Service life of the 1911

G

Gunplummer

New member
8620 is not like 4140. You have to add carbon to the outside to case it. Mauser receivers (With one or two exceptions) are junk steel somewhere around 1018-1026. The whole thing is carborized and cased. If it is harder, it was recarborized at that spot. You can do the same "Spot hardening" by repeating with Kasenite.
If you take a Mauser or Mosin receiver and grind about .015 -.020 off at a spot, it will never get hard again at that spot with out adding carbon. You can heat it to any temperature you want, quench it in any media you want, and it will not get hard.

I would like to know what the MAS 49/56 receivers are made from. Anybody know?
 
4

44 AMP

Staff
Longer than your life span.
Click to expand...

Very true, for most of us. There are exceptions.

I recall an interview with one of the top speed shooters a couple decades ago, where he said he wore out 3-4 guns (1911A1s) a year in practice. Worn out frames to the point rebuilds weren't practical was implied, though not explicitly stated.

The interviewer asked him how much he shot for that to happen, and he replied.."about 80,000"
"Rounds?" the interviewer asked..

"No, dollars!" he answered.

(at the time, .45acp was around $100 a case)

That is certainly more than what I'll shoot in my remaining lifetime. :rolleyes:
 
J

jmorris

New member
I have had failure of some 1911 parts in just a few thousand rounds. Two piece barrels, slide stops, and other bad parts.

That said I also have some I have used in competition for many years that have well over 100,000 rounds through them.

Not that amazing of a feat though, I have a Glock I can say the same thing about.

Properly maintained and fed they are simple machines and can last for many cycles. How many revolutions do you expect out of your engine? Lots of stuff going on in there, more parts to fail, etc.
 
P

peggysue

Moderator
I recall in the Army and having the old finish gone, rattly 45's in the 1980s in our reserve and training units unit in the USA. I did qualify as Marksman with it. They were WW2 vintage. Handled by thousands.
 
4

44 AMP

Staff
The last major purchase of 1911A1 by the military was in 1945, and all pending contracts were cancelled. The war was over and we had more than enough pistols for the future "peace".

I inspected literally thousands of them while I was in the Army, repaired VERY few, because very few needed it. Serviceability was the criteria, accuracy was not.

I saw several 1911s still in arms rooms, a couple still looked nearly new. 1911A1s ranging from new looking (not many, but some) to well worn, but still serviceable finishes.

My maint. level covered everything short of replacing the frame or refinishing the pistol. VERY few came to the shop for repair, the most common thing needing replacement was grips and recoil spring, and that was done at the company level. What I got in the small arms shop was a small number of guns needing replacement sights, or having loose plunger tubes, and guns that had been used by gorillas who stripped/loosened the grip screw bushings.


Sure, they were loose, and many rattled, but they WORKED. And if you couldn't hit a man's torso at pistol ranges (somewhere:D) the fault was yours.

And that all the Army required, really.
 
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