Cleaning a Pistol (1911) 56k No Way!

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Let me see how this goes. Post comments about anything unclear or something I omitted. Cleaning is a very touchy subject everyone has their own way and what they do so bear in mind. I will say this that if you have access to an air compressor it is a great thing to have to blow dirt out of small pieces. When I decide to to an armorer level cleaning I go to my brother's house and use the compressor. This what I have described is just a good general cleaning that you can do every time you shoot or about every three like me. :mrgreen:

1. Gather your supplies. I use my trusty army issue cleaning kit, Newspapers, rubber gloves, Q.tips, bore snake, and some old tshirts.
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2. I use both Hoppes No. 9 and Break Free. I clean with break free and condition with Hoppes.

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3. Make sure weapon is clear. This is a Kimber Custom II.

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4.Disassembly is critical use supplied bushing wrench to remove the recoil sping plug/plunger from the recoil spring. The spring has a lot of tension so please be careful.

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5. Slide the slide to the half moon notch so you can remove the slide release.
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6. This is a disassembled 1911.

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7.I clean from the bottom up Lower receiver, Slide, small parts, then barrel.

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8. I spray a good amount of Breakfree onto the worst areas and the scrub with multipurpose brush and wipe with a t-shirt till clean.

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9. I use Hoppes on a q-tip for final detail work.
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10. I use a brass brush to do a good clean-up of the firing pin face plate.
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11. The small pieces get some Hoppes on them then wiped dry.
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12. Barrel, lots of schools of thought on what works best. I like a cleaning snake. I double mine up since it is made for a .22 to clean the barrel.
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13. Reassembly Barrel in the slide.
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seat the guide rod.


Put recoil spring on guide rod, the spring should grip the rod.
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Lower receiver on the slide taken to the half moon notch.
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Put safety on for final assembly. Using bushing wrench to put in plug and lock in with bushing.
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14. Function check cock weapon release safety, squeeze trigger, weapon should fire. Step 2. Holding trigger cycle the weapon. When trigger listen for a metallic thunk, the fire weapon.


15. Final wipe down with silicone cloth an in a gun sock it goes and back to the safe.
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Last edited by Paladin on Tue May 26, 2009 7:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
An intellectual is someone that can change their mind after being given enough evidence.

“ I nearly murdered somebody, and it made me realise that you can't face violence with violence. It doesn't work. ”

—Joe Strummer

Re: Cleaning a Pistol (1911) 56k No Way!

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Paladin wrote:Thanks I saw Photobucket has a size feature for up loading I will adjust that.
No problem, I left the pictures to be pretty large - 800xsomething. Thats why the page still takes a while to load.

Still... nice post. :)
"The waves which dash on the shore are, one by one, broken; but yet the ocean conquers nevertheless."
- Lord Byron

Re: Cleaning a Pistol (1911) 56k No Way!

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Nicely done Paladin. Fine looking handgun. Got my eye on a TLE for $964.00

As you suggest there are a thousand ways to clean a handgun, just ask a thousand proud 1911 owners. It seems everyone--especially the new owner--wants to know the best solvent and the best lube to use. I read a recent post that wisely stated it matters not what products one uses as much as it matters that one uses them at all as intended on a regular basis.

Maintenance schedules then ignite another flash-point resulting in long, sometimes contentious threads. Depending on manufacturer and spec tightness, I've read do not do a field-strip clean until 100 rounds, 200 rounds, 500 rounds, even 1,000 rounds.

Still more confusion set in when I researched rifle barrel break-in procedure, finding a labyrinthine world of instruction to "shoot one bullet and clean after each round until ten rounds, then clean once every five rounds until twenty rounds, then once every ten rounds until one hundred rounds..." and variations thereof.

For 1911 advice, I decided to cut through the maze and phoned Kart Precision Barrel Corp. and talked with Fred, who chuckled at my naivete and implored me to "Shoot the hell out of it." When the gun wears-in after "a couple-hunnert rounds" then field strip and clean.

Feeling my head clearing, I next phoned Rock River Arms for AR-15 barrel break-in advice and talked to B.J., who told me that RRAs hand-laps their AR barrels before they ship thus no break-in is required. Clean after every range session is a good rule if you need a rule, otherwise clean when it's dirty.

Both these men's common-sense approach literally wiped clean days of online contradictions I'd waded through.

But then I found this on 1911 maintenance during the break-in period: Every hundred rounds oil (with FP-10) the barrel, barrel hood, slide rails and disconnector rail.

And finally this is my own labyrinthine way of asking: Just what and where is the 'disconnector rail?' My local gun shop clerk pointed vaguely to the area on the under-slide, but clearly was struggling when he finally suggested I check the exploded schematic; which I did only to find more 'Huh?'

