[Dr.Mall Ninja]

this is is going to show how much i know, i just bought 1911 and it is covered in this filmy stuff, im guessing i need to get it off before i shoot it, what do i use and i just need to field strip it or take it all apart(scared i cant put it back together)

[mljdeckard]

What kind of 1911? (I'm trying to see if it's a regular preservative or cosmoline.)

[Zach S]

Gooey? Sounds like cosmoline. A lot of mil-surp stuff is packed in it.

I'd detail strip it and clean it with non-chlorinated brake cleaner.

Dont worry about getting it together wrong. About the only two things you can screw up are putting the sear spring in wrong (under the sear instead of on top of it). If you dont take the hammer off of the hammer strut you arent going to get any pins mixed up.

Its not hard to do, I figured it out with my first 1911 in a matter of minutes. Directions can be found online, probably even youtube. Colt Series 80 and Kimber Series II makes things a little more complicated, but still doable.

[Dr.Mall Ninja]

its a rock island armory, defintely not mil-surp

[mljdeckard]

I don't recommend detail stripping on a new gun if you're not experienced in doing it. (If you think you are ok, go ahead, but if you get STUCK, don't FORCE it back together.) I might say go as far as to tell you to take off the grip panels. BE CAREFUL to ONLY take off the grip screws, and NOT the thread nuts screwed into the frame. If you take one of those out, and then cross-thread it putting it back in, you have just ruined the frame, you have to toss it or take it to a gunsmith to have a different size drilled and tapped. (I loc-tite mine in and never take them out again.) When the grip panels are off, you can use whatever you want. Dishsoap and warm water are probably the easiest. get a cloth and a toothbrushand get ready to go to work. Field strip it, (search youtube for directions if you don't know how, it seems tricky the first few times, but after you figure it out you will be able to literally do it with your eyes closed.)

The trick to soap and water is, you must let it dry THOROUGHLY. Water doesn't rust guns. Water left in parts where it can't evaporate rusts guns. I would use water as hot as you can handle with just a little bit of soap. You need to get all gunk out of all surfaces you can touch at all. When no more black comes off of ANYTHING, rinse the parts with straight hot water. I would use a blow-dryer to accelerate drying. When it is COMPLETELY dry, go ahead and reassemble. There a bajillion threads on oiling pistols if you search, I live in the desert, so it's a very minimal amount of oil (I use Mobil 1 5w30 full synthetic) on the surfaces where motion is obvious, the rails, the inside of the bushing, the locking lugs (those are the stripe things on the barrel in front of the chamber that match with the ones on the inside of the slide,) and I finger moisten the slide-stop rod where it goes into the swing-link. Moisten the surfaces of the moving parts of the hammer and safeties. Understand, you have just stripped ALL lube off of the gun, so the first few times you play with it (Yes, I KNOW you are going to take it out and play with it) replace the lube.

I am ONLY saying to do it this way the first time because you need to completely get rid of whatever that stuff is. I DO NOT recommend scrubbing the gun with soap and water every time you clean it.

[sheepdog]

...thanks for that good dope...it'll save a lotta grief!!!