[D.A.Mike]

I've got a Baer TRS. I absolutely love the gun. It's like a precision machine more so than just a weapon. I have about 1000 rounds through it and have found it to be absolutely reliable and dead-on accurate. However, the slide is still so tight that I can't even perform a simple press-check to verify the status of the chamber. How long does it usually take with Baer guns before they start to loosen up enough to where I don't have to "break" the action open? Should I do anything to speed the process along, or just let it wear in naturally?

 

[D.A.Mike]

Str8,
Yeah, mine has just recently gotten to the point where I can comfortably rack the slide back using my support hand in the manner taught for most administrative loads and falfunction clearance drills. At least I now know that it does get better after a few thousand rounds.

By the way, what do you guys use for lubricant? I can't seem to make up my mind between Break Free CLP, Tetra, or Zero Friction. I might try some of that Sentry Solutions stuff.
-Mike

 

[D.A.Mike]

Interesting. After reading your e-mail, as an experiment I decided to polish the barrel lugs slightly using a light polishing compound. Not enough to remove any metal, just to smooth out any bearing surfaces. I applied a little extra lubrication to the lugs before reassembling the gun (Tetra oil plus a little Tetra grease). This actually made a noticeable difference! I might go back for a more thorough polishing just to see if it takes the stiffness out entirely.

And you're right, the slide-to-frame fit isn't as tight as some would believe. The majoriy of the tight fit must be coming from the barrel fit and/or barrel link.

And BTW, I didn't wait 8 months (or any length of time) for the gun, as several shops in my area regularly stock this model. It has functioned flawlessly with every type of ammo I've put through it, so to say that it doesn't "work right" would be inaccurate. Even the price is a relatively good deal, IMO, compared to what you'd end up paying if you parted it out and had a gunsmith assemble everything from scratch. But I do agree that the Baer guns leave the factory unnecessarily tight in the barrel lockup.