Stove pipes, failure to feed, double feeds, and the slide refuses to lock back at the last round. So I suggested to add more lube.

After 200 rounds and smelling like motor oil...it had less jams, but the slide still did not lock back.

Question:
Can you guys shed some light on how long of a "break-in period" does his 1911A1 need so it'll work without any issues?

Disclaimer: The Kimber was really nice: accurate, comfortable and study...but operational? I'm doubtful. I'm a Glock guy and have shot 3K rounds out of my G35 since Nov. '06 and never had any problems. So when I head about the "break-in period" (specifically for 1911s), I was like "huh"?

 

[10-Ring]

Is this a new 1911? Is it a gov't model? What kind of ammo was he shooting? What kind of mags was he using?
When I first got my commander sized 1911, I had a few issues w/ I traced back to recoil spring, mags (now use Wilsons exclusively in all my 1911s) & the extractor needed some tweaking.

 

[JoeHatley]

Most of the problems sound like they are magazine related. He may want to try some different mags, and see if the issues persist.

A well made 1911 style pistol really shouldn't need a breakin period, but the hard reality is, most do. 200 --> 400 is not unusual. If it's not running right after 500 round, I'd send it back to Kimber for service.

Good Luck...

Joe

 

[CountGlockula]

Thanks for the replies, I want to help my buddy out.

Answers in bold:
Is this a new 1911? Yes.
Is it a gov't model? No.
What kind of ammo was he shooting? Factory (American Eagles) and range reloads, neither made a difference. Jammed using both.
What kind of mags was he using? Kimber mags-he stretched out the springs by leaving rounds in them for a full week. I recommended he buy some Wilson mags.

Is it because Kimbers are custom guns? He did buy it from the shop with a VERY short trigger pull and competition sights.

 

[glocker1911]

First, Kimbers aren't "custom" guns, and if it has an external extractor, I'll bet your answer lays right there. Second, you said it isn't a Govt model, but you said it was a 10mm. Kimber doesn't make anything but full size guns in 10. You can't "stretch" out mag springs by leaving them loaded, and if he took them out and stretched them, they are now ruined. You say very "short" trigger pull, do you mean light? Was it a new gun or had it been "messed" with by another owner? And last, range and "cheap" ammo wouldn't be my first choice to use in a 10mm. By any chance are both of you new to 1911s?

 

[Jim Watson]

Break-in is an excuse for an inferior product. Your Glock didn't need to be broken in and neither did 1911s back when they were real weapons instead of toys for the affluent.

 

[p85]

"Break-in is an excuse for an inferior product. Your Glock didn't need to be broken in and neither did 1911s back when they were real weapons instead of toys for the affluent." quote

This is true. I will agree that it might take a couple of hundred rounds thru the barrel to polish it but the only thing you should notice is that your groups will get smaller.

I purchased an EAA Witness in 10mm and started out shooting 180 grain truncated cone lead reloads in it. I have shot a thousand rounds of that load thru it and 100 rounds of Winchester 180 grain silvertips thru it. Not one FTF or FTL. Not a single glitch.

I would have a smith look at it or send it back to the factory. Just my 2 cents.

 

[PotatoJudge]

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't double feeds and not locking the slide back magazine specific problems (in that they aren't caused by anything else)? Or is it that double feeds are an indication of too light a recoil spring, I can't remember.

Is it an internal or external extractor?

 

[mpmarty]

The most likely culprit is underpowered ammo. Most good quality 10mm pistols are set up and designed to shoot the real 10mm ammo such as 200 grain JHPs at over 1200fps or 175-180 grains at 1350 or so. I'll bet the wimp loads are causing short cycling and other problems also. Pick up a box of double tap 10mm and try that before you start tinkering. My 10mm 1911 style guns were all finicky about anything less than full power ammo. My Witness 10mm on the other hand will function and feed nearly anything, even 155gr cast bullets with 4.5grs of red dot powder which is really wimpy but fun to shoot indoors at less than twenty five yards, the gun just sits there waiting to double tap, no flip, no jump, it just goes pop-pop and theres two new holes in the target.

 

[CountGlockula]

You say very "short" trigger pull, do you mean light? Sure.
Was it a new gun or had it been "messed" with by another owner? New.
And last, range and "cheap" ammo wouldn't be my first choice to use in a 10mm. By any chance are both of you new to 1911s? Can you tell? I really don't care for 1911s, hence the username. But just want to help my buddy out.

 

[gc70]

Break-in period for a new 1911 = 1 round.

You are not dealing with a new pair of shoes. Guns should not require any break-in period to function reliably. The trigger pull on some guns will get smoother with use, but I don't consider that a matter of a break-in period.

 

[Katana8869]

Kimber has the largest field QC department in the business - Their customers.

I am a former member of that group. Never again.

 

[gudel]

break-in period is a 1911 thing.

 

[glockman19]

My Kimber Custom shop Raptor took between 200-300 rounds before it was"broken in" It did have a few minor issues but after the 2-300 rounds It's worked like a dream. Was he shooting 180 grain? it si what's recommended durring breakin period. Also what model was it? Raptor/Warrior or just a Custom II? The tolerences on Kimbers are very tight. Did he dis assemble and clean before shooting or did he just shoot it out-of-the-box?

Custom Shop Kimbers have very light triggers.

I had issues with Range Ammo at the Firing Line in Northridge. The reloads use minimum powder. Causes problems with extraction in newer guns. I have issues even with my GLock 26 with their reloads and the price is even more than I'm paying from Natchezss/Midway & ammoman. With New Factory ammo or properly (not underloaded), reloads your buddy should have no issues.