Mamba, Kraken, or CWA?

[revolver45]

11 minutes ago, mpmo said:

I knew going in that my CWA might need a break in period.  It would suck to find that out once it was delivered, but Chet is pretty clear on this and it states it on his paperwork.  It took the full 800rds before it ran 100%.  

 

 

I have to be honest @revolver45.  Your post bothers me.  It's not buyer beware.  Maybe buyer be educated.  And if you are spending that kind of cash, and waiting months for a custom pistol, I do recommend knowing fully what you are getting into.  If he breaks it in, as advertised, shoots HV ammo, and it still doesn't work, than I can see 'buyer beware'...  If he didn't want a gun that was going to require a break-in period and prefers HV ammo, buy something else.  For me, it was well worth it and I enjoyed breaking it in.  I felt like I needed that amount of rounds through it before I wanted to bring it to a competition anyway.

 

I guess by this logic, it's buyer beware on my Glock 43.  I bought it and it won't fire 45acp.  

 

 

I have had many custom handguns built over the years. Mostly revolvers but a few 1911's. Never did any of the gunsmiths tell me there was a break in period. I really don't get having to put almost 1000 rounds through a gun to get it to operate 100%. What happens is it doesn't? Again, this is just my thoughts but something I feel pretty strongly about. 

[mpmo]

I get it.  It's not for you.  As a small business owner, I just didn't think the Buyer beware label was fair.  I can tell you that in the past 6 months, I have purchased 3 guns from different manufacturers that all recommended/required a break-in period.  It's not like CWA is the only custom maker out there that does this.  I'd guess (I'm not a smith so I don't know,) if Chet was willing to make his tolerances looser, it wouldn't require the break-in.  It's the tightest fitting slide to frame that I own. Combine that with a teeny tiny round with very little energy...

 

 

Edited January 9, 2022 by mpmo

[revolver45]

40 minutes ago, mpmo said:

I get it.  It's not for you.  As a small business owner, I just didn't think the Buyer beware label was fair.  I can tell you that in the past 6 months, I have purchased 3 guns from different manufacturers that all recommended/required a break-in period.  It's not like CWA is the only custom maker out there that does this.  I'd guess (I'm not a smith so I don't know,) if Chet was willing to make his tolerances looser, it wouldn't require the break-in.  It's the tightest fitting slide to frame that I own. Combine that with a teeny tiny round with very little energy...

 

 

Listen. I'm a business owner too. Actually, I own three, although i dont know what that has to do with this, but, lets go there. If I gave my clients a product that they paid top dollar for and then told them to put it through a trial period to get it to where you paid me to bring it to in the first place, they wouldn't be a  customer for long. I understand that CWA is a great product,  but hear this. Last year at the ECSC. I witnessed 3 competitors have jamming problems with their equipment on a regular basis.  All three were using CWA, and yes, they all said "it's not broken in yet". You may accept that, I don't.  For the last time. This is my opinion.  

[AzShooter]

When you buy a new car you are supposed to drive it at a reduced speed for the first 1000 miles.  No one seems to do it but that's what they recommend.

 

Even my Ruger Mark IV needed a break-in period.  I was told to put 500 - 1000 rounds of CCI Mini Mags through it before I could count on it for my go-to Steel Challenge Gun.  Now it's reliable as can be. 

 

Lost of 22 manufactures recommend using HV ammo to break them in.  My Walther P22 is one.  

 

If the gunsmith or manufacturer produced a new gun that worked 100% flawlessly from the start you can expect prices to be much higher.

[Flatland Shooter]

24 minutes ago, AzShooter said:

When you buy a new car you are supposed to drive it at a reduced speed for the first 1000 miles.  No one seems to do it but that's what they recommend.

 

Even my Ruger Mark IV needed a break-in period.  I was told to put 500 - 1000 rounds of CCI Mini Mags through it before I could count on it for my go-to Steel Challenge Gun.  Now it's reliable as can be. 

   

I'm one of those odd folks that do follow the auto manufacturer's recommendations.  Moderate speeds at various intervals so far has worked for me.  But that's beside the point.

 

For Christmas I received a new Steel Challenge gun that I need to break in properly.  What are the recommendations?   How often should the gun be cleaned during the first 1000 rounds?

 

Thanks.

[zzt]

13 hours ago, Flatland Shooter said:

For Christmas I received a new Steel Challenge gun that I need to break in properly.  What are the recommendations?   How often should the gun be cleaned during the first 1000 rounds?

 

Clean the gun super thoroughly before you fire it the first time.  Use a good quality lube and run the gun wet.  If you are not having excessive problems, don't clean it until it starts running dry.  Alternately, just add more oil and keep going.  The powder residue and oil make a nice lapping compound.  After you clean it, lube normally and continue.  If you are not having any issues, clean earlier.

 

I consider a gun broken in if I can fire 500 rounds without a failure not caused by dud ammo.  I clean my gun after each 6 or 8 stage match.

[Flatland Shooter]

6 hours ago, zzt said:

Clean the gun super thoroughly before you fire it the first time. 

 

Thank you sir.   Any additional advice for a home built 10/22? (Got one of these too.)

[zzt]

1 hour ago, Flatland Shooter said:

 

Thank you sir.   Any additional advice for a home built 10/22? (Got one of these too.)

 

Not really.  I've only ever built one 10/22 and it ran from day one.  There really is no breaking in as long as everything is finished properly.  If not, polish everything, then shoot.

 

I will say that extractors seem to be a weak link.  Put in a Kidd, TK or VQ so you don't have any issues.  I'm also partial to the Kidd firing pin and super slick guide rod.

[apoc4lypse]

On Ruger 10/22s I'd spring for an anodized receiver like on the satin stainless guns.  The black painted receivers have a lot of overspray that can roughen up the bolt stroke. 

