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Just got it and don't want to screw it up by running 100 or 150 rounds thru it. How should I break in a new Ruger LW Commander?
Ruger LTWT Commander break in...how do I do it...
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Clean it, lube it, shoot it till ya get tired, clean it, lube it, repeat.
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Shouldn't need a break in. Just keep it lubricated like HooDoo says.
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3,145 Posts
If the barrel is not ramped or the frame doesn’t have a steel ramped insert in it I would not run a lot of hollow points thru it on a continuous basis.
Prove the gun functions well with ball or round nose Ammo for the first 150-200 rds. If you choose to carry the gun and want JHP bullets then try them after a while just to prove dependable function and see how they feed. For target and range stick with the ball ammo. It will last a long time that way. Lube it up and have fun.
Prove the gun functions well with ball or round nose Ammo for the first 150-200 rds. If you choose to carry the gun and want JHP bullets then try them after a while just to prove dependable function and see how they feed. For target and range stick with the ball ammo. It will last a long time that way. Lube it up and have fun.
What do the instructions/owner's manual recommend?
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373 Posts
Good advice. All my aluminum framed 1911s have EGW steel frame ramp inserts for this very reason. I thought Ruger used titanium frame ramp inserts in their aluminum frames.
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^this^
Clean,lube, add bullets repeat,
take some CLP or like product with you to the range so you are good to go.
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Most of the time I don't even clean or break down my new 1911s when I get them. I give them the 'Les Baer' treatment - oil well and shoot for 500 or so rounds, keeping the gun well lubed. And, I don't just go to the range and burn a case of ammo. I'll shoot them at the range, run them in matches, plink with them in the back field, etc.. I just use them as I any of my 1911s, I just run them wet and dirty for a while. Usually if the gun makes it through an action pistol match without any issues and functions well with carry ammo then I'll trust it for carry duty.
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No disrespect to your posting intended but, this is not advisable when considering the metallurgical composition of an alloy frame if you want it to give a long lasting usable and accurate serviceability.
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Why? You don't think a well lubed alloy framed 1911 can handle 500 rounds without cleaning? That's ridiculous. If they were that fragile or wear prone they never would have lasted on the market. I can't think of a single manufacturer that says their alloy frames aren't capable of handling any specific amount of use or round count without cleaning, or requires cleaning at specific intervals. On the other hand, they all recommend proper lubrication.
Any properly lubricated modern firearm, regardless of what it's made of, should be able to run 500 rounds of ammunition without concern for wear or damage. I'm certainly not concerned about such a round count between cleanings in any of my guns.
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It has a titanium ramp.
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The manual says nothing about 'break in', this is my 1st 1911 and there is a bit to learn.
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They do. Thanks for your input!
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"Common sense" is the best path forward and the fact that you are thinking about this puts you light years ahead of the general public. I am sure your gun will give you years of service.
There are parts and systems within a 1911 that do need occasional adjustments, maintenance, or in the case of breakage, replacement, but these don't have much if anything to do with a "break-in" period.
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373 Posts
Breaking in a 1911 is open for debate. Many say that a correctly made pistol needs no break in because all the parts already fit correctly. Others say that any mass produced pistol needs to be broken in to get the parts to mate with one another due to the variances present in the manufacturing process. Both schools of thought are correct to one degree or another.
I suggest that you put several hundred rounds through your pistol to be sure it's functioning correctly and maybe to smooth out any rough edges that might be present.
1911s love to be run wet. Dunk it in a 55 gallon drum of oil and shoot it. Just kidding. Still, there's no need to spare the oil. As long as you're not getting splashed in the face every time the you take a shot, you're fine. It's not a Glock so you don't have to be concerned about putting half a drop of sewing machine oil on each rail. Just lube the entire pistol inside and out, put however many rounds through it that want (50, 100, it doesn't matter), then clean every square inch of the pistol inside and out. Oil it back up and go to the range again. Repeat as many times as you want until you're satisfied that the pistol is 100% reliable.
Everyone has their own favorite lube and how they go about lubing the pistol. Personally, I prefer any kind of synthetic oil or grease. For aluminum frames I use TW25B on the rails because it gives me peace of mind that I'm doing all I can to protect the aluminum. Is it absolutely necessary to use TW25B? Nope. Just makes me feel good.
