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My new Commander Bobtail has a warning that I should use a lot of lube during the break in period but nowhere can I find a break procedure or the number of rounds required to complete the break in. Any thoughts on the proper procedure and round count?
January 22, 2008
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Hey Greg, Welcome to the forum!
We currently don't have a lot of 1911 guys hanging out here on the forum. I'm hoping to pickup one someday but keep coming across DW revolvers that jump a head of the line.
I would suggest visiting the Dan Wesson section of the 1911 Forum. It's very active and provides for a very good read as well.
Jody
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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Not a lot of 1911 guys here, nice to see a new one. No specific procedure, here's what I do:
1) Keep it well lubed, but not dripping with oil. Very light coating on barrel, some oil on rails, small amount on moving parts. I use Breakfree CLP to clean and MilTec to lube. You can steadily reduce the oil until you get to a functional "dry" level, but my 1911's have never needed to be real wet. Some folks prefer to use grease.
2) Stick to ball/FMJ ammo to start. This helps you establish a baseline for reliability (if you have more than 1 magazine, number them to keep track of problem magazines). Once you feel it's functional, probably 200+ rounds, start to mix in other ammo as you want.
3) Clean regularly, but not neccessarily every time you shoot. It does pay to get used to basic disassembly/assembly, however.
4) For a carry pistol, I like to run over 1000 rounds, including a variety of ammuniton to validate reliability. My "final exam" for reliability is to run several magazines of mixed brands, bullet type, +P, etc, 4-5 magazines as quickly as you can accurately shoot, followed up with 4-5 magazines of the ammunition I have settled on as my carry loading.
CBOB is my next Dream Pistol, you're a lucky guy.
Steve
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
January 22, 2008
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Steve,
Sounds like very good advice. I have pinned this topic so it will appear at the top of the 1911 forum.
Jody
sdrct said:
Not a lot of 1911 guys here, nice to see a new one. No specific procedure, here's what I do:
1) Keep it well lubed, but not dripping with oil. Very light coating on barrel, some oil on rails, small amount on moving parts. I use Breakfree CLP to clean and MilTec to lube. You can steadily reduce the oil until you get to a functional “dry” level, but my 1911's have never needed to be real wet. Some folks prefer to use grease.
2) Stick to ball/FMJ ammo to start. This helps you establish a baseline for reliability (if you have more than 1 magazine, number them to keep track of problem magazines). Once you feel it's functional, probably 200+ rounds, start to mix in other ammo as you want.
3) Clean regularly, but not neccessarily every time you shoot. It does pay to get used to basic disassembly/assembly, however.
4) For a carry pistol, I like to run over 1000 rounds, including a variety of ammuniton to validate reliability. My “final exam” for reliability is to run several magazines of mixed brands, bullet type, +P, etc, 4-5 magazines as quickly as you can accurately shoot, followed up with 4-5 magazines of the ammunition I have settled on as my carry loading.
CBOB is my next Dream Pistol, you're a lucky guy.
Steve
Thank you for both the specific information on lubrication and the breakin techniques! This is good stuff that probably applies to all automatics and I will use it on my Sig 2022 as well! I'll report back on the CBOB after I've passed some of the break in milestones.
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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1911.org also has a pretty active and knowledgeable user base, and a good Dan Wesson thread.
Steve
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
sdrct said:
Not a lot of 1911 guys here, nice to see a new one. No specific procedure, here's what I do:
1) Keep it well lubed, but not dripping with oil. Very light coating on barrel, some oil on rails, small amount on moving parts. I use Breakfree CLP to clean and MilTec to lube. You can steadily reduce the oil until you get to a functional “dry” level, but my 1911's have never needed to be real wet. Some folks prefer to use grease.
2) Stick to ball/FMJ ammo to start. This helps you establish a baseline for reliability (if you have more than 1 magazine, number them to keep track of problem magazines). Once you feel it's functional, probably 200+ rounds, start to mix in other ammo as you want.
3) Clean regularly, but not neccessarily every time you shoot. It does pay to get used to basic disassembly/assembly, however.
4) For a carry pistol, I like to run over 1000 rounds, including a variety of ammuniton to validate reliability. My “final exam” for reliability is to run several magazines of mixed brands, bullet type, +P, etc, 4-5 magazines as quickly as you can accurately shoot, followed up with 4-5 magazines of the ammunition I have settled on as my carry loading.
CBOB is my next Dream Pistol, you're a lucky guy.
