Shoot or don't shoot...

[reddog81]

I'd shoot it. I bought one a couple of years back and have put a couple boxes of ammo through it. I've only ever used reloads. I've come up with a couple of recipes in the 900 to 1,000 FPS range with a 124 grain bullet. It's a very easy gun to reload for.

Mine is very accurate. I don't think it was ever shot much and is in pretty good condition, but not so good that I feel bad about shooting it. The sights are small but work well enough.

[zoo]

Think about it though, if you cracked the slide how bummed out would you feel? I know it isn't original but where you gonna find another slide for that weapon?

[dahermit]

Originally Posted by zoo

Think about it though, if you cracked the slide how bummed out would you feel? I know it isn't original but where you gonna find another slide for that weapon?

This begs the question: Why would you anticipate the slide cracking if you only used ammuniton that was appropriate for it? Was that model known for cracked slides? Some other reason to think that shooting it may result in a cracked slide?

[zoo]

This begs the question: Why would you anticipate the slide cracking if you only used ammuniton that was appropriate for it? Was that model known for cracked slides? Some other reason to think that shooting it may result in a cracked slide?

Umm, because the of age of the weapon?

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by Jim Watson

Buffalo ARMS is a specialty house in BP, antique, reproduction, and obsolete guns, ammo, and supplies; no relation to Buffalo BORE, the Magnumizers.

Originally Posted by 74A95

JohnKSa referred to Buffalo Arms, not Buffalo Bore. They are not the same.

Mea culpa. Sorry.

[zoo]

I can understand the desire to shoot the gun though. Both my maternal and paternal grandfathers owned full auto Thompson’s. One grandfather was a cop, the other, for the lack of another term, a gangster. Man, I would love to own both those guns and to be able to personally fire both!

[JohnKSa]

Wow, a lot of good responses. Guess I shouldn't be surprised.

I appreciate the effort put into providing good information.

I really don't want to damage the firearm, so a big part of this is trying to get a warm fuzzy that there isn't going to be any sort of negative event.

Firing it would be fun and interesting, but not so fun and interesting that I would be willing to run any significant risk of breaking it.

As far as I know, it was never shot very much although I do know that it was fired some. It came with a box of .38ACP that is older than I am which I want to keep with the gun since my great grandfather almost certainly purchased it based on the age. It also came with another 6 loose rounds of different, much older ammunition, which suggests that at least one other box of ammo was purchased and used in the gun. Also, my grandfather told me stories that involved his father firing the gun.

I'm going to reread the responses and think about it some more.

[Aguila Blanca]

John -

See if you can find out whether or not the slide is hardened. I tried to Google it, but I came up blank.

The early M1911s did not have hardened slides (that didn't come about until WW2), and the M1911 (and the M1911A1) is known for suffering cracked slides. This is why so many of the 1911s recently sold by the CMP have replacement slides on them. I would proceed on the assumption that the slide is not hardened unless/until you can find convincing evidence to the contrary. And, if it isn't hardened, I would not shoot it.

The best expert I can think of on the 1903 is Bill Laughridge, of Cylinder & Slide. Perhaps if you pop off an e-mail to him he'll be able to settle the question.

"Laughridge, William (C&S)" <[email protected]>

[JohnKSa]

Good idea!

[Jim Watson]

You can't do much about the strength of the slide, but you can get a hard steel slide lock.
https://jack-first-gun-parts.myshopi...-38-slide-lock

[dahermit]

Originally Posted by zoo

Umm, because the of age of the weapon?

How many 1911 slides from before WWI have cracked due to age? Does steel get brittle as it ages? So, do gun steels age harden or work harden?

[Jim Watson]

A non-zero number. Consider that slides were a pretty high volume spare part.
No.
It will take a specialist to describe the failure mode.

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by dahermit

How many 1911 slides from before WWI have cracked due to age? Does steel get brittle as it ages? So, do gun steels age harden or work harden?

They don't crack due to age, they crack as a result of repeated firing.

https://ezine.m1911.org//showthread....vernment-Model

[DMK]

Since it isn't a pristine example, someone at some point will shoot it again. It might as well be you.

If it were me, I'd always be curious to know how it shoots.

[reddog81]

The military 1911 slides didn’t breaks after a couple boxes of ammo.

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by reddog81

The military 1911 slides didn’t breaks after a couple boxes of ammo.

I'm sure you're right, but I doubt they were keeping track. And who knows how many rounds have been through John's pistol? The fact that it hasn't broken yet doesn't mean it can't break tomorrow.

I'll reproduce in its totality the letter from the curator at Aberdeen Proving Ground that was cited in the article to which I posted a link a couple of posts above:

Thank you for your inquiry. The folks you refer to may be cautioning you
not to fire the weapon for historical reasons, not mechanical reasons. The
Colt 1911 is an exceptionally rugged weapon. It is still in front line
service, in places where the boots-on-the-ground get their choice.

That said, please keep in mind that every weapon, and every part of every
weapon, has a finite service life. For guns, this is usually expressed in
the number of rounds fired. Except for the springs, there is little in the
1911 that is age sensitive, so most failures are the result of cumulative
stresses of firing the weapon. Anything mechanically made will eventually
break. Here at the museum, we are prohibited from firing any of our weapons
for that very reason, because it is our responsibility to preserve them for
posterity.

From the wording of your question, I assume you know how to maintain your
pistol in good working order. A well maintained 1911 should be good for
thousands of rounds. Keep in mind that the stress from each shot is
cumulative in the components of the gun. Also remember that without
x-raying the components for defects, it is impossible to know the actual
condition of the components. In all probability, you also do not have the
complete firing history of your weapon, so you cannot determine the precise
firing count. Your pistol could fail on the next round, or be good for
another 5,000 rounds or more, or anything in between.

The real life probability is that you can fire the 1911 as much as you wish,
so long as you maintain and inspect it properly, and that your 1911 has a
good chance of out-living you. Few handguns have ever had the life
expectancy of this weapon. In firing your weapon, though, you must accept
the risk that any given round may be its last.

Ask yourself, if the weapon does fail on you, worst case, can you still
mount it on the wall, say "well, it had a great run!", and still be proud to
have it in your collection? Your answer to this question pretty much
answers your email.

If we can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me
or any member of the staff.

Respectfully,

Jim Petrie
410-278-3602

For Ed Heasley
Roy E. (Ed) Heasley
Deputy Director/Curator
U.S. Army Ordnance Museum
Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21005-5201

I have bolded the portions that I think are most pertinent to this discussion.

[Kreyzhorse]

I agree, buy two boxes of ammo, shoot a box, clean it and put it away. Continue the history.