Originally Posted by zhurdan

I guess I just clean my guns because it's something that puts me and my wife in the same room while I do it. She's purdy and stuff.

Actually, we watch TV together and I clean my guns.

Zhur

How do you get your wife to stay in the same room while you're using Hoppes #9? Mine wouldn't even come in the house, then summer got here and I'm not allowed to open that bottle in the house. Do you have a cleaning solvent that doesn't have the strong aroma (I likes it) that Hoppes has? If so, clue me in. Thanks.

After she complained once in the winter that I had to go downstairs to the basement to clean my guns (it's cold in the basement), I said, "Ok, but fairs fair!" A couple of days later, she was doing her toenails with that nasty nail polish remover... to the basement she was told to go... problem solved.

Zhur

Originally Posted by zhurdan

After she complained once in the winter that I had to go downstairs to the basement to clean my guns (it's cold in the basement), I said, "Ok, but fairs fair!" A couple of days later, she was doing her toenails with that nasty nail polish remover... to the basement she was told to go... problem solved.

Zhur

Originally Posted by zhurdan

After she complained once in the winter that I had to go downstairs to the basement to clean my guns (it's cold in the basement), I said, "Ok, but fairs fair!" A couple of days later, she was doing her toenails with that nasty nail polish remover... to the basement she was told to go... problem solved.

Zhur

I told mine the same thing. She complained once and I just shot back about her nail polish remover. Not another peep out of her.

Originally Posted by oak1971

I picked up my Les Baer new last night. Went straight to the range. Fired 200 rounds and left it alone. It won't get cleaned until at least 500 rounds. And judging by others I know who have the same gun, it will continue to work just fine. Just like my 20 year old Taurus that everyone says is junk. I have never had a failure with that one.

I have no doubt about the LB, but why do you chose not to clean it for 500rds? As soon as I get a new gun I clean and oil it and then I shoot the fire out of it.

On recommendations from other Les Baer owners. They say Les recommends that you leave the gunk in there for 500 rounds for the final lapping of frame and slide. I ran a bore snake through the barrel and wiped out the chamber.

Originally Posted by tekhead1219

How do you get your wife to stay in the same room while you're using Hoppes #9? Mine wouldn't even come in the house, then summer got here and I'm not allowed to open that bottle in the house. Do you have a cleaning solvent that doesn't have the strong aroma (I likes it) that Hoppes has? If so, clue me in. Thanks.

Just a note that may interest people here:
Some women love the smell of Hoppe's #9!
It turns out to be genetically related. There's a human gene that controls whether or not a person, male or female, enjoys the smell of what are called "aromatic esters," such as gasoline and Hoppe's #9, and nail-enamel solvent, too.

Another 100 rnds and 0 failures....Yawn.
I will shoot 200 more tomorrow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buPRU02T0fU

Of course there is something of a difference between a hand-fitted custom gun like a Baer and a production gun. The instructors at Gunsite playfully go down the line and ask people about their guns:

Instructor: "How much was your gun?"

Student with Kimber: "$900."

I: "It'll make it until tomorrow."

*****

I: "How much was your gun?"

S with Colt: "$1200."

I: "It'll make it until Tuesday."

*****

I: "How much was your gun?"

S with Wilson: "$2600."

I: "It'll make it until Thursday."

*****

I: "How much was your gun?"

S with Glock/XD/M&P: "$500."

I: "You'll be fine for the whole course."

Hey, if Glocks are your thing good for you. The FBI likes 1911's. So do I.

Well that sure is a beauty you have there OAK. If LB says run it I would run it to. Hope you don't mine if I drool a little while looking at that fine pistol of yours.

Thank you. 200 more rounds today. No failures. 500 rounds total. And...the first cleaning. It is smoothing out nicely. I thought it was smooth when new, but it keeps getting better. I have had two failures both with reloads and with the same mag. It is one I have had trouble with in other 1911's and keep forgetting to toss. It is in the trash now. Will order more Wilson mags. Put a Hogue wrap around and stainless hex head grip screws on. Did lots of work on my shooting form. My friend came along to shoot and has the same model Baer as I. His is #1007, mine #22711. His has more than 50,000 rounds through it. Mine 500. I have some catching up to do.

600 rounds and the Les Baer still running strong. Went to the range last night. My friend brought his with 50k plus on it and the darn thing is still super tight. Guys next to us were trying to do rapid fire drills with .40's
They couldn't even keep em on the paper at 7 yards. Then we did double taps with our Baers. Kept em all in the x and 10 rings. "Team polymer" came over to see what we were shooting and left with heads hanging low. I swear between the three of them they spent a couple hundred at least on ammo. To bad I don't reload .40, it was a brass buffet.

