Auto Break In Query

[Joe in PNG]

There's often a lot of lore regarding what's needed to get stuff working, especially from enthusiasts. Much of it is actually unnecessary.

[feudist]

Thank you all for your input, but I have a similar break in case to report. I was on the 1911 Forum site last night to absorb more information about the gun. I know much more than I did a month ago, but then I knew nothing other than who designed the gun and what one looks like. I have to increase my knowledge base much further before I reach any level of comfort. At the same time I realize many 1911 owners never seem content with what they know and continue studying the gun and literature for decades, and I totally understand and appreciate that.

Now to the topic of break in. I was gathering 1911 information on the 1911 Forum site last night and came across a guy who had a brief video on how his new 1911 .45 gun's rails and slide were interacting. The slide was off the gun and he showed how it was sticking/dragging near the front and back. When he held the gun vertically, the slide didn't fall off of its rails as he said it should. He then showed himself applying Fliz metal polishing compound to the rails and slide. He moved the slide fore an aft for ? length of time. When the video began again, he demonstrated the slide fall off its rails when the gun was inverted, so he was happy. Firing a dozen rounds or so probably would have accomplished the same thing, but I appreciated his attention to the details. He wasn't going to fire his gun until his gun rails and slide were as slick as glass to meet his expectations.

I know why I immediately became interested in the rail slide relationship: Three years ago I bought a 4.25" M&P 9mm, my first gun. (Love that gun), took it to the range the day I received it. I didn't finish firing one box because the slide didn't always return to battery. I whacked it with my palm to provide the needed help. It fired a few rounds fine, then suddenly the slide stuck around halfway. It did this about a dozen times. Being my first auto pistol I became a little concerned so I decided to return home to clean it and lube and see if I could see an obvious problem. I cleaned and lubed it and ran the slide a dozen times or so and it slid smooth as far as I could tell. I returned to the range the following day and the gun operated perfectly for a hundred or so rounds. I was relieved! When we're new to things, we generally tread with caution because we know we don't yet know anything! Oh-oh, now what!

The 1911 is definitely the poster child for meticulous OCD anality fans.
Here's a 251 page thread on PF "The Art and Science of Keeping Your 1911 Running."

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....r-1911-Running

[Danko]

In terms of how to grip a full size 1911 .45, I have no concern. My concern is simply that the gun's butt appears very slender/thin, so I'm not sure it will adequately fill my hand without adding some girth to the grips. I'll know for sure when I finally get the gun in my hands.

The Auto break reports were quite funny. When I initially read them, I thought the posters were mistakenly commenting on the wrong topic. After a few seconds I understood and laughed aloud. I'm all about fun, so the remarks are appreciated.

[rojocorsa]

I know why I immediately became interested in the rail slide relationship: Three years ago I bought a 4.25" M&P 9mm, my first gun. (Love that gun), took it to the range the day I received it. I didn't finish firing one box because the slide didn't always return to battery. I whacked it with my palm to provide the needed help. It fired a few rounds fine, then suddenly the slide stuck around halfway. It did this about a dozen times. Being my first auto pistol I became a little concerned so I decided to return home to clean it and lube and see if I could see an obvious problem. I cleaned and lubed it and ran the slide a dozen times or so and it slid smooth as far as I could tell. I returned to the range the following day and the gun operated perfectly for a hundred or so rounds. I was relieved! When we're new to things, we generally tread with caution because we know we don't yet know anything! Oh-oh, now what!

What generation of M&P was that?

Plastic guns are an entirely different animal with a different rail to slide relationship, generally speaking.

[Danko]

The gun is a 2.0 purchased in 2021. Grip is tremendous, as good as any. The gun is very easy and fun to shoot!

[SW CQB 45]

The only 1911 I ever bought that I would consider TIGHT was a 2002 model Les Baer Monolith HVYWEIGHT. If this piece had a break in period, I would never know as it had zero issues. I kept it well lubed and shot the hell out of it.



I get made fun of a lot at work because of hand size and arm length. I recall Hilton Yam and his partner Tim Lau in 2012 making a comment about my hands in their Armorers Class. Something along the lines, hmmmm 1911 me break. I laughed with them.



This was my ACW Classic Carry with traditional grips. While my hands swallow the grip, I tried oversized grips one time and they felt odd to me. It placed my trigger finger different which in turn felt different as I pressed the trigger. took them off and stuck with traditional. While I can shoot with thin grips, I much prefer standard thickness.



The majority of production 1911s, depending on manufacture will not need to be lubed with Flitz and require a thousand slide manipulations to smooth things up. I agree that shooting it much more satisfying to smooth things up.

I say just lube your piece and shoot it.

[BillSWPA]

In terms of how to grip a full size 1911 .45, I have no concern. My concern is simply that the gun's butt appears very slender/thin, so I'm not sure it will adequately fill my hand without adding some girth to the grips. I'll know for sure when I finally get the gun in my hands.

The Auto break reports were quite funny. When I initially read them, I thought the posters were mistakenly commenting on the wrong topic. After a few seconds I understood and laughed aloud. I'm all about fun, so the remarks are appreciated.

I think you will find that a 1911 with standard grips will fit a wide variety of hands quite nicely.

That thinness is also an asset if you ever do carry it. A full size 1911 is surprisingly easy to carry and hide in a well designed inside the waistband holster. The weight and capacity do not make much sense for carry when compared to polymer framed wondernines, but they do carry and conceal well well.