new to 1911's and have a question about break-in

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blackbrd1369

Bearcat
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Oct 30, 2011
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I'll give some background first. The only thing I have done other than change the grips it to polish the feed ramp to a mirror finish. I had about 200 rounds through it before last night and I was at the range last night putting another 50 down range. About 25 rounds in I had a FTE and then another around maybe forty or so. I was talking to the range guy and he said that 2 FTE in 250 rounds with a new gun is not bad. He said it needs to be broken in still. So my question is do I need to do anything other than shoot it? How many rounds is concidered broken in? I have not heard anything about the SR1911 having any issues so I'm sure I'm just being paranoid.
Thanks
 

revhigh

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blackbrd1369 said:
So my question is do I need to do anything other than shoot it? How many rounds is concidered broken in? I have not heard anything about the SR1911 having any issues so I'm sure I'm just being paranoid.
Thanks

Short answer .... no ... just shoot it.

Many of the problems with today's guns is today's ammunition. People go out and dump $600+ on a gun and then feed it the cheapest Walmart bargain basement ammo that they can find. That ammo is outrageously inconsistent. Heavy loads, light loads, bad primers, etc etc. Sure ... it 'mostly' goes bang when you pull the trigger, but that's about all that can be said for it.

I can virtually guarantee that if you used better ammo (read self defense ammo at $1 a round) ... your issues would be a thing of the past. In years gone by ... there wasn't such a variance in ammo .... now there is garbage plinking ammo and so called 'self defense' ammo. In the OLD DAYS it was ALL self defense ammo, and could be trusted as such.

I reload so I generally don't encounter these things ... unless it's a damaged case or something like that. If my gun fails on the range because of a reloading issue ... I could care less .... it rarely happens, and I KNOW my guns work flawlessly with quality factory ammo.

I bet if you used better ammo (and could afford it), assuming a well-maintained and properly lubricated gun .... you'd never experience another failure .... ever.

Autos fail occasionally .... drill yourself properly in clearing the jams when and if they happen with plinking ammo ... and you'll be ahead of the game if you ever REALLY need to clear a jam in a high stress situation.

Your gun is most likely fine .... shoot it and enjoy it. :D

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Snake45

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Describes your "FTE" in detail, please, as this can mean a number of things. What exactly happened?
 

blackbrd1369

Bearcat
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Oct 30, 2011
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snake45 Im not sure what you want to know, both times happened maybe 2-3 shots in on the magazine I noticed that the slide was part way open. I looked at the ejection port and there was a spent round. I slightly pulled back on the slide while I turned the gun to the side and the spent round fell out and I released the slide and it when into battery with the next round. I was using winchester white box 230gr so it could very well be the cheap ammo thing. But I will say that the gun is very accurate at 15 yards I had all 8 rounds within a half dollar size area. Still getting used to the trigger pull. I have a vaquero with a trigger job done that is at 2 lbs so the 1911 feels way different. but im getting there.
 

Snake45

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It sounds like you are describing a classic "smokestack." That can be caused by something as simple as a limp or weak grip or stance. It can also be caused by improper extractor shape or tension, or the wrong angle on the ejector, or a too-strong recoil spring. Or the gun might simply need to "loosen up" with a few hundred rounds of shooting. An experienced 1911 shooter could prolly diagnose your exact problem in just a few minutes of examination.
 

revhigh

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Steel cuts flesh. Steel cuts bone. Steel does not cut steel. --Stephen Hunter, The 47th Samurai.


Just finished that book this morning ... pretty good book ... I've read the other Swagger books.


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claimbuster

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As said before try different brands and types of ammo. Expensive does not necessarily equate to good.

I also reload but still find some of my 1911's are pickier than others. I shoot a lot of 200gr. LSWC's over W231 and they shoot great in everything except for a STI Ranger. No matter what I do, it doesn't like that bullet. It shoots everything else perfectly so I don't worry about it.
 

mattsbox99

Hunter
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revhigh said:
Most likely inconsistent ammo ....


