pistols, cleaning, 1911, maintenanceWhat should I do to clean my 1911 pistol? Which parts require special attention? What goes into a detailed cleaning?
My weird method for cleaning after a field strip:
For the bore, I like to use a CLP like Gunzilla or BreakFree and a Boresnake. Just coat the inside of the barrel with the CLP, wait a few seconds, then run the snake through it a few times. If you’ve got really tough fouling, use some heavier solvent and a brass bore brush then follow up with the clp and snake.
I don’t like to use CLP on any other part of the 1911. I prefer to just use a penetrating oil that can build up over time. This means a bit more elbow grease trying to get the grime off, but that’s acceptable. I’ll talk about lubrication in a second.
Wipe down the outside of the barrel with a cloth that won’t leave lint. I actually really like those microfiber cloths that you use to clean monitors (see if you can pick some up in a bargain bin at an electronics store).
On the slide, pay close attention to the rails and the space under the hook of the extractor. Scrub the rails with a soft gun brush - not a brass one - and use a cotton swab to pull out the loosened carbon. Be sure to inspect closely for any loose strands of cotton. Use the brush to make sure there is no carbon built up under the extractor. Any other buildup should be clear to the naked eye and easy to clean out.
On the frame, focus again on the other set of rails and use the same method described above. Don’t forget the feed ramp! Anything else, again, should be pretty plain to see.
Be sure not to ignore the recoil spring. Inspect it and wipe off any gunk you find.
For lubricant, I like to use MILITEC-1. It will build up in the metal over time and makes the action of the 1911 smooth as glass whether you run it wet or dry. Set the slide straight up on a flat surface, apply a drop of MILITEC to the back of each rail and let it drip down. Apply a moderate amount of oil to the barrel and work it over the whole surface with your fingers. Don’t let any of this oil find its way into the bore! You shouldn’t leave an excess of oil on the surface of the barrel, but I like to keep it a little wet. Use a small amount of oil on the spring and work it over.
On Series 80 1911s, there’s a small “nub” on the frame just forward of the hammer that’s a part of the firing pin block. Push down on it and slowly let the spring push it back up. If its movement feels grainy or sticky, put a small drop of oil on it and work it up and down until it moves smoothly.
If the slide stop was difficult to extract, apply a tiny amount of oil to that.
That’s everything off the top of my head. You usually won’t need to detail strip a 1911, but it can’t hurt to do it a few times throughout the life of the gun. I’ll let someone more familiar with the process describe that part.
You usually won’t need to detail strip a 1911, but it can’t hurt to do it a few times throughout the life of the gun.
Agreed. The 1911 is an easy gun to detail strip and while the described cleaning protocol works well for 90+% of the gun’s needs, there are times a detail strip is a good idea:
Those two conditions will result in fouling in places that you can’t reach in the normal cleaning and it is a good idea to strip it all the way down to clean and inspect the small parts at times. When I lived in the southwest (Las Vegas) desert and spent a vast majority of the time shooting outdoors, the fine dust and sand always found its way into the nooks and crannies of my guns. My rule of thumb is that any time I changed springs (recoil, firing pin and to a lesser frequency, the mainspring) I detail stripped it and did a thorough cleaning. A good guide that shows how to detail strip a 1911:
http://www.m1911.org/stripin1.htm
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