Pondering 1911, need experienced opinions

[greener]

If twer me, I'd believe all that cleaning and lubing is sufficient. But I'd rely on the experts. Sounds like a couple range trips for break in could be fun.

Time to go forth and make loud noises and smile.

[bearandoldman]

Myself am not a big tear down, clean and lube man, if they are broke they get fixed, if they are not they get shot. A lot of my guns have gone directly from the local shop where most of them were purchased and out to the range and used, without making a trip to the workbench. Can not remember having a problem with a gun other than my P3AT that would not feed pro pertly until the mag spring was shortened. The spring was so stiff it caused the top 2 rounds in a full mag to put too much pressure on the bottom of the slide and slow it down so much th slide would not move rearward far enough to eject the spent case. Bought a lot of guns and they have all received the same treatment and all still function as they were intended. Just my ways, but it has worked for me for many years.

[bigfatdave]

I just can't help but fiddle ... particularly when I can't get to the range for a while.
Also having that broken sear pivot pin has taught me to get inside and take a look ... it might allow a preventative maintenance instead of corrective, and in this case I was glad to get shipping grease (more a rust presenter than a lubricant) out and some light oil in before going shooting in the cold.

Range time tomorrow, plus I managed to score more ammo, so I'm going to make an attempt to burn up 300 rounds plus some of this WWB personal defense stuff for first-pass reliability testing ... I can look for fancier "serious ammo" later, for now I just want to know I have something that feeds.

[Bullseye]

Sounds like you got everything I would have before heading out to the range. That shipping preservative will cause problems that could be misinterpreted as a poorly designed pistol rather than one in need of a good deep cleaning. Have fun breaking it in.

R,
Bullseye

[bigfatdave]

I got to the range and ran over 150 rounds through my new Citadel, 100+ WWB ball 230 grain and 50 of the WWB "personal protection" JHP 230 grain.
I was going to post a target, but I forgot to snag my last one before packing up.

With a cold and brand-new pistol, I only had:
3-4 ejection issues where the last empty casing would be sitting neatly on top of the mag with the slide locked back ... which was odd.
4-5 feeding issues where the first JHP round would "nose-dive" instead of feeding ... TRB took care of these in most cases, I found it a bit disturbing but it didn't occur while firing, only when chambering the first round.
No failures when purposefully limp-wristing, none when trying to find a firing grip that didn't engage the grip safety, none shooting one-handed ... just the first/last round malfunctions above. I'm cautiously optimistic, and obviously need to expend more ammo towards break-in before drawing any firm conclusions.

I only thought of sticking to one mag for a while AFTER packing up ... so I may be able to isolate to one mag, or it might be a new-gun thing, or it might be a cold-gun thing (cold trunk for hours, cold range, cold everything really).

A few preliminary observations:
- Not measurably louder than the government-size PT1911 a friend brought for comparison.
- A little more snappy, and a bit more flash with the same ammo.
- Accuracy was good, I stuck to the 10-yard line and when I was shooting for score I was getting fist-sized groups easily.
- Natural pointing was good, I was able to keep in COM on a half-size silhouette without much effort ... about the same as my PPS.
- Plain post sights are a hindrance ... I was having trouble getting a sight picture at times, plus focusing on the front sight was more challenging than normal ... this may improve with more shooting, I haven't ordered new sights yet.
- I think I want new grips if I'll ever carry and be wearing gloves, it was difficult to keep a high grip with gloves on when I tried ... maybe something rubbery? I don't think I want a more aggressive checkering.
- This pistol got filthy shooting WWB, which is something new for me ... in 9mm WWB is pretty clean, maybe this is a different powder?
- Shooting stuff is fun!

===

I undertook the challenge of a detail strip, and only had to resort to looking up references after the sear/disconnector dropped out before I could figure out how they were in there in the first place. Other than that a slow and methodical disassembly was doable. The only issue I found in the pile of parts was that the extractor's hole had a LOT of burrs in it, making the extractor very difficult to remove/replace/align ... I'll have to figure out how to clean that up ... perhaps a chopstick and some crocus cloth?
I'm more impressed with the precise simplicity of the design than I was - for a 100-year-old design this pistol is quite elegant in a lot of ways.

===

I really wanted to thank everyone who chimed in with advice for an educational experience, I can see why the 1911 platform is such a big deal in the shooting world now ... and I see myself pressing my Citadel into CC service as soon as a holster can arrive and I've established reliability with some kind of SD ammo. It won't be replacing my PPS, but I'll have a second pistol to rotate soon.

[MtStream]

bfd, I'm glad you are seeing the 1911 advantage. I've been carrying one for years. I've found the Remington Golden Saber to give a green tint to the muzzle flash in low light situations. For some reason the green flash disrupts my night vision less than other ammo. Give some a try. That Citadel looks like quite a gun! Will be watching for your follow ups.

