So I have coveted a 1911 for quite some time now.  With a baby on the way I figured it was now or a LONG time from now, so my dad and I made the 2 hour haul to Louisville for the gun show.

We got there at 9, the thing started at 8:30, but it was PACKED.  I'm talking shoulder to shoulder packed.  I've only been to one only funshow, so I had little in the way of comparisons, but this was out of control.

It was a full hour before I saw anyone selling what I was looking for...a Springfield 1911.  Buds Guns was one, the other was...I can't remember the name.

Anyway, long story short, I bought the new 1911 GI, .45, Parkerized, from Buds for $475 out the door, tax and all.  I thought I had done pretty good.

When I got it home I was ecstatic.  The thing feels like it belongs in my hand.  Nice balance.  Nice weight.  Cool factor off the charts.  So I start to disassemble it...

My first impression was, "Why is there SO MUCH lube on this thing??"  I mean it was dripping off of the thing.  So as I disassembled I also lightened up the lube.

After some considerable trouble (everything was SO TIGHT) I managed to get the thing back together.  Everything functioned properly.  I was golden.

That was yesterday, today I went to the range.

First thing I load up the magazine, jam it into the well, and release the slide...and the slide hangs.  The round wont chamber.  

I laugh a bit, release the mag, then try again.  Same thing.  HANG.  Round wont chamber.  F*%$.

So I decide to just try one round in the mag.  Hallelujah, the round chambers.  And fires.  Success.

From there I incrementally add rounds to the magazine until it chambers a round from the full mag.  Unbelievable.

As for shooting the gun, it's a dream.  I loved it.  Very accurate.  I was shooting at 25 yards and put up some decent groups for a man of my experience level.  I did take a few spent casings in the chest/hat...I can't really figure out why the shells eject straight back (or some forward!  But that's a query for another day).  So I packed her up and brought her home for a cleaning.

She came apart fairly easily, but then after I cleaned her up and LIGHTLY lubed the old girl, she wouldn't go back together.  I'm talking about seizing up.  I didn't force anything, but I ended up having to smack the end of the slide a couple of times to get it to come apart.  FINALLY I understood why there was so much lube.  So I greased it up to what I thought was an obscene amount and she went back together.

I'm assuming that once some of the Parkerizing wears off it will "break in" a bit.  Hopefully she's not always this much of a b*tch.

Do any of you guys have any suggestions for me that will enhance my relationship with this as-yet-unnamed heathen?  Tricks of the trade?  Old-timers tips?  I'd love to hear anything you've got.

I love the gun otherwise.  I feel like I got a good deal.  So my only problems are (hopefully anyway) new gun break-in type issues.

Thanks in advance!


PS - funny story from the gunshow.  I'm in line for the urinals.  There's about 20 men in there.  I turn, and standing in front of one of the urinals is what appears to be a 400lb man.  A grown man.  Grey-headed grown man.  With his pants and tidy-whities around his knees.  BARE ASS POINTED AT THE LINE OF ONLOOKERS.  I was shocked!  My nephew used to pee like that...but he's 4 now, so he's moved on.  To make matters worse, he finishes and pulls up his undies to reveal to the crowd a skid mark the size of a man's head.  It was expansive.  It covered most of the ample rear of those drawers.  

I think I had a micro-stroke, because when I came to he was gone and it was my turn to use the urinal.  I guess when that many people come together you can expect to see the unexpected...

Congrats on your new 1911 and a good deal
But what were you thinking when you didn't post any pics

FAIL, until pics are up

Beautiful! - very nice! Enjoy shooting!

How silly of me.

Unfortunately this is the only one I have so far...

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k203/manship1856/1911.jpg

Yes pics are required.....  



Edit: you must have posted the pic right when I clicked the thread nice gun and congrats on the purchase...





 

Always an intersting story from gunshow! Congrats on the GI!

I find that lightly GREASING the frame rails makes things run smoother. Keep shooting it it'll break in just fine.

Congrats on the 1911. The story at the end though cracked me up !

Nice. Thanks for the info. What kind of grease do you recommend?

