Slide and Barrel

[JD45]

When I was cleaning my Kimber Classic .45 I noticed some new "wear marks" where the slide rubs against the barrel's chamber area. For a long time there was always a shiny spot in the very top of the slide, foward of the top lug recesses. Now, the spot has increased to include the left side(opposite of ejection port). So, instead of the former small spot up top being all I could see, now the mark covers over 120 degrees. Plus the barrel is getting a slight flat spot on the same side.

Is this normal wear? The pistol is bone-stock with a 15lb. recoil spring. I first saw this at around the 10,000rd. mark.

I was about to try some 12 and 14lb. springs, with and without different buffs. Now I'm not sure what to do.

[Carmoney]

Sounds like normal wear to me.

Don't know what loads you're using, but if everything's functioning correctly, I'd stay with the spring you're using.

I would pass on the buffs. They fundamentally serve to cushion (1) shooters' unfounded worries, and (2) their manufacturers' wallets.

To those who worship at the buffer alter: You only need to have one of these little plastic placebos shred one time and lock up your gun to see the light.

Mike

[Loves2Shoot]

Take a deep breath and relax, nothing is abnormal. 10K, you are just starting to get it broken in

[blkbrd]

In MYO. I happen to believe that buffs are great, they make the gun softer and keep the frame and slide from crashing together but this has been hashed over many times.

Do make sure the bottom curved side of the buff lets your barrel unlock far enough down to let the slide clear the hood, I end up trimming the lower surface of my buffs with a dremmel to fit the contour of the guide rod head.

You will get some marks no matter what, as its normal for the slide to brush the hood on the way back due to some play in the system. But you should not get any flat spots though.

[JD45]

That little spot on the left side that looks flat is what got me worried. I don't know if this means anything, but it is strange that I first noticed the new marks after shooting 500rds. without a shok-buff. Before that, a buff has always been in this pistol.

[Guest Larry Cazes]

No, this is not strange at all. Without the buff the unlocked slide throw is lengthened and you may see NEW wear patterns if you take out the buff. I personally run buffs in all of my guns because I don't like the metal to metal slide to frame contact that often occurs without them in lightly sprung 1911s like lots of us shoot. They're Cheap insurance.