Ak Guy
Member
What is the best break-in process for a tight 1911? Is use of a lapping compound ok for slide rails, and barrel / slide fit-up? ........thanx........
Tight 1911 break-in
- Thread starter Ak Guy
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stu1ritter
Member
When I received my Mike Curtis built 1911 bullseye gun it would not function with target ammo because it was so tight. I asked Mike and he told me to just run 500 rounds of full tilt ball ammo through it. I did and it worked. Now, 20 years later the gun is still sewing machine tight. I do tend to run them wet (target range only).
Stu
Stu
Klint Beastwood
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shoot it.
Blkhrt13
Member
No lapping compound
bannockburn
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Ak Guy
Had a Colt Gold Cup that was exceptionally tight all over; slide to frame and barrel to slide fit were extremely close without any play whatsoever. Even the barrel and barrel bushing were really tightly fitted. I kept the slide rails and barrel lightly lubricated, worked the slide a bunch of times, and ran about 200 rounds of hardball ammo through it. Worked fine after that and was very accurate, especially with 185 gr. match ammo.
Had a Colt Gold Cup that was exceptionally tight all over; slide to frame and barrel to slide fit were extremely close without any play whatsoever. Even the barrel and barrel bushing were really tightly fitted. I kept the slide rails and barrel lightly lubricated, worked the slide a bunch of times, and ran about 200 rounds of hardball ammo through it. Worked fine after that and was very accurate, especially with 185 gr. match ammo.
Klint Beastwood
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Like he said ^ lube and shoot it. You want a natural break in. Parts need to wear into each other so to speak.
Shoot it. I purchased a very tight Kimber M1911 in 9mm. The pistol would short stroke and would not feed from a fully loaded magazine. The spring tension from a loaded stack slowed the slide. I have now shot about an ammo can through it, and it is functioning 100% with the same ammunition that used to cause malfunctions. Lube your 1911, lube the slide rails, the barrel area around the barrel bushing, and around the locking lugs. Bullseye shooters say the elbow is the drip point. I do see Bullseye shooters applying oil on the part of the barrel that rubs against the barrel bushing every ten shots!. I also see them frequently lubing the rails and racking the slide during preparation period. What particularly oil is not important, just keep it oiled. Oil your pistol and then shoot the heck out of it, and keep it oily as you shoot.
Under no circumstances use a lapping compound. Use an oil not an abrasive.
Ak Guy
Member
Thanx all. Seems to be a consensus......... Lube it & shoot it !!
earplug
Member
Save some money and cycle the slide by hand with or without the recoil spring. Then shoot it.
Ak Guy
Member
Ak Guy
Member
What about this for a plan.......clean all the contact points w/ solvent, and then cycle it dry by hand or firing. Wouldn't that expedite the break-in ?
Lube and shoot. You don't want galling or a chance of locking up. It will wear in soon enough.
Besides, what's wrong with shooting more?
Blue68f100
Member
I would add to lube and shoot is don't clean the gun till after 500 rounds, just all oil. The carbon residue will help the slide and frame lap naturally.
BSA1
member
Many years ago I read a interview by a Gun Writer and with a S&W Executive. One of the questions he asked the S&W guy was how was the most way to smooth the action on their revolvers. The S&W Guy replied; "Shoot it. Shoot it a lot."
A friend has a Series 70 Government Model. New out of the box it had a slight hitch in slide / frame rail that caused failure to feed problems. Rather than sending it back to the factory or selling it he kept shooting it. The more he shot it the less frequent the failure to feeds occurred. Somewhere between 900 - 1,000 rounds the problem totally disappeared.
In exchange for those rounds his gun now has one of the nicest, smoothest frame/slide rails fits I have ever handled.
Unfortunately most of the shooters on THR are not willing to shoot enough rounds to allow the gun to wear in like that.
A friend has a Series 70 Government Model. New out of the box it had a slight hitch in slide / frame rail that caused failure to feed problems. Rather than sending it back to the factory or selling it he kept shooting it. The more he shot it the less frequent the failure to feeds occurred. Somewhere between 900 - 1,000 rounds the problem totally disappeared.