All steel 1911s get doused with what ever synthetic oil is closest to me at the time. SLIP 2000 EWL is a favorite. CLP and Mobil 1 work fine. I've got some others on the shelf that I use but I don't recall the names off the top of my head. The whole idea is to protect the metal from corrosion and to reduce the friction of the parts as they move against one another.
Critical lube points include the frame & slide rails and the end of the barrel where it locks up against the bushing. A drop of oil on the top of the disconnector, a drop on the lower barrel lugs where they ride over the slide stop pin, a drop on the inside of the mainspring housing where the plunger rides, a drop on either side of the hammer where it bears against the frame, and a drop on top of the barrel hood are all good.
Since one of the main objectives of breaking in your new pistol is to check for functioning let me offer one essential test that you should run. The extractor is often a source of malfunctions. To test whether or not your extractor is healthy do the following:
Repeat these steps until all of the rounds in the magazine have been expended making sure you remove the magazine after chambering each round and before you shoot it.
If any of the ejected cases fly back at your face, if any of the ejected cases fall out through the magazine well, or if any of the ejected cases fly off in weird directions then your extractor needs, at minimum, some attention or, worst case scenario, to be replaced.
I suggest that you put several hundred rounds through your pistol to be sure it's functioning correctly and maybe to smooth out any rough edges that might be present.
1911s love to be run wet. Dunk it in a 55 gallon drum of oil and shoot it. Just kidding. Still, there's no need to spare the oil. As long as you're not getting splashed in the face every time the you take a shot, you're fine. It's not a Glock so you don't have to be concerned about putting half a drop of sewing machine oil on each rail. Just lube the entire pistol inside and out, put however many rounds through it that want (50, 100, it doesn't matter), then clean every square inch of the pistol inside and out. Oil it back up and go to the range again. Repeat as many times as you want until you're satisfied that the pistol is 100% reliable.
Everyone has their own favorite lube and how they go about lubing the pistol. Personally, I prefer any kind of synthetic oil or grease. For aluminum frames I use TW25B on the rails because it gives me peace of mind that I'm doing all I can to protect the aluminum. Is it absolutely necessary to use TW25B? Nope. Just makes me feel good.
All steel 1911s get doused with what ever synthetic oil is closest to me at the time. SLIP 2000 EWL is a favorite. CLP and Mobil 1 work fine. I've got some others on the shelf that I use but I don't recall the names off the top of my head. The whole idea is to protect the metal from corrosion and to reduce the friction of the parts as they move against one another.
Critical lube points include the frame & slide rails and the end of the barrel where it locks up against the bushing. A drop of oil on the top of the disconnector, a drop on the lower barrel lugs where they ride over the slide stop pin, a drop on the inside of the mainspring housing where the plunger rides, a drop on either side of the hammer where it bears against the frame, and a drop on top of the barrel hood are all good.
Since one of the main objectives of breaking in your new pistol is to check for functioning let me offer one essential test that you should run. The extractor is often a source of malfunctions. To test whether or not your extractor is healthy do the following:
- Insert a fully loaded magazine into the pistol
- Chamber a round
- Remove the magazine from the pistol
- Shoot the chambered round
- Observe the flight of the ejected case
Repeat these steps until all of the rounds in the magazine have been expended making sure you remove the magazine after chambering each round and before you shoot it.
If any of the ejected cases fly back at your face, if any of the ejected cases fall out through the magazine well, or if any of the ejected cases fly off in weird directions then your extractor needs, at minimum, some attention or, worst case scenario, to be replaced.
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This is actually one of the reasons I've switched to running Critical Defense in my 1911's. I know OP said that his 1911 is ramped and this speech won't apply, but they're the one JHP round that has never, ever, not even once gotten caught on the feed ramp of any of my 1911's. I can't even say that about Speer Gold Dots. Don't get me wrong: I think Speer (just as an example) makes a fine handgun round, and I'd be perfectly willing to trust my life to them in a ramped 1911. For a standard config, though. the Critical Defense bullet ogive is much closer to what you'd see from a FMJ round, and it seems to feed much more smoothly in all of my 1911's.
My $0.02 for what it's worth,
CC
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Agreed. Hornady Critical Defense or Critical Duty. Both cycle perfectly in everything I've tried them in.
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Run clean and wet. The LW Ruger cmdr is built with a titanium insert in aluminum frame, at least mine is. Remember clean and wet, inspect parts during detail strip for cleaning.
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