Am I cleaning this thing wrong??

[schadenfreude]

I was cleaning my 1911 today and my Brother was over and he said I was doing it all wrong. He was pretty peeved with how I was cleaning it so I thought I would run it by you folks.

I completely detail strip the pistol. Everything is taken apart and laying out on an old Tshirt that I use as my cleaning mat.

Then I spray everything down with a liberal coat of Mpro7 and let it sit for a minute. Then I take each part and scrub it down with a toothbrush and then wipe it clean with a red rag and Q tips so it's dry.

I use some Hoppes solvent on the barrel and run a Bore snake through it 3 times. (he had the most problem with that) Then wipe everything dry like the rest.


Then I take Outers Tri-Lube ans spray everything down with it. Pretty liberally. I start reassembling everything while they are wet and my hands and a rang get some of the lube off. I put some thicker oil from Hoppes on the link and the rails. Once it's all together I wipe any seeping or excess lube off of the exterior.

Thats it.

He said I shouldn't leave most of those parts "wet" and that the bore snake is crap. He said taking it apart completely that often might get it clean but it wears stuff down. On and on and on.


What do you think?

 

[tc300mag1]

I would dry the parts off my self and i dont tear it apart everytime just after its had 500-1k rounds though it then dependings on how dirty it looks like i will or wont Detail strip if you like doing it that way i would.

Some claim it will wear parts out fast i dont know im sure someone else can say but if you like doing it that way and it makes ya happy then keep doing it

 

[cordex]

It is a bit much. Detail stripping the gun every time you clean it is unnecessary.

Leaving internals wet with oil isn't a real problem unless you plan on using your gun in a sandstorm or rarely clean them as the oil will hold dust.

Bore snakes are fine.

My opinions:
Knock off the slide, swab the bore, scrub the breech face, feed ramp and anywhere you see a substantial amount of fouling, wipe down the rails, give a light coat of oil for the rails and you should be good to go. I think you'll find that detail stripping is very rarely required. Maybe once or twice a year, if you're really concerned with keeping it really clean. More, if you really use your gun a lot, or use it in a very dirty environment. Your brother's concern about wearing stuff down is understandable and a potential problem, I'd slow up on it.

 

[sm]

I don't clean my bores, except if plunked into sand, snow, mud...
I am more concerned with chambers, extraction, the magazine being clean and dry.
I inspect and maintain, springs get replaced( mags as well) as that gun's maint schedule dictates.

Usually dry brush, lube with oil if need. 1k rds or so I take slide off and looksee. 2500 or so I get more detailed.

I haven't cleaned my guns since last year...I'm speaking of CCW guns here. Lessee one I ran 400 rds and the other 300 since first of year. Wipe off exterior, maybe check for nelphs, and such add oil ....

My guns run. They are inspected and maintained. I don't do wonder lubes or mouse milks. They are reliable.

Do what your gun needs when it needs it. Whatever you are comfortable with.

Me, it is only a tool, I don't worry about it.

 

[pignock]

I do what cordex said and add only pulling the extractor from the slide to make sure I get all the gunk out from under it ... and occasionally the firing pin for the same reason.

 

[RGO]

I do think that detail stripping is excessive for every cleaning. My take on cleaning:
Cleaning

 

[Shootcraps]

Your cleaning system sounds very thorough. To give you a better opinion, you should come over to my place and try that on all my guns.

 

[1911Tuner]

Squeaky Clean

Howdy, (Can't remember how to spell that nic)

A detail-strip after every session won't wear anything out, and it's good
practice. If the gun is a "Range Use Only" gun it's not necessary to detail
it more often than every 1,500-2,500 rounds...depending on the ammo. Since I shoot mostly cast bullets, mine gets stripped more often. If
you simply like to detail-strip the gun, go for it!

A carry gun is different. You want that beast to sparkle. I rotate carry
guns every 3 months. I shoot the one in service with the ammo that's
with it, including the spare magazines...detail and clean it, and store it
apart to let the springs relax. I field-strip after every session, and do a
cursory cleaning and re-oil the rails, locking lugs, link, barrel bushing,
and a drop or two in the hammer/sear area. Don't forget a drop around
the mag catch and top of the disconnect, and work it in by moving them.
A light smear on the cocking rail (disconnector rail) is good.

You might want to lighten up a little on the heavy lube. Oil is a dirt magnet,
and it will hold dust and grit in suspension, forming a very efficient lapping
compound. Just a light film will do, and go very light on carry guns.

Range pistols get a drop or two of oil in the rails every 100 rounds or so
while the slide is locked to let the gun cool. Prop it up to let the oil run into the rails for a few minutes. My range battery is normally at least two pistols, so I can shoot one while one is cooling/oiling.

Carry guns get a drop every 2-3 days, and are field-stripped twice a month
and lint/dust wiped. Don't oil your firing pins heavily on range guns and
not at all on carry guns. Just a little rubbed off your fingers to the outside of the spring is all. Oil will run down the pin through the hole, and onto the prmer. Some oils have aggressive penetrating qualities, and the laquer
seal may not keep it from killing the primer. Likewise for magazines.
Dry inside, with just a bare minimum on the spring.

Cheers!
Tuner

 

[c_yeager]

There isnt really anything WRONG with how your cleaning your gun. Its more than i would ever do myself. But, its YOUR gun. You may be over-lubricating it though. As 1911tuner says leaving things "wet" like that can attract a lot of crud. That crud can jam things up in a nasty way. And it can even stuck to moving parts and act as an abrasive and excellerate wear, in other words completely defeating the purpose of oiling in the first place. Of course if you detail strip it that often it wont have time to accumulate too much filth anyways.

 

[Captain Bligh]

I agree that it sounds like you're leaving it too wet w/ lube. After I clean and have most of the solvent off with a dry patch. I run an oiled patch over the barrel and other surfaces. Then I lighly put a few drop of oil on the rails and the barrel link

Oil shouldn't be dripping off/out of a 1911 and if you get oil spray on your glasses when the slide cycles upon shooting, you know you've done too much.

I'm no fan of bore snakes but it's merely personal preference; I don't think there is anything wrong with them either. And, I'm too lazy to detail strip like that although I do field strip and clean after each shooting session.

Randy