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Thread: Dirty Ruger. Dirty, Dirty, Dirty

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  1. #1
    Join Date
    21st August 2016
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    Dirty Ruger. Dirty, Dirty, Dirty

    OK, just for a little fun (and since the picture thread seems to be closed), here's what an SR1911 looks like after 100 rounds of Winchester white box 230 gr loads.

    Ruger SR1911.jpgRuger SR1911_2.jpg

    The pistol was purchased new about a month ago and to my great surprise it required a break-in period. It experienced a lot of feeding issues when using Wilson Combat 8-round magazines, but after 250 rounds things seem to be settling in nicely. For the record, this pistol has been 100% reliable with the factory Ruger magazines, but being an old 1911 guy I had a bag of Wilson mags I want to use with it, and my experience has been that EVERYTHING runs fine with Wilson magazines.

    The ambidextrous safety is the Novak model sold by Ruger. This was something of a disappointment. The factory single sided safety is clearly molded (yes, it's MIM) to fit the SR1911's sear geometry and is essentially a drop-in part (mine showed no evidence of hand fitting yet mated well with the sear). The Ruger 'Novak' ambi safety is nothing more than an off-the-shelf Novak part with a Ruger sticker on it. Shame on Ruger. If they are selling this as being specific to the SR1911 then they should have them produced closer to the factory original geometry. As it was, the Novak safety required an extensive amount of fitting to work.

    Still, the SR1911 is a great pistol. It's very well made, accuracy is good, the trigger is good and of course Ruger will stand behind it for as long as I own it.

  2. #2
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    5th November 2006
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    Thanks for the heads-up on the safety. I was just about to order the Ruger ambi part because of an injury leaving me in temporary, though prolonged, "lefty" status. Maybe I'll go with another option.

    What kind of feed issues did you have with the Wilson mags? The only eight round mags I have are the one that came with my SR1911 and a bunch of Act-mags. I never had any issue with any of them in my SR.
    ...what consumes your thoughts controls your life. Tremonti/Stapp "What If"

  3. #3
    Join Date
    21st August 2016
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    Quote Originally Posted by FreeMe View Post
    Thanks for the heads-up on the safety. I was just about to order the Ruger ambi part because of an injury leaving me in temporary, though prolonged, "lefty" status. Maybe I'll go with another option.

    What kind of feed issues did you have with the Wilson mags? The only eight round mags I have are the one that came with my SR1911 and a bunch of Act-mags. I never had any issue with any of them in my SR.
    FreeMe,

    Good question. First let me state that so far the ONLY mags I've had problems with have been Wilson Combat, and those issue seem to be going away as the round count on this pistol goes up. That's what drove my comment about my SR1911 seeming to need a break-in period. That really doesn't bother me - I've got plenty of other guns (including a particular Glock) that just needed some range time to get used to running right.

    The problems were all failures to feed, with the nose of the round jamming into the barrel hood. The impact of the slide trying to ram the round home was so great that the bullets all experienced setback and were thrown away.

    In addition to the Wilsons I've run this pistol with Ruger's factory mags, Brownell's 8 round name brand mags, two 7-round Metalform mags and an Armscor 8 round mag. The ONLY mags that have given me problems have been the Wilson, and I'm thinking it's as much a follower issue as it is a pistol break-in issue. I really want the SR1911 to run right with the Wilson mags, mainly because I've got so many of them . Based on my last range session it looks like my wish may be coming true.

    As for the safety, if I were to do this again I'd just go get a Wilson Combat or C&S ambi safety with the tab and some recessed VZ grips and go that route. The safety would be cheaper (for me) plus if I ever need to detail strip the weapon I wouldn't need to have to drive out the teeeny-tiny roll pin that holds the right side Novak lever in place.
    Last edited by bwharen; 4th September 2016 at 09:44.


  4. #4
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    8th September 2016
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    Hi everyone!

    This is my first post here. Please pardon possible violations. I encircled the muzzle area of @bwharen's photo to show the part would tend to have burnt powder blemishes after several firing range sessions. Since I like keeping my SR1911 in pristine condition, may I ask how do you guys clean the slide and frame and keep it looking like it just came out of the box?

    Thanks for your help.
    Ruger SR1911 dirty11.jpg

  5. #5
    Join Date
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    I'm not sure I understand the question. Are you asking how to clean the gun?
    Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold.
    M. Setter

  6. #6
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    8th September 2016
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    Yes. I want tips on how to clean those blemishes away and keep the firearm looking like brand new. Powder burns can get very stubborn and it's difficult to completely wipe it away with WD40 or gun oil.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gun_Enthusiast View Post
    Yes. I want tips on how to clean those blemishes away and keep the firearm looking like brand new. Powder burns can get very stubborn and it's difficult to completely wipe it away with WD40 or gun oil.
    This has not been my experience. Smoke that remains on the outside of the gun wipes off easily. And whatever you do, don't use WD40 on any gun you like.
    Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold.
    M. Setter

  8. #8
    Join Date
    21st August 2016
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    I use CLP (BreakFree) on this and all my guns as a general cleaner and lube. Have since the Army adopted it back in the 1980's. For the slide/frame rail engagement surfaces I use just a dab or two of Tetra gun grease.

    Now as to the powder build-up at the muzzle - it wipes away easily with a rag and some CLP. I have seen some firearms where there's a lot of 'permanent' powder residue staining. This is noticed mainly on stainless steel guns because of the contrast between the stainless steel and the dark powder residue. This is very common on revolvers, particularly around the face of the cylinder and the barrel forcing cone region. To be honest, in most cases this doesn't really bother me. But in those few cases where it does bug me I turn back to CLP. It's a great solvent, and what I'll do is saturate the pistol with CLP and just let it soak overnight and then give it a good scrub with a soft toothbrush. That almost always loosens and removes all the built-up crud.

    Matte finishes - whether stainless or carbon steel (and even anodized aluminum) tend to be very grippy; all those microscopic peaks and valleys do a great job of holding onto the powder residue. That's why matte stainless guns often have a '5 o'clock shadow' look. Again, soak & scrub, soak & scrub. Let the solvent do the work.

    I DO NOT recommend the use of metal polishing pastes like Simichrome. While they work, and work very well, they also alter the finish. I've only used that a few times, and then only on poorly maintained police trade-in guns where preserving the finish wasn't a real concern.
    Last edited by bwharen; 9th September 2016 at 05:33.


  9. #9
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    Thanks bwharen. If I soak it with CLP, will that not damage the color of the SR1911's front site?

  10. #10
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    21st August 2016
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    No. The front sight is steel. All a little soak in CLP will do is keep it from rusting.

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