[mustangfreak]

I've heard 1911's have problems. Some said that you have to break in the parts and have them polished in order for them to function properly. And that they never would work out of the box right away.

I've been told it was a mag problem? That people were loading 1 too many rounds into the magazine and it would jam? If this is the case, and if you load just the recommended amount in a GOOD magazine, do you have any problems?

I want a 1911, but if I have to break one in for it to work properly I don't know if I want to go through all of that.

 

[faawrenchbndr]

Depends on what manufacturer. 90% of what you have been told is BULL%#@*!

Stick with a quality brand 1911, invest in some good magazines, find what ammo that particular 1911 likes. A few simple things and a 1911 will run like a top.

 

[BoomerBSG]

in some cases you will want to pick up some different mags for sure. but as for break in period, thats a commonly missused term even for the XD line of guns. a "break in period" means to shoot the guns till the moving parts have smoothed out as if you took it in for polishing work.

i still hold out as colt being one of the best out of the box shooters, but really springfields are excellent too, and even S&W's are decent.
para's i can take them or leave them (probably the latter)
taurus i'd likely leave as well.
RIA, good out of the box as a rule, but you might have some problems with them, but the mfg warranty is first rate on them.
sig 1911, dont care for them.

and i'd love to own any of the custom high end guns from wilson, les baer, ed brown etc... they will work out of the box 99.9999% of the time.

keep in mind the things you read about on the web from unhappy users are a small fraction of the happy millions who shoot/carry/collect/use 1911's. and is far from indicative of real world performance of the 1911 platform.
no other hand gun has been imitated, used, abused, modified, loved, and hated than the 1911... those that dont like them, either havent actually owned one, or purchased a screwed up gun either by someone elses hands, or a fluke mfg's mistake (Which can happen in any line of gun).

buy one, shoot it, if you dont like it, trust me, you will find a buyer for it to take it off your hands.

cheers

 

[JAK]

in some cases you will want to pick up some different mags for sure. but as for break in period, thats a commonly missused term even for the XD line of guns. a "break in period" means to shoot the guns till the moving parts have smoothed out as if you took it in for polishing work.

i still hold out as colt being one of the best out of the box shooters, but really springfields are excellent too, and even S&W's are decent.
para's i can take them or leave them (probably the latter)
taurus i'd likely leave as well.
RIA, good out of the box as a rule, but you might have some problems with them, but the mfg warranty is first rate on them.
sig 1911, dont care for them.

and i'd love to own any of the custom high end guns from wilson, les baer, ed brown etc... they will work out of the box 99.9999% of the time.

keep in mind the things you read about on the web from unhappy users are a small fraction of the happy millions who shoot/carry/collect/use 1911's. and is far from indicative of real world performance of the 1911 platform.
no other hand gun has been imitated, used, abused, modified, loved, and hated than the 1911... those that dont like them, either havent actually owned one, or purchased a screwed up gun either by someone elses hands, or a fluke mfg's mistake (Which can happen in any line of gun).

buy one, shoot it, if you dont like it, trust me, you will find a buyer for it to take it off your hands.

cheers

+1 to everything above. I would just like to add that Kimber makes some excellent 1911s; I love mine.

 

[mustangfreak]

+1 to everything above. I would just like to add that Kimber makes some excellent 1911s; I love mine.

The Kimber 1911 I want lists for over a grand on BGS. :shock:

 

[Brickboy240]

It used to be that all 1911s needed some tweaking to be 100% reliable out of the box. God knows I have tweaked a few older Colts in my days and still own two older Colts that I have tweaked and NOW they are very reliable and worth owning. The newer 1911s by Colt, Kimber, Springfield or whoever are MUCH better about being reliable out of the box. The makers have heard the grumblings and adjusted their designs to give a ready-to-go 1911 out of the box.

You MAY have troubles with one, but these days, the fix is usually alot easier, like replacing a mag, spring or maybe tensioning the extractor...not the major surgery of the old days.

Five years ago, I bought a brand new Springfield GI stianless and it ran perfect...right out of the box. To this day, it still runs trouble free and feeds HPs and all FMJs I give it. Amazing...because the lower end 1911s used to be the #1 problem chidren. Not true with the Springfield GIs.

Magazines also have gotten better, as the stock Metalform made Springfield mag that came with my GI, runs well in all 3 of my 1911s. It used to be that when you bought a new 1911...you threw the mags in a drawer or trashcan and bought Wilsons or Pachmayrs to cure the feeding problems. Most people I know that own Springfields like the stock mags. So far..so good.

Wilson and McCormick both make VERY good magazines. I own three Wilson 47D mags and they are about 12 years old and still work 100%. Worth the money? Yes.

Theres no guarantee that any new 1911 you buy will fly right out of the box, but these days, the chances are you'll get a reliable gun from the big 1911 makers. Pick one that you can afford and that is to your liking and try it. True, there ARE people that post here and other places and complain about various problems they have with Colts, Kimbers, Springfields or whatever, but there are many that buy these brands and have little or no problems at all.

The good thing about the 1911 platform, is that if you DO have a problem...the fix is usually easy to diagnose and fix.

- Brickboy240

 

[BoomerBSG]

The Kimber 1911 I want lists for over a grand on BGS. :shock:

doh it was early, forgot to mention kimber

cheers

 

[shooterjim]

i'm not aware of a break in period on a handgun be it a 1911 or any other type of weapon, i was at the range a couple of months ago, and i overheard a gentleman telling his son that they could'nt shot anything over a 200gr. round because his colt 1911 required a 500 round break in period before firing anything heavier. being curious (nosey) i had to ask him where he got the info on the break in period. i figured it was in his owners literature. and he told me the salesman at the gunshop he bought it from told him that has been a industry standard break in period for any 1911? he asked what i fired from my s&w 1911 and i said speer 230gr, jhp and i have since day one, i havent had any problems with my weapon. has anyone else heard this before???

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[BoomerBSG]

i'm not aware of a break in period on a handgun be it a 1911 or any other type of weapon, i was at the range a couple of months ago, and i overheard a gentleman telling his son that they could'nt shot anything over a 200gr. round because his colt 1911 required a 500 round break in period before firing anything heavier. being curious (nosey) i had to ask him where he got the info on the break in period. i figured it was in his owners literature. and he told me the salesman at the gunshop he bought it from told him that has been a industry standard break in period for any 1911? he asked what i fired from my s&w 1911 and i said speer 230gr, jhp and i have since day one, i havent had any problems with my weapon. has anyone else heard this before???

like i said a break in period is an often misused term.
the break in period has fast become a way to explain quirks of guns, and to put a potential purchaser at ease if his gun malfunctions.

a break in period should mean that after about 500 rounds (give or take) your action will smooth out a bit, and wear patterns in the steel will form smoothing out moving parts. do some guns seem to perform better after 500 rounds?.. sure, it happens, but its far from the norm. any mechanical moving part is bound to have a slight glitch here or there.

i often hear just about every single gun seller tell someone to take it out and blast 500 rounds out of the gun to break it in, when really they should be saying; shoot 500 rounds out to get used to the trigger, and smooth out the action a bit

when i first got my (now sold) XD 4inch service the trigger was a bit tight, and almost, but not quite gritty feeling. after 500 rounds it was smooth as butter, my mag springs became a bit more relaxed while loading etc..
did the gun function any different or even better.. not really, just slight improvements here and there.

of course, try telling that to the 50something year old gun salesman who knows everything about guns

cheers