In exchange for those rounds his gun now has one of the nicest, smoothest frame/slide rails fits I have ever handled.
Unfortunately most of the shooters on THR are not willing to shoot enough rounds to allow the gun to wear in like that.
tark
Member
Absolutely true!!! Lapping compound will make the slide easier to rack....and it will also ruin a nice slide to frame fit. Lapping compound removes metal. A non-imbedding compound like J&Bs is not a safe solution. It still removes metal, it just doesn't imbed itself in the metal. So they say. I have fit my share of slides to frames. And don't even THINK about using a few drops of cutting oil to smooth things up. Worse than lapping.
Just shoot the snot out of it. It will smooth up, without loosening up.
Clemson
Member
Hmmmmmm...... What exactly do you think cutting oil is? Agreed that it is not a lube, but it is not abrasive either.
Better to just shoot it lubed.
Double_J
Member
I just want to say thebestway I have ever heard to break one in is to buy a couple thousand rounds of ammo and have a good weekend at the range. Keep plenty of oil on it per the owners manual and clean it every so many rounds (250 or so).
tark
Member
Well, I tried it once and it loosened up my fit. Les blew up when he found out and took a bite out of my medial posterior superstructure. I never did that again. I didn't know that there is no abrasive in cutting oil but there must be something in it. Like I have said, I am no machinist.
Blkhrt13
Member
I am a machinist and have been for 20 or so years. Cutting oils are all made a bit different. Most are a cocktail of chemicals with a petroleum based carrier. They are made to increase the shear factor of the metal. Taps tend to cut more smoothly. I would say it would make it wear in much faster. But a high likely hood of overwearing or possibly even galling. Never mind if the pores of the gun metal open up from heat and it gets trapped in the steal. You may well not get it to stop the high wear. Sounds like a way to junk a gun.
Ak Guy
Member
Ak Guy
Member
Thanx all for the great comments......I better get started reloading ASAP, and head to the range !!
Jim Watson
Member
Many years ago I read a interview by a Gun Writer and with a S&W Executive. One of the questions he asked the S&W guy was how was the most way to smooth the action on their revolvers. The S&W Guy replied; "Shoot it. Shoot it a lot."
I had another company tell me to just shoot and dryfire their gun to smooth the action. 2000 snaps + shots later, the gun was not perceptibly smoother. I sent it to a gunsmith and now it is very nice.
A friend has a Series 70 Government Model. New out of the box it had a slight hitch in slide / frame rail that caused failure to feed problems. Rather than sending it back to the factory or selling it he kept shooting it. The more he shot it the less frequent the failure to feeds occurred. Somewhere between 900 - 1,000 rounds the problem totally disappeared.
That's about $250 worth of econoball, that much added to the cost of the pistol to get it working right, plus the time spent without a serviceable weapon.
In exchange for those rounds his gun now has one of the nicest, smoothest frame/slide rails fits I have ever handled.
Unfortunately most of the shooters on THR are not willing to shoot enough rounds to allow the gun to wear in like that.
True, I would not shoot enough rounds to wear off an imperfection, especially not knowing that it actually would lead the gun to get well by itself. Your guy was patient, extravagant, and lucky.
I had another company tell me to just shoot and dryfire their gun to smooth the action. 2000 snaps + shots later, the gun was not perceptibly smoother. I sent it to a gunsmith and now it is very nice.
A friend has a Series 70 Government Model. New out of the box it had a slight hitch in slide / frame rail that caused failure to feed problems. Rather than sending it back to the factory or selling it he kept shooting it. The more he shot it the less frequent the failure to feeds occurred. Somewhere between 900 - 1,000 rounds the problem totally disappeared.
That's about $250 worth of econoball, that much added to the cost of the pistol to get it working right, plus the time spent without a serviceable weapon.
In exchange for those rounds his gun now has one of the nicest, smoothest frame/slide rails fits I have ever handled.
Unfortunately most of the shooters on THR are not willing to shoot enough rounds to allow the gun to wear in like that.
True, I would not shoot enough rounds to wear off an imperfection, especially not knowing that it actually would lead the gun to get well by itself. Your guy was patient, extravagant, and lucky.
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