REV

You're officially crazy. :D


WWB is good ammo. Sounds to me like you're just limp wristing it a bit. I like a high grip on the 1911. Make sure you can reach all the controls without changing your grip position. Since the FTE is pretty rare, you probably have a pretty good grip on it most of the time, but somehow its changing. Your hand might be getting tired or slippery or any possible combination.
 

winchester37

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some advise from an old bullseye shooter....the 45, no matter whoes manufacture, needs lubrication, especially with a new gun.

1) put a very small drop of oil, I use Hoppe's or a private formula of 'red oil', on the top round of each magazine. the oil will spread through-out the entire mechanism. this will aid in extraction with a stiff action and close tolerances. the ruger has the closest fit for a factory gun I have seen recently, even in supposed custom guns.

2) as mentioned, make sure you are firing with a locked wrist. if you allow your wrist to take up recoil energy, the mechanism will lose energy as it goes to the rear. this usually results in a stove pipe.

3) break-in: shoot the gun, clean after 300-500 rounds, shoot some more.

my new SR1911 has about 300 rounds through it, oiled each mag and no failures. I have been using white box military match ball, not currently available commercial loads, so I feel the consistency of the loads is good.
the sr1911 is a fine gun and will function well....as long as the trigger nut does his job. enjoy the new 45
 

revhigh

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mattsbox99 said:
revhigh said:
Most likely inconsistent ammo ....


REV

You're officially crazy. :D


WWB is good ammo.


HAHA !!! You call ME crazy, and promote WWB as 'good' ammo ???

No more comment needed .... LOL.

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Iron Mike Golf

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winchester37 said:
...as mentioned, make sure you are firing with a locked wrist. if you allow your wrist to take up recoil energy, the mechanism will lose energy as it goes to the rear. this usually results in a stove pipe...

I have to disagree. With a 1911, if you get stovepipes shooting it "limp wristed", that indicates a gun problem, not a shooter problem. In that, I include gun not set up for the ammo being fired (e.g. 200 gr at 750 fps and using Ordnance spec spring weights).
 

revhigh

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Iron Mike Golf said:
that indicates a gun problem, not a shooter problem. In that, I include gun not set up for the ammo being fired (e.g. 200 gr at 750 fps and using Ordnance spec spring weights).

That could do it as well IM ! It could also be the gun is set up just fine, but the ammo being used is inappropriate ... tomayto ... tomahto ... LOL. :D

Either way ... it probably can't be diagnosed shooting WWB ammo ... simply because you could never rule out the ammo. If you send it back to Ruger ... they sure as hell don't use WWB, and I bet the gun works flawlessly with higher quality ammo, as long as it's cleaned and lubed properly.

When I sent a P91 back to Ruger for inaccuracy issues, the ammo that they used was absolute top quality ... from what I remember it was top line Hydrashocks. I specifically remember because I thought ... WOW ... could you have possibly used a MORE EXPENSIVE AMMO to test this thing ??? :D

Even with that expensive ammo .... it shot 5 inch groups from a rest at 15 yards ... this is after they told me on the phone that their expectation was 3 inch groups at 25 yards ... yet it was still deemed to have 'met specifications'. It was shipped back to me and I sold it without ever shooting it again.

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Iron Mike Golf

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revhigh said:
Iron Mike Golf said:
that indicates a gun problem, not a shooter problem. In that, I include gun not set up for the ammo being fired (e.g. 200 gr at 750 fps and using Ordnance spec spring weights).

That could do it as well IM ! It could also be the gun is set up just fine, but the ammo being used is inappropriate ... tomayto ... tomahto ... LOL. :D

Yeah, I approach this as a system: gun, mag, and ammo.

Either way ... it probably can't be diagnosed shooting WWB ammo ... simply because you could never rule out the ammo. If you send it back to Ruger ... they sure as hell don't use WWB, and I bet the gun works flawlessly with higher quality ammo, as long as it's cleaned and lubed properly.

