Newbie asks: how often should I clean my 1911?

[guywithfastcar]

Hello folks,

I have a Springfield 1911 Loaded model. I have put roughly 1000 rounds through the firearm and have had almost no failures (except when experimenting with cheap ammo). After the range, I always remove the slide, clean and lube the barrel, clean/lube the contact points between the slide and the frame, and lube the hammer. I've never taken apart the trigger mechanism or the firing pin/bolt assembly, however they don't appear to be dirty at all. Is that something that I should regularly do? There doesn't seem to be any instructions in the manual for this, should I bring it to a gun smith? Also, are there any parts in the 1911 I should replace on a regular basis, ie: the recoil spring? Thanks for the help gents!

Brian

 

[meanmrmustard]

I clean after every range trip, then detail clean every 1000 rounds, only because I'm anal.

 

[10-96]

All those mysterious innards you cant see- well gunk can't see em either. Like with anything, you can clean as dilligently as you wish. But the reason no info is in the manuals is simply because running them until you have a problem is quite acceptable. You'll likely be able to run way beyond 20K rounds before you even notice a problem in there. It really doesn't get all that dirty in the mysterious innards- not to the point it causes malfunctions. I suspect one of the biggest problems in there is over lubrication with the wrong stuff. Long before you have any problems within the frame, you may have to clean out the firing pin and extractor channels in the slide.

Keep doing what you're doing, shoot long, and prosper.

Oh, springs and such- I only begin to worry over my recoil spring after 5k rounds or so- then it's just a matter of feeling for and looking for excessive battering.

 

[guywithfastcar]

You guys are awesome... and fast at responding! I'm currently using FP-10 cleaner/lubricant and I'm very happy with it.

 

[mbopp]

I dove in and detail stripped mine at 2500 rounds or so.
My field strip procedure includes removing and cleaning the FPS (firing pin stop), firing pin, extractor, and associated channels and openings.

 

[shiftyer1]

Some clean little some clean alot. I tend to clean mine when the mood hits or if I have problems. I oil more often than clean. Both ways are acceptable

 

[Nushif]

I tend to clean mine when the mood hits or if I have problems.

That pretty much describes me and my Philippino 1911.

 

[iblong]

This depends on how much I shoot it,If Im shooting IDPA,Ill do a complete tear down once a year.Ill pull the fireing pin and extractor every six mo.and
clean them.I do the standard field strip after any shooting or match.
More often if I notice any issues with function.
Note If Im shooting a lot of cast I do take more care with my cleanning as I run my 1911's fairly wet and the lube can gum them up quite a bit.

 

[71Commander]

Somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 rounds if it needs it or not.

 

[Sam1911]

Agreed with the general consensus. I field strip and clean the barrel, breechface, feed ramp, slide rails (the general stuff) every 500-1,000 rounds. I'll detail strip and clean the trigger, disconnector, sear, mainspring housing, mag catch, and all the channels & raceways where those things live probably once a year if I've been shooting the gun much.

 

[RickMD]

I field strip and clean my Colts after each shooting session. I've never completely disassembled any of them. I prefer to simply field strip and soak the slide and frame in paint thinner or naptha overnight every year or two. All the crud seems to come out in the solvent. They've all been running for years without the slightest problem.

 

[TonyT]

guywithfastcar,
That's about all I do will all my 1911's. In addition about once every year or two I clean out the firing pin and extractor channels.

 

[dakotaTex]

Here in Texas when I shoot outdoors in the summer, I pull the grips and wipe down the gun with CLP after every outing. Otherwise, I've had some corrosion form under the grips due to all the sweat that ends up on the gun. I no longer use rubber wrap around grips in the summer for this reason - they trapped sweat against the frame.

Don't forget about changing out the springs every 3000 rounds or so as well. The first time I did a complete spring job I watched several Youtube videos including a great 3D animation on 1911 detail stripping. Made it much easier. I like stripping down a 1911. While it can add to wear and tear, it really helps me appreciate the genius of the design and for me, it's a great way to relax. I have a 10-8 armorer's block that makes the whole job a lot easier.


