Para Ord 1911 break in

[buck1]

I have always been a revolver guy but I always wanted one of John Brownings1911s. Well I pulled the trigger on a Para GI Expert the other day. Seems like a fairly good gun but at 75 rounds through it its still having some feeding issues . About 1/3 will almost chamber but I must play with the slide to get them to chamber. Para does say theres a 250 round break in period. But I have been sick and not up to a good shooting seshion. I have been feeding it some factory Winchester hardball and some 6.0gr unique/230gr hardball reloads. The reloads seem to do a slight bit better than factory but it could be just my perception.

Is this normal? I am starting to get concerned but hope Im just not giving it enugh time. Thanks...Buck

[Bass Ackward]

Same magazine?

[pdawg_shooter]

Right now I have 3 1911s, all bought new. Over the last 45 years I have had 30+, some bought used, most new. No paras. I have never had one that required a "brake in period". Clean and lubed properly they all worked with ball ammo. SWC and HPs required the feed ramp polished and in a few cases reconfigured.

[buck1]

BASS, No, 2 new paras and one Willson all 8 rd, all new. The willson seems to be the best ,having less trouble. I have been rotating 1,2,3,1,2,3 etc.

[jmsj]

How tight is the slide to frame fit and the barrel to bushing fit ?
Usually factory pistols aren't super tight but that doesn't mean yours isn't.
Good news if it is tight, it will shoot in or need just a little polishing and should be pretty accurate.
Have you checked the actual chamber dimensions? It might be on the small side.
Could also be a problem w/ the hook on the extractor. Lot of possibilities, don't get discouraged Buck. Most of these can be remedied pretty easily.
Personally I would shoot the stated 250 round break in and if it doesn't suit you and you haven't figured it out send it back to the factory.
Good luck, jmsj

[Geraldo]

Is it lubed? Semiautos will run dirty, but not dry.

Get three or more quality mags of the same manufacturer; Wilson, CMC, well made GI, and bin the Paras. If you still have problems in a lubed pistol then you know it's not the mags and you can keep the Paras for malfunction drills.

If you don't want to do that right now, mark the two Paras so you can ID them, then pay attention to the malfunction. Is it the last round or does it happen randomly? More than once per mag? Only on your reloads or on both types of ammo? When you "play with the slide" do you mean smack it into battery or something else?

To me "break in period" translates to "we can't get our manufacturing process together and this thing may or may not work properly out of the box". Any 1911 should run on hardball.

[waksupi]

If you limp wrist the pistol, this can also happen.

[Moonie]

I agree with waksupi, a revolver can roll in your grip and you will be fine, you roll a 1911, or most auto's, and you will have problems very similar if not exactly like yours. Now I'm not accusing, just trying to give some friendly advise.

[sqlbullet]

Have someone who has experience with 1911's shoot it. That will be very revealing.

[Poygan]

I bought a Para G I Expert this year. Because I'm waiting for warmer weather, I've only put 75 rounds through mine so far. All boolits were the Lyman 452374 sized .452 with four various powders, to see if it has a preference. No malfunctions with either Para mags. It is tighter than the typical G I .45 and that is why I suspect Para suggests the break in. I plan to compare it to my Sig P-220 with the four powders in terms of accuracy when spring finally gets here.

[Triggerhappy]

Pull the slide and make sure it's lubricated enough. dry + 1911 = malfunctions (often)

Have someone else shoot it to see if they experience the same problem. Make sure you have a solid 2 handed grip and lock your arms. See if that makes a difference.

If the bullets are not chambering all the way, you could polish the breech face and underside of the extractor edge. I own a lot of Para's, even carry the "Carry 12" as a CCW, they are usually very nice with little or no problems. That said just about any 1911 should feed hardball. It's what they were designed for.

[35remington]

Please describe the jam a little more.

Are the rounds fully in the chamber or not? How far is the gun from going fully into battery?

Does this happen with the same number of rounds left in the magazine, every time?

First shot, last shot, etc. is what I mean.

[buck1]

The round almost chambers say 85-90%. If I work the slide a bit it will chamber every time(pull back).
Thanks everyone for the great advice and help. I will work on my hold a bit and see if that helps. I also picked up another willson mag and try it.....Buck

[buck1]

Well I got to the 250 rds mark and cleaned and lubed it . It now runs like a clock!! I did leave the mags loaded a coupple of days too. Thanks for the help

[crabo]

You can also pull your barrel and use it as a case gauge to make sure your malfunctions are not ammo related. If your reloads won't drop in, your reloading technique needs to be corrected.