Anyone clue me in?

p.s: I found a step-by-step cleaning tutorial on one of the AR sites that echo's Paladin's compressed air tactic. While I haven't tried it yet I'm wondering if the poor man's solution of using canned air like Dust-Off for computers might do in a pinch.

Re: Cleaning a Pistol (1911) 56k No Way!

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I tried the compressed air can and what happens it freezes up and does not do it right. The can is meant for a short burst not a sustained opening that it takes to blow crap out.


The disconnector is inside the lower receiver. When I did the function check that is what makes the metallic click.

Unless you are a gunsmith there is no reason to ever see the thing. I never heard the term rail unless they think the ejector is some type of rail.

I have noticed with most hobbiest they like to flaunt their jargon over you to feel superior.
An intellectual is someone that can change their mind after being given enough evidence.

“ I nearly murdered somebody, and it made me realise that you can't face violence with violence. It doesn't work. ”

—Joe Strummer

Re: Cleaning a Pistol (1911) 56k No Way!

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[I have noticed with most hobbiest they like to flaunt their jargon over you to feel superior.]

I've noticed this too in sampling my area gun shops. Not to be overtly ageist, but in the microcosmic orbit of my gun world it seems there's a correlation between some of the bored, elderly clerks and their tolerance for my incessant questions, whereas the younger guys'll talk to you all day.

Since canned air is inadequate and a compressor not in my immediate financial future, I wonder how the corner Marathon station would react to me using their air hose to blast the crud from my 1911... :oops:

Re: Cleaning a Pistol (1911) 56k No Way!

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FWIW, I have a good compressor, but have never had the need to use it to blow crudue out of my guns. I just use an aeresol can of Birchwood-Casey Gun Scrubber or something similar. This has the benefit of chemical and mechanical removal, as well as leaving a clean degreased surface to lightly oil.

Mind you, some of those spray solvents don't interact well with wood finishes, so caveat emptor, always.

Re: Cleaning a Pistol (1911) 56k No Way!

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Very cool, the exact same gun I got. So this is helpful. I got mine for pretty cheap and it has some more wear to it, there is a very very small "chip" around the mouth of the barrel. I dunno if it is manufacture or not, that is how clean it and small it looks. Anyway, great guide, I just cleaned my gun with the materials I had (rem oil, hoppes, an electric toothbrush, some cloth). But I gotta scrounge up my gun cleaning kit.

I hear gun-grease is better for 1911, any opinions on this?

Re: Cleaning a Pistol (1911) 56k No Way!

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hoboboxerjoe wrote:Very cool, the exact same gun I got. So this is helpful. I got mine for pretty cheap and it has some more wear to it, there is a very very small "chip" around the mouth of the barrel. I dunno if it is manufacture or not, that is how clean it and small it looks. Anyway, great guide, I just cleaned my gun with the materials I had (rem oil, hoppes, an electric toothbrush, some cloth). But I gotta scrounge up my gun cleaning kit.

I hear gun-grease is better for 1911, any opinions on this?

A debate on works best for cleaning/lube can go on forever use what you like I have never tried gun grease.
An intellectual is someone that can change their mind after being given enough evidence.

“ I nearly murdered somebody, and it made me realise that you can't face violence with violence. It doesn't work. ”

—Joe Strummer

Re: Cleaning a Pistol (1911) 56k No Way!

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Gotcha, I really wish I could post a picture of this little "nick" or "chip" around where the bullet feeds into the mouth of the barrel. So far I don't THINK it has caused my any problems. I had a few FTEs in about 300 rounds since getting it, but the last time I was just more firm, fixed my recoil anticipation, limp-wristing. And I had no issues, this girl I took with had a few of the same issues, until I corrected her, then same thing. As far as I remember.

However, I often keep the gun fully-loaded and almost every day I eject a round and put in snap caps and practice, or sometimes not if they are getting too chewed up. I figure it snap-caps are more a creature comfort and dry-firing without should not hard the pin. But I digress, these speer gold-dot hollow pointers I use (Which last I checked all cycle through flawlessly) are getting a bit chewed up after so many times of roung-checking and cycling. Anyone have any pics or links to pics with over-chewed casings and ammo that is not unusuable, or perhaps pictures of the mouth of their Kimber match grade barrels and any nicks they might have. A

Again this hasn't caused any problems insofar as I know of. And I did know almost the same amount of "ammo-chewage" on my former Springfield XDm .40. So I wonder if I'm just being overly paranoid. The thing hasn't expanded or anything after 400+ rounds so far. I really need to try putting about 300+ downrange at once with just one lubbing and see how it does. If it performs flawlessly or maybe even one small hiccup near the end then that is good for me. Although with a piece like this you should get perfect performance every time. After what you paid for it.

Although I trust my life to this gun absolutely right now as It did just save my life.

Re: Cleaning a Pistol (1911) 56k No Way!