I use Mil-Comm TW-25B grease or Hoppe's Grease.  Congrats on the 1911.

Congrats on your first 1911.  Now prepare for the desire to keep buying more of them.  LOL.

The GI is a nice gun.  Once you get some better sights installed it will serve you well.  The brass ejecting back and hitting you is not at all uncommon with GI 1911s.  I had one for a while, but sold it to a close friend of mine as I aquired other 1911s.  Mine did the same thing on it's first range trip.  I read that the factory extractor is made of MIM (molded injection metal) and is not forged from a solid peice of steel.  That means that it is slightly softer than forged steel, and will loose it's tension faster than forged steel.  I put an Ed Brown extractor in it and problem was solved.  occastionally it would still shoot one back towards me because of the high (not lowered) ejection port, but it didn't do it nearly as much.

Also the gun is just tight because it needs to be shot a lot and broken in.  It should run like a clock after 500-700 rounds.  

Springfield makes a good gun.  Just keep her clean and lubed and she'll last a long time.

Thanks for all the congrats guys (and gals?).  I feel really good about the gun.  

I'll grease it down, look into getting some better magazines, and just shoot it shoot it shoot it.

Thanks again for all the feedback!

You can do a slurry method using some lube and JB bore bright. Mix equal parts and place in the frame rails, slide and any other areas that seem to be too tight. Load the gun up and shoot, shoot, shoot. This creates a fine, workable lapping compound and all should be fine after that. Or you can do as you've already done. Any lube should be fine. I'm partial to Militec lube and grease.

I've got some moly wheel bearing grease that I used to put the barrel on my AR-15...maybe that would work?

Nice pistol!

First of all, if this was a new gun, that's not lube, it's preservative. give it a good cleaning, then lube with oil on the rotating bits and grease on the rails.
Second, you need to properly tension your exctractor, this is causing your feeding issue and causing the rounds to go straight back (too much tension)

That's a good gun.

Thank the Good Lord you did not post pictures of this.  And why did you not burn out of there and come back later I would have just walked out and came back later.  Last someone needs to show that man this great invention called toilet paper.

 I just threw up in my mouth a little bit!

I'm a lot of things, but a dude who takes pictures of half-naked men in the bathroom is not one of them...

Plus, I really had to take a leak.  Bad.  It turned out to be one of those times that when you finally DO get to go, it sends a chill through you.

Thanks man!

Tensioning My Extractor...I'm going to have to remember that.  Sounds like something I'll do for about six weeks once the wife has this baby

I will google it as I am not familiar with that procedure.  I know I couldn't get that sliding piece off that keeps the firing pin in.  I tried oil, no joy.  I'm going to have to get out the padded pliers I think...

Try HERE this will give you some insight and information

you got a great buy!
i'm very jealous. i wish i can find a deal like that here in WI.
congrads on the pistol and more importantly on the the little on on the way!

He thinks it's only gonna be 6 weeks.   Oh man, woo, I needed that.  Thanks man.

I greaze the fire outta my GI Champion. I use white lithium grease and it has worked fine for me. I greaze the rails, the barrel, pretty much all the metal on metal parts. Sent the slide off to Novaks for some new sights...went with the wide notch low-mount night sights. Still breaking mine in.

I definitely need more trigger time with it

ETA. I re-read your post. I have read you're not supposed to drop the slide with a loaded mag in the well.  On this site, I read where you're supposed to release the slide-insert your mag-and the rack the slide to chamber a round.

Much obliged.  I took it to the range yesterday and put some downrange.  It was nice.  I just love the way it shoots.  Oddly enough, the low profile sights do it for me.  Very utilitarian, like me!

 Glad to be of service!

I cleaned it today after the range yesterday.  I tried white lithium, but I couldn't get it together.  When I went back to the moly wheel bearing grease it went together MUCH easier.  I think I'm gonna stick with that for now.  Good advise on the chambering as well.  I'll have to remember that!

my gi champion 4 inch has the same problem with the mags, just needs to wear in I guess

you are not alone!

Picked up a Champ Operator saturday and took it out yesterday. Factory mags gave me some issues but the wilsons worked great.