Agreed. I don't have an SR1911, yet. I don't know if there is a wear in of slide-to-frame and barrel lock-up wear-in. I would expect it. You don't get a gun so fitted up at Ruger prices. If I wanted to use WWB, I'd figure out a set-up for that. I would not use WWB for diagnosis.

When I sent a P91 back to Ruger for inaccuracy issues, the ammo that they used was absolute top quality ... from what I remember it was top line Hydrashocks. I specifically remember because I thought ... WOW ... could you have possibly used a MORE EXPENSIVE AMMO to test this thing ??? :D

Even with that expensive ammo .... it shot 5 inch groups from a rest at 15 yards ... this is after they told me on the phone that their expectation was 3 inch groups at 25 yards ... yet it was still deemed to have 'met specifications'. It was shipped back to me and I sold it without ever shooting it again.

Wow. I would have elevated that.

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buscadero

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revhigh said:
When I sent a P91 back to Ruger for inaccuracy issues, the ammo that they used was absolute top quality ... from what I remember it was top line Hydrashocks. I specifically remember because I thought ... WOW ... could you have possibly used a MORE EXPENSIVE AMMO to test this thing ??? :D

Even with that expensive ammo .... it shot 5 inch groups from a rest at 15 yards ... this is after they told me on the phone that their expectation was 3 inch groups at 25 yards ... yet it was still deemed to have 'met specifications'. It was shipped back to me and I sold it without ever shooting it again.

REV


REV, I had the exact same experience this past year with a new P95. The gun grouped very poorly and even keyholed some at 15 yds. I sent it back to Ruger and they sent it back with a test target saying it met spec. They bench rested it at 15 yds using Black Hills ammo and it had a 5" group. I sold it right off. Imagine, they pay someone to shoot these things for a living and if that's the best he can do off the bench.....Either the shooter or the gun is a POS!
Jim
 

revhigh

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Iron Mike Golf said:
Wow. I would have elevated that.

To be honest .. I was sick of dealing with them ... they had my gun for over 4 months ... mainly because this was when the P345's first came out and they had the huge issues with click-no-bang.

Mine was behind what I was told were literally 'pallets of P345's' that had been sent back for repair, which came before a simple accuracy complaint. I didn't really care anyway ... they could have kept that gun for all I cared. Worst gun I ever owned.

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revhigh

Hawkeye
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buscadero said:
Imagine, they pay someone to shoot these things for a living and if that's the best he can do off the bench.....Either the shooter or the gun is a POS!
Jim

I'm pretty sure they use a mechanical rest for most of their testing like that ... but you're right ... 5 inches at 15 yards is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE.

I guess meeting spec these days means it goes BANG. :D

No big deal though ... lemons happen. Like you I dumped it along with a P89 that wasn't much better. Traded them both for a SRH in 454 Casull at Cabelas in Hamburg PA. That SRH in 454 is a GREAT GUN.

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7p's

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Just keep your 1911 "wet" – meaning well lubed. You can use Mobile 1 synthetic bearing grease or Breakfree CLP or similar lubricants, as there's dozens of them on the market. If you use CLP etc. just give the rails a shot every 100 to 150 rounds while you're shooting it. If you go 300 to 500 rounds without lubing your 1911 your odds increase by a bunch relative to a malfunction using an oil. When the slide is locked back, just turn it over and give 'em a shot – then put a light coat of CLP on the end of the barrel where you'll see the bushing making contact with the barrel.

You really don't need to clean the 1911 but once a year but it will look pretty snotty if you just keep lubing and shooting without a good cleaning every once in a while. You did good by polishing the feed ramp but run it wet and you shouldn't have any problems until some of the parts start to wear a little.

If you're shooting WWB your stock recoil spring should be good for 7,500 rounds or so – if you shoot the hot loads or reload to 850fps-900fps with 230 grain/1100 with 185 grain just replace the recoil spring with a Wolff 18.5 variable rate and you'll be good to maybe 8/10,000 rounds before you probably should replace it.

If you drop down to 650/700 fps, maybe think about a lighter spring, however, your 16# recoil spring should function fine with 650fps.
 

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