That sure is a fine looking pistol. Nothing better than steel and wood. Good luck with it again.

Yeah..that is a good looking pistol. I hadn't had anyone tell me ot leave the gunk in em though but it makes a little sense. I have tipped a mag or two with jewelers rouge though to get a barrel to get the funk out fast.

Originally Posted by Wandering Man

I'm just curious, is my gun the only 1911 that runs flawlessly?

Since its break-in period (500 - 700 rounds), how many failures have you had with your 1911?

Please elaborate:

What gun were you shooting?

Had it been cleaned and lubed recently?

How many rounds between cleanings before choking?

What ammo did it choke on?

Please, don't tell us about your "friend's" gun or the "friend of a friend's" gun. I want to hear directly from 1911 shooters.

Thanks,

WM

No Your not the only one i have a para cco blackwatch that i've carried for years an just like the sig p220 i use to carry if the ammo is hot it's gonna run !!!!!!!!!!

have dw commander bobtail,has not failed once.my 11 yr old shoots it and you can imagine its a little limp wristed.even so has never faile to chamber or eject

Failure #1: The extractor on my wife's Springfield Loaded lost tension after about 2000 rounds. Replaced with Wilson Combat Bullet proof extractor. No more problem.

Failure #2: The slide on my Kimber Ultra Aegis II would not lock open on the last round when it was new. Kimber sent new slide stop and the fixed it for about a year and now it has started again.

Originally Posted by tekhead1219

How do you get your wife to stay in the same room while you're using Hoppes #9? Mine wouldn't even come in the house, then summer got here and I'm not allowed to open that bottle in the house. Do you have a cleaning solvent that doesn't have the strong aroma (I likes it) that Hoppes has? If so, clue me in. Thanks.

Heck my wife cleans our pistols sometimes and Hoppes #9 is what we use. I bought another brand that doen't smell as bad, but it doesn't work as well either.

Parts wear, replace them. If you are looking for a perfect pistol that never fails, buy a rock... throw it hard, and hope you are Nolan Ryan when you need it.

Kimbers fail. Colts fail, Beretta's fail. Glocks fail.

If you don't trust it to work, if you don't maintain it to keep top performance, if you don't understand that mechanical devises will eventually fail... lock yourself in a safe room, or find a different pistol to carry. But I can assure you of this... whenever your "failsafe" whizbang fails, you are still going to deposit some brown particles on your cotton undies if it's in a life and death situation. Just remember this. The life and death situations for the largest percentage of us are never going to happen. Therefore, when you expect 100% reliability, I can assure you that you, as a person, will fail long before your pistol will if it is of any sort of quality.

I wouldn't carry a Jennings, or a Hi-Point into danger, but I don't plan on going into danger anytime soon. Therefore, my Glock 32C (clean), my Kimber Raptor (clean), or my Kahr .40 (clean) will get me thru most days without a hitch.

Buy a quality made gun, shoot it until you are confident that it will fire 98% of the time, and train so that you won't be the weakest link in the equation.

Zhur

Originally Posted by Baldy

That sure is a fine looking pistol. Nothing better than steel and wood. Good luck with it again.

Thank you sir! I tried the rubber finger grove wrap around grip, but I like the wood better. I can get my mitts around it easier.

800 rounds and counting.

Just got back from the Gunsite Alumni shoot last night. Lost count of choking 1911s, as expected. My shooting partner had multiple failures with his high-end Colt Gunsite pistol, despite it being spotlessly clean and well-lubed. He eventually switched to an S&W 1911SC Gunsite model - which also took a dump on the Cooper's Cup portion of the shoot. Saw the same with many other 1911s on the line.

However, I also saw an XD40 malfunction (a rarity!) and the worst failure was with a SIG X-Five that blew its extractor and was DOA as of the second stage of a six-stage match. Man, was that guy pissed!

My Glock 17, which has gone through a 1400 round Gunsite course, a 300-round training session, and now a 100+ round match without a cleaning, worked 100% as usual. My shooting partner is ordering a Glock on Monday morning.

My Springfield Loaded Champion won't chamber the first round of 230 grain Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel, whether you rack the slide or release the slide stop. However, once one is chambered, it fires the rest without fail. This is with any of the four Springfield magazines. I can empty the magazine, load it with Winchester JHP's or FMJ's, and it works fine.

My solution? Feed it Winchester JHP's and give the gourmet stuff to the XD45...it will eat anything!

Put 300 rounds through the old Springer 1911 over the weekend and another 150 through my PT1911. My only problem was I had planned on splitting the ammo even between the two guns but I really like shooting that old Springer..heh but had a great shoot. Something about this time of year. I just love shooting in the fall