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Rob wrote:[I have noticed with most hobbiest they like to flaunt their jargon over you to feel superior.]

I've noticed this too in sampling my area gun shops. Not to be overtly ageist, but in the microcosmic orbit of my gun world it seems there's a correlation between some of the bored, elderly clerks and their tolerance for my incessant questions, whereas the younger guys'll talk to you all day.

Since canned air is inadequate and a compressor not in my immediate financial future, I wonder how the corner Marathon station would react to me using their air hose to blast the crud from my 1911... :oops:
An excellent way to meet officer not-so-friendly! :lol:
I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America, and to the Republic that it established: one Nation out of many Peoples with Liberty and Justice for all.

Re: Cleaning a Pistol (1911) 56k No Way!

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Dumb Question: I've got a Combat Commander, 4.25" barrel. Bought it new around '95. Clean it after every trip out. I've never needed anything in the way of a tool to take it apart. I press the spring cover down with a finger then twist the bushing. I never thought the recoil spring was weak but should it be stiff enough to need a bushing wrench?
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Puffing up is no substitute for smarts but it's a common home remedy

Re: Cleaning a Pistol (1911) 56k No Way!

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I've never used one with a Colt but my Kimber it is a bear without it. Maybe over time it will loosen but now I like it.
An intellectual is someone that can change their mind after being given enough evidence.

“ I nearly murdered somebody, and it made me realise that you can't face violence with violence. It doesn't work. ”

—Joe Strummer

Re: Cleaning a Pistol (1911) 56k No Way!

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Simmer down wrote:Dumb Question: I've got a Combat Commander, 4.25" barrel. Bought it new around '95. Clean it after every trip out. I've never needed anything in the way of a tool to take it apart. I press the spring cover down with a finger then twist the bushing. I never thought the recoil spring was weak but should it be stiff enough to need a bushing wrench?
Don't worry about it. Your Commander has either a 16 or 18 pound spring and you can depress this with your finger. The barrel bushing is also loose enough that you can turn it by hand without a wrench. This is how the gun was designed. There is tremendous variation in .45s depending on their intended use and springs vary in weight from 14 pounds to 24 pounds. Kimbers are built a little tighter with heavier springs. .45s vary from very loose [military guns] to comp guns that are so tight you must have special tools to even field strip them. Kimbers tend to be tight for factory guns. However, a $3,000 plus comp gun is much tighter than even a Kimber. I built a comp gun for my son and I hate to clean that thing because it takes muscle to field strip it and it will shoot 1/2" to 1" at 50 yards but you have to clean it regularly to keep it functioning. An old military .45 will only shoot about 4" [and many of them are 5" guns] but you can take it apart with your fingers and no special tools and pack it with mud and it will still function. Your Commander will probably shoot 3" but you can take it apart easily with your fingers. The Kimbers are fairly tight for factory guns and consequently shoot a little better than other factory guns and I've seen Kimbers that shoot 2". It's all a trade off -- the tighter the gun, the better it shoots but the more you have to clean it to keep it reliable. I carry a 4.25" Colt Commander in my Dodge Durango all of the time. It is absolutely reliable even when it's dirty, shoots about 3," and I can field strip it with no special tools. By the way, we buy Colt Commanders because they shoot quite well for a production gun and so we don't don't have to clean them regularly. :D

Re: Cleaning a Pistol (1911) 56k No Way!

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I use my compressor to blow out the excess cleaner and then oil sprayed into all crevises. Dirty or not a compressor makes life easy and is essential when you overload the lubes like I do from the start.

One thing I like to do different is the order of things. I spray the solovent in the bore first thing to let it soak while I clean all others then I clean and brush the bore last thinking it had some time to cut the metal deposits left from the slugs. Does that make sense or does it not matter??
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Re: Cleaning a Pistol (1911) 56k No Way!

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Sonofagun wrote:I use my compressor to blow out the excess cleaner and then oil sprayed into all crevises. Dirty or not a compressor makes life easy and is essential when you overload the lubes like I do from the start.

One thing I like to do different is the order of things. I spray the solovent in the bore first thing to let it soak while I clean all others then I clean and brush the bore last thinking it had some time to cut the metal deposits left from the slugs. Does that make sense or does it not matter??

Makes sense and does not matter.
An intellectual is someone that can change their mind after being given enough evidence.

“ I nearly murdered somebody, and it made me realise that you can't face violence with violence. It doesn't work. ”

—Joe Strummer

Re: Cleaning a Pistol (1911) 56k No Way!

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I wonder how method one would work with a full length guide rod. My RIA Tactical came with one and it makes taking the recoil spring plug out a pain.

Literally.

Since there is a hole in the end of the plug for the guide rod its almost a sharp edge on the end. I had to use a screwdriver handle to press it in far enough to rotate the bushing.
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