DakotaTex

 

[Drail]

Wood grips will do the same thing if sweat wicks under them. Some people's sweat is very very corrosive and some not so much. A friend I used to shoot with had sweat that could cause rust pitting on a stainless gun in 30 minutes or less. You have to protect the metal under the grips just like rest of the gun. And yeah, that means you get to remove and replace the grips a lot but that's the breaks. When I used to do gun work it was extremely common to see rust under the grips. Every gun owner should learn to detail strip all of their guns, it's not that hard and it allows you to keep track of wear, cracks forming and peening of the locking lugs. If you've never pulled an extractor and seen all of the crud that ends up inside the housing you would be amazed. And it can stop a gun when it reaches the point where the extractor no longer has any room to flex.

 

[tuj]

Also, are there any parts in the 1911 I should replace on a regular basis, ie: the recoil spring?

I like to keep a spare recoil spring around and compare that to the length of the spring in the gun. If the spring has shortened noticeably, I replace it. Same thing with firing pin spring.

 

[Okiegunner]

Clean

When I was in the military, it was pounded into our heads...Clean and oil everytime you fire the weopon!! Every time!! Regardless of what people tell you. Clean and oil your gun!!

1911 platform, AK platform , M-4, etc., field strip, clean, and oil your firearms.

 

[guywithfastcar]

Thanks again for all the info guys, I'll order up some springs, check below my grips, and learn to detail strip it!

 

[cavman]

1911

There is a guy from Canada I think who made three YouTube videos. Type in brentnowell into the YouTube search. I think they are pretty good.

There is one to disassemble and two to put it back together

 

[Shoobee]

Every shooting day ends for me with a cleaning evening.

I field strip the weapon as recommended by the instruction manual (you can get these online too).

Most parts I will soak in bore cleaner, except for the trigger spring mechanisms.

The trigger spring mechanisms I will swab with a patch soaked in oil.

Then I wipe everything dry.

Naptha (white gasoline) is a closely guarded secret of the military. But they don't use this on their weapons every day, only about once each year before a major inspection. Lighter fluid works well also.

The only thing I lube is moving parts, the slide and bolt contact points, with clear silicone grease.

If I don't shoot a particular firearm for awhile, I clean it once each year at least.

About every 3 years I will bring a firearm back to the gunsmith for a detailed stripping and replacement of all springs or worn/corroded parts.

 

[xXxplosive]

A clean gun is an accurate gun.........

 

[Jim PHL]

I try to field strip and clean/lube with CLP after every trip to the range. I've never gone further than that and never had a problem.

 

[Sam1911]

A clean gun is an accurate gun.........

Not really. Most guns fire more accurately after a "fouling shot" or three. And I've yet to find any modern, smokeless powder, gun that showed noticable accuracy degredation after any "reasonable" number of shots. (Read, hundreds.)

Few match shooters clean their guns, especially the bores, after every session. .22 precision guys generally NEVER clean.

And there's another angle:

WHY would you trust a gun that had just been disassembled and reassembled? Would you not be significantly safer with a gun that had been (at least) function fired a few mags' worth to make sure everything went back as it should have and no extra bits of cleaning rag, bristles, debris, etc. got lodged somewhere they shouldn't have?

I don't ever take a freshly-cleaned gun to a match -- that's just begging to find that some pin wasn't seated fully or that I managed to put a spring in backward. I always put at least a week's practice session through the gun before an important shoot.

Why would carrying a defensive gun be any different?

Clean guns are NOT to be trusted!

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Clean after firing. Periodically, while the gun is stripped, flush out the frame (without disassembly) with brake cleaner or a similar product, let dry and use a light oil in there. More guns are worn out by stripping and cleaning than by shooting.

 

[coalman]

I'd clean an SD gun once fired. Range blasters when the stop running right... or whenever. Game guns before gaming.

 

[RickMD]

More guns are worn out by stripping and cleaning than by shooting.

This is the most intelligent statement on this thread. I noticed years ago that the guys at my club who have trouble with their firearms tend to be the tinkerers and kitchen table gunsmiths who can't resist screwing up perfectly good firearms.