 

On the cheaper 10/22 I bought, I removed the overspray with acetone and polished the inside with sandpaper and it still wasn't 100% reliable even with the Kidd guide rod.  On my T/CR with an anodized receiver, it was close to 100% even with the stock parts.

[revolver45]

13 minutes ago, apoc4lypse said:

On Ruger 10/22s I'd spring for an anodized receiver like on the satin stainless guns.  The black painted receivers have a lot of overspray that can roughen up the bolt stroke. 

 

On the cheaper 10/22 I bought, I removed the overspray with acetone and polished the inside with sandpaper and it still wasn't 100% reliable even with the Kidd guide rod.  On my T/CR with an anodized receiver, it was close to 100% even with the stock parts.

I'll have to agree. I bought two Volquartsen LW rifles. One with the Stainless receiver and one with the Aluminum coated receiver.  The stainless one with the natural finish ran flawlessly while the aluminum one took a break-in period which convinced me to sell it off.  

23 hours ago, AzShooter said:

When you buy a new car you are supposed to drive it at a reduced speed for the first 1000 miles.  No one seems to do it but that's what they recommend.

 

Even my Ruger Mark IV needed a break-in period.  I was told to put 500 - 1000 rounds of CCI Mini Mags through it before I could count on it for my go-to Steel Challenge Gun.  Now it's reliable as can be. 

 

Lost of 22 manufactures recommend using HV ammo to break them in.  My Walther P22 is one.  

 

If the gunsmith or manufacturer produced a new gun that worked 100% flawlessly from the start you can expect prices to be much higher.

 

[Flatland Shooter]

1 hour ago, zzt said:

I will say that extractors seem to be a weak link.  Put in a Kidd, TK or VQ so you don't have any issues.  I'm also partial to the Kidd firing pin and super slick guide rod.

 

17 minutes ago, apoc4lypse said:

On Ruger 10/22s I'd spring for an anodized receiver like on the satin stainless guns.  The black painted receivers have a lot of overspray that can roughen up the bolt stroke. 

 

As for the 10/22 internals, I stuck with all Kidd parts and their single stage trigger so I should be good to go. For a barrel I went with a Briley Raptor.

 

On the receivers, I picked up a couple of the Brownells 10/22 receivers and overspray does not appear to be a problem.

 

If the weather holds out, I hope to break in these guns later this week.

 

Thanks for the input.

[apoc4lypse]

1 hour ago, Flatland Shooter said:

On the receivers, I picked up a couple of the Brownells 10/22 receivers and overspray does not appear to be a problem.

 

I do believe the Brownells BRN-22 receivers are anodized so you should be good to go.   I would get one but for whatever reason they don't do FFL transfers to Bass Pro where I get transfers for free, so I never sprung for one.  Let us know how it runs for you.

[lgh]

19 hours ago, Flatland Shooter said:

As for the 10/22 internals, I stuck with all Kidd parts and their single stage trigger so I should be good to go. For a barrel I went with a Briley Raptor.

 

On the receivers, I picked up a couple of the Brownells 10/22 receivers and overspray does not appear to be a problem.

Current build is with a Kidd receiver but I'm thinking of getting one of the Brownell receivers for another 10/22 build. So let us know how it goes.

 

I am also getting the Briley Raptor barrel. There are so many reports of its reliability with all ammo. Gotta like that when you never know what ammo you can get.

[zzt]

10 minutes ago, lgh said:

I am also getting the Briley Raptor barrel. There are so many reports of its reliability with all ammo. Gotta like that when you never know what ammo you can get.

 

You'll love it.  Mine does eat anything, including the two brands that turned my RFPO into a single shot.  I was initially hesitant because of the 'loose' chamber.  Turns out it is plenty accurate enough for steel challenge.  With MiniMags it is just as accurate as the Wiland barrel with Benz chamber it replaced.

[BentAero]

So, back to the optics and Mamba X upper that we touched on earlier... With the X, there are three optic mount choices; rear, middle, and forward.

I've only shot it yet with the optic on the rearward position. What are the pros and cons of rear/middle/front?

Though the muzzle rise and rotational force is minimal, I'm wondering if the 'pivot' point is farther forward and the optic would be more stable in the center position?

[AzShooter]

My C-More Railway forces me to have the optic in the middle.  I like the field of view and can see more of the target array then when I shot with a rear mounted sight.  The window appears smaller but I can see more of the target when I'm tracking to the next one.

 

On the newer Mamba X upper it depends.  Forward affects balance while rear allows more muzzle flip.  Just my opinion.  YMMV.

 

[jrdoran]

Having the optic closer to the shooter will give your faster target acquisition.    On my scorpion I even modified the rail mount for the c-more to move it farther back. 

 

I have never heard of using the optic mounting location as a means to manage muzzle flip.  I guess you could think of it as a weight that you can customize, but seems like the wrong approach in choosing where to mount the optic.   

 

Note how I took 1/3 of the rail mount off and yet still have the 2 mounting screws.  It is a PITA to clean because I need to remove the mount.    For me, this made a huge different.      Ignore the file marks on the mount.  With a new coat of paint on the mount it looks great.  

 

PS, the grip tape helps me lock in my thumbs forward facing.  I'm a lefty shooter. 

 

 

 

 

 

Stock comparison: 

 

 

Edited January 13, 2022 by jrdoran
added pic

[apoc4lypse]

1 hour ago, jrdoran said:

It is a PITA to clean because I need to remove the mount.

 

Why do you remove the mount to clean?  Is it just so you don't get solvent on the optic?

 

I just put a plastic bag over it and rubber band it shut while cleaning to prevent that.