Bought first 1911

[jdben92883]

I've grown a fondness/respect for 1911 as of late and a fellow Calgunner was kind enough to let me DROS three of his 1911's today. I have been primarily a Glock shooter up until this point. Besides not putting an idiot mark on the first take down, anything I should be wary of?

[Dattebayo]

I've grown a fondness/respect for 1911 as of late and a fellow Calgunner was kind enough to let me DROS three of his 1911's today. I have been primarily a Glock shooter up until this point. Besides not putting an idiot mark on the first take down, anything I should be wary of?

It is a very easy gun to strip and put back together. The 1911 was the first gun I purchased for myself and honestly I think it was probably one of the best choices I made.

I like the single rod design for the 1911 as I can easily field strip the pistol with using the butt of my magazine to push it down. My springfield loaded 1911 came with a 2 piece that required a hex key to remove, but I quickly replaced that with a Wilson Combat 1 piece.

[sfbay]

I love the 1911 platform.

congrats !!!!

[trigger945]

How nice of that CalGunner

A few things come to mind. I will add more later as I think of them but wanted to post now in case it helps others make recommendations:

1) Lube it well. 1911's tend to like running wetter compared to Glocks. I normally use Frog Lube, Rem Oil and Hoppes. It wouldn't hurt to put oil on the rails prior to shooting. Baers come soaked/drenched in oil when shipped.

2) Try out several types of HP ammo if you plan on using them. Never did on mine as I use other guns as my HD guns

3) With tighter fitting barrel bushings, such as ones in Baers, the take down is a bit more challenging. You may need to push the barrel out to remove the barrel bushing. There are youtube videos I watched that helped. When putting it back together, you may need to use a rubber mallet to push the barrel bushing in.

4) The grip screws may loosen up after shooting for some time. I would recommend using some sort of low strength glue - I can't recall the brand that I use. This will help keep the screws tight but not too tight to remove them with a screw driver or an allen wrench.

5) Be careful when removing the recoil spring plug. Point it against a pillow or something so if it slips, it doesn't hit you or fly away that you can't find it.

6) Stick with the one-piece full-length guide rod or with the GI-style one. Two-piece guide rods require another tool for take down.

7) Find mags that work for you. I would recommend KimPro Tac mags. Others here have recommended Wilsons or other brands.

8) Replace the recoil spring every 1,000 - 2,000 rounds. There are many kinds so use the correct tension for your gun(s)

9) If you want to replace the sights, it is a lot harder to do so compared to Glocks. I would recommend seeing a gunsmith

10) Enjoy the lighter trigger. Don't let it spoil you that you can't shoot your Glocks anymore

Good luck!

[jdben92883]

Thanks for the advice Trigger!! That Cal-gunner gets a big salamat.

Previous user gave a current shot count of 500-1000 rounds on each pistol. Is there a rule-of-thumb re: how many rounds would constitute an adequate break in? You seem particularly knowledgeable on that Baer...it is very tight. Interested when it would be officially broken in.

I have Geissele's in many of my rifles, so I do appreciate a fine trigger. However I don't think that the superior trigger group in the capacity-challenged darkside will diminish my affection towards my plastic-fantastic!!

[trigger945]

Based on what I've read in forums and literature that came with my guns (Kimber shows a round count), it is between 500 and 1,000 rds. I have personally not shot more than 1,000 rds max on any of my 1911's besides my Raptor though so I am no expert by any stretch. The Baer might just stay that tight because of how it was built. Maybe.

I hope other Baer owners who have shot theirs a lot can chime in to give you a perspective.

I hope this helps a little!

[Dattebayo]

Based on what I've read in forums and literature that came with my guns (Kimber shows a round count), it is between 500 and 1,000 rds. I have personally not shot more than 1,000 rds max on any of my 1911's besides my Raptor though so I am no expert by any stretch. The Baer might just stay that tight because of how it was built. Maybe.

I hope other Baer owners who have shot theirs a lot can chime in to give you a perspective.

I hope this helps a little!

I have send over 5000 rounds through my 1911 since I got it last year and it is still shooting and operating like it was brand new.

[trigger945]

And yeah, those plastic-fantastic ones are great, too. I love my G17 and it's going strong after 4,000+ rds so far!

[den888]

Congrats!

[LightsOut!]

[H K corporate assassin]

Good quality magazines and keep it clean.

[negolien]

It is a very easy gun to strip and put back together. The 1911 was the first gun I purchased for myself and honestly I think it was probably one of the best choices I made.

I like the single rod design for the 1911 as I can easily field strip the pistol with using the butt of my magazine to push it down. My springfield loaded 1911 came with a 2 piece that required a hex key to remove, but I quickly replaced that with a Wilson Combat 1 piece.

I agree with this. The fact we are limited to 10 rounds really evens the playing field too imho. If I were in another state that let you use double stacked .45 mags I might like to go with another platform. For here the 1911 is a fine piece.

[hcbr]

congrats on your purchases, coming as a fellow glock brethren, it's as bad as collecting/buying glocks, you can't just have only one

[trigger945]

Well, he got 3!

[DCF]

http://www.10-8performance.com/pages/Reliability%2C-Round-Counts%2C-and-Longevity-in-1911s.html

Take a look at this guide for the maintenance of a 1911. It has some good articles to read about the 1911.