[Bullseye]

Great report.

A few minor feeding issues is to be expected until the pistol thoroughly broken in. Your experience with the extractor hole is indicative of other machining spots that just need some time to wear in. A little metal-on-metal action will polish those high spots down and make the action smooth. That's what happens when you fire your break-in rounds. If it still doesn't smooth out, you can take some JB Bore paste and mix with some light oil to make your own home-made lapping compound. Brush a little on the contact surfaces of the frame and slide and work the action without the recoil spring installed for a few hundred strokes. Afterwards, clean everything thoroughly and re lubricate with light oil. You want to completely remove any traces of polishing compound before you go back out and test fire.

Take your magazines and color code them. This way you can observe if one is experiencing feeding problems and the other is functioning normally.

If you decide to go with "rubberized" grips be aware that they can cause clothing bunch up and pattern your concealed weapon. This is one reason why some folks opt for smooth grips for their carry gun.

R,
Bullseye

[bigfatdave]

Take your magazines and color code them. This way you can observe if one is experiencing feeding problems and the other is functioning normally.

If you decide to go with "rubberized" grips be aware that they can cause clothing bunch up and pattern your concealed weapon. This is one reason why some folks opt for smooth grips for their carry gun.

Borrowing MrsBFD's nail polish today for just that ... after giving the mags a good cleaning and inspection.
Luckily these have the plastic base, so if I can't find a spot for nail polish dots, I can just scribe numbers into the bases.

I actually have lapping compound at work, I'm sure a few thimble's worth wouldn't be missed ... I haven't needed it yet for a gun, we'll see.
How much motion is there in the extractor's tunnel through the slide? It seems like the burrs in there wouldn't wear when fired.

I wish I'd had time for more rounds, but the indoor range was reserved and I had to clean up and clear out for the weekly competition shooting. The gun was getting pretty filthy by then anyway, so quitting was looking good at that point.

[bigfatdave]

I measured the 7-round mags that came with it, and they're 4.5" tall measured along the back edge

Just to prevent disappointment, can anyone tell me for sure what size magazines I need to match the Citadel ones?
I tried a PT1911 mag, and it locked in while protruding about one round's worth, so obviously not full-size government mags, right?
"Government" and "Commander" are the same size mags, so that makes these "Officer" size, yes? A matching measurement would be reassuring, if anyone can volunteer.

And the same question for grips, the factory ones are ~3.5" tall and ~2.75" between the screws ... anyone with an "Officer" size model willing to compare/measure theirs?

[bearandoldman]

I measured the 7-round mags that came with it, and they're 4.5" tall measured along the back edge

Just to prevent disappointment, can anyone tell me for sure what size magazines I need to match the Citadel ones?
"Government" and "Commander" are the same size mags, so that makes these "Officer" size, yes? A matching measurement would be reassuring, if anyone can volunteer.
And the same question for grips, the factory ones are ~3.5" tall and ~2.75" between the screws ... anyone with an "Officer" size model willing to compare/measure theirs?

BFD, just grabbed the Micro off the table and a measuring tape was near it so , here you go.
You have what Colt marketed as an "Officer" gun But I believe they used a 4.250 long barrel. You have a 3.500 inch barrel and the shorter grip frame of the "Officer" model. Makes your pistol more like my SA V-10 which has the short grip frame and a 3.250 inch barrel and a steel frame. Proper mag will measure just about 4.125 along the back edge and the hole spacing measures 2.625 as far as I can see. My carry mag in both guns is the SA flush fitting all steel mag. My extra mags are all Wilson Combat as they work just great, although they do cost a bit more. You can use the Government mags, but they will stick out a bit, I use them at the rang, as I can load them all before I get there and when I used the indoor range I did not waste shooting time for reloading.

[greener]

Can't stand it. Time to go make some noise with my .45's.

[bearandoldman]

Can't stand it. Time to go make some noise with my .45's.

Sounds like a winner to me. My range is closed today for a muzzle loader fun shoot,. Snow coming tomorrow, but did get a few rouds in with the leve gun i .38 the other day and a few with Nyl, she soots Rem Subs fairly well.

[greener]

You are behind Richmond in snow and need to catch up.

[bearandoldman]

You are behind Richmond in snow and need to catch up.

NOOOOOOOO

[bigfatdave]

Can't stand it. Time to go make some noise with my .45's.

I know!
I'll have to go on Monday, too.

On another note, I ordered some mags, hopefully they'll fit along with the other stuff Midway's coupon program convinced me to order.
Probably won't show up in the morning, sadly.