Steve
Steve, I am new to the Forum. I appreciate your previous email regarding lubrication of the DW Commander. I happen to have one and three Kimbers, since Kimbers have such tight tolerances they strongly tell customers no grease to be used and gun oil "must" have teflon in it. It appears that the Commander has tight tolerance as well, so I am a little surprised that gease can be used on the rails, etc. I must admit I have not read the Users Manual yet, but I should. I am a stong CZ/DW guy, I exhibit at gun shows every weekend and talk up these guns constantly. I also own a few CZ's as well, I will be picking up a new one Monday. These guns sure grow on people. My Commander is not broken in yet, but all are very accurate …. as bull eye shooters. If you have further info regarding lubrication I would greatly apprecaite hearing from you.
Regards,
Gil
October 13, 2009
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I have read that a break-in period, as has been described here, will contribute to the overall functioning of the tight Dan Wesson 1911's. I as a general rule use 3 or 4 dots of lubricant along each side of the slide rail, and frame of the gun before re-assembly. I've never had a malfunction of any kind. The match barrels tend to need more attention to bullet taper crimps but the Dan Wesson 1911 pistols are fantastic at any price. It's hard to put the thing down.
Robert
November 10, 2009
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Wellington_Greg said:
My new Commander Bobtail has a warning that I should use a lot of lube during the break in period but nowhere can I find a break procedure or the number of rounds required to complete the break in. Any thoughts on the proper procedure and round count?
Anyone looking for 1911 break in info will find this link very informative
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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Good info. Autoloaders especially benefit from "shooting in". I have an S&W M&P that went from having a fair trigger action to great after about 1500 rounds. The best kind of trigger job!
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
February 9, 2010
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I own three DW 1911's, a CBOB (First DW) a Marksman and a Razorback 10MM. I bought some Wilson's Ultima lube grease and have used that on the rails of all my 1911's with no problems. These guns are appreciably better made than Kimbers and tighter too. I also own a Kimber.
April 5, 2010
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Wow. Lots of great input here. I am a new gun owner which is the 09' Valor. I have only put approximately 200 rounds through it (with no malfunctions at all) and LOVE it. I haven't taken it apart yet, just ran a cleaning snake through it after each use. I haven't introduced any lube yet to the gun and I'm hoping not to do it without guidance from someone who knows what they're doing more. The Valor is pretty darn tight but it's not giving me any problem. My father-in-law and other friend own 09' Valor's as well with the same experience.
Andrew
"You can talk you way out of situations you behave yourself into."
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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If you're saying it's still running just the way it came out of the box, you should be OK. I'd never run any autoloader dry, so if you clean it, lube lightly, and keep it lubed as lightly as needed to maintain good function.
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
April 5, 2010
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Steve CT said:
If you're saying it's still running just the way it came out of the box, you should be OK. I'd never run any autoloader dry, so if you clean it, lube lightly, and keep it lubed as lightly as needed to maintain good function.
Will do. Thanks for the heads up. Any particular brand lube you recommend?
Andrew
"You can talk you way out of situations you behave yourself into."
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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https://www.danwessonforum.com/?page_id=3/1911-pistols/cbob-returns-home-from-dan-wesson/
Advice straight from the Factory. I have no personal experience with this. I use CLP to clean and MilTec to lube everything. My PM1S is a very well fitted pre-CZ, but the word on the street is that more recent ones can be very tight.
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
September 13, 2015
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I went through the break in process with my new ECO in the last week and thought I'd relate my experience:
cleaned the new gun and oiled it with the DW oil it came with
first range experience: several failures to return to battery and feed. 50 rounds.
Cycled the slide 100 times, cleaned and oiled the pistol, leaving it more wet than I usually would
cycled the slide another 100 times, took the gun apart and cleaned it again. Generous oiling.
Second time at the range: flawless without a single problem. 100 rounds.
Cleaned pistol and heavily oiled it.
Im feeling pretty confident about the functioning but next range trip will be with whatever bits and pieces of boxes I can find. Old hydra shocks, golden saber, Russian stuff, everything I can find and the odder the shape the better. Providing that goes well, I'll move on to straight 147 HP and see how that functions.
I have terrific confidence in this pistol and am looking forward to many hours of practice with it.
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Dans Club
February 22, 2009
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Wow- a five year resurrection of an '08 topic!! Still relevant though. One thing I've done in the past is sit in front of the tv while cycling a slide lubed with toothpaste.
Technically, the glass is always full; half liquid, half air....
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Dans Club
December 4, 2011
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Mild abrasive Ron? That's interesting. I've heard of using valve lapping compound but never toothpaste.
Anything worth doing is worth doing well.
My father
If a man designed it, and a man built it, then a man can fix it.
My grandfather
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Dans Club
February 22, 2009
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Yep- Arm and Hammer... probably slower than lapping compound but it does work. Also cleans the fog off Lexan motorcycle windshields and headlights.
Technically, the glass is always full; half liquid, half air....
to 
and thanks for your service. You could have started your own intro thread, but one of our Mods may move it for you.
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