"Clean" 1911 vs A few rounds thru

[jtriron]

A question to my shooting brothers and sisters .....
I own a couple of mid to higher end 1911's, Both normally accompany me to the range.
Recently have noticed that the first and sometimes also the second shots out of a clean gun seem to be off the mark so to speak, then the guns 'settle in' and shoot great and very accurate.
Knowing some may say "you are the problem" I have experimented with the 2 guns as to shooting all my .40 then switching to my .45 or reverse that.
The same result occurs.

I do not do anything odd in my cleaning procedure (Bore Snake and light gun oil)
for the barrel and normal slide cleaning technics.

So am I just crazy ? Or have some of you also experienced this?

 

[Rum Runner]

I have experienced it from several 22 target rifles. Kidd even recommends "fouling" the barrel each time you switch ammo before you look for good groups. Some shooters only clean their barrel when they notice accuracy drop.

Haven't noticed it on a 45 or 9mm. Are you shooting FMJ?

 

[dobarker]

Like Rum Runner, I haven't taken a notice to it on pistols, in rifles, I agree that a fouling shot or two are required before getting started on test strings.
One question that I have though is are you putting the light oil inside the barrel? If so, that would be your problem. (in my mind at least). Barrels don't enjoy having more than one thing run through them at a time, the two shots may be what it takes to burn out all the oil from the barrel.

 

[MR Redneck]

I noticed this problem with my SKS. Last time I shot it, I cleaned it up real good. Copper removal and everything. It usually shoots great with just iron sights. I was shooting it yesterday and couldnt group it worth a crap. I blamed it being clean. I put it up and decided not to clean it anymore.

 

[jtriron]

Like Rum Runner, I haven't taken a notice to it on pistols, in rifles, I agree that a fouling shot or two are required before getting started on test strings.
One question that I have though is are you putting the light oil inside the barrel? If so, that would be your problem. (in my mind at least). Barrels don't enjoy having more than one thing run through them at a time, the two shots may be what it takes to burn out all the oil from the barrel.

Good points dobarker, I may just try the snake with no oil and see if anything changes.

 

[M. Sage]

Oil in the barrel of a gun that's being shot is a bad thing. It's no different from sending an overbore projectile down the barrel.

Always shoot with a dry bore.

 

[skinman]

Interesting topic...I field strip and clean my 9mm and .45 acp handguns after every trip to the range whether I shot 50 or 500 rounds. Depending on how many and what kind, I will scrub the barrel with Hoppe's and a brass brush followed by a couple of patches, followed by a half-dozen or so passes with the Bore Snake, and ending up with a clean oil patch. Except for the Bore Snake, this is the way I was taught in the Navy. I have yet to notice that the first round was any more inaccurate than the following rounds with any of my handguns. I field strip the P22 and make a dozen or so passes through the barrel with the Bore Snake followed by a oil patch after I get home and only tear it down for a deep clean when it starts having feeding issues.

 

[shortround]

A well known mystery with the 1911 is that the first shot will probably impact somewhere afar from the rest of the rounds loaded in the magazine.

I have found that if you (carefully) slam the slide on a round in the chamber (lock slide to rear, insert round into chamber, retract slide as far as it will go rearward, and let it go sharply), insert the magazine, then shoot. The first round will not likely be a flier.

For reasons known only by John Browning, closing the slide on a loaded magazine typically results in an errant first round. (Could that be why we hear so often of one in the pipe, and seven in the mag.)?

If I were to guess, with the normal manual of arms, the stripping of the first round is under far less chambering stress than of subsequent rounds under recoil, especially when operating the slide stop, instead of pulling the slide fully rearward on the first round out of the magazine.

As for eight-round mags, I just don't trust them, because Browning designed the pistol for seven + one.

Be well.

 

[lalonguecarabine]

Well, since the M1911 was developed during the age of cupro-nickel rounds, perhaps John Browning designed the barrel to operate more effectively with the fouling that normally accumulated at the end of the bore with those types of rounds.