1911 maintenance...

[Che762x39]

Glock is like Acura. Runs forever as long as you change oil. I lube it and never have issues. Never replace slide. Never need to replace half that stuff.

1911...Sounds like a Jaguar or Maserati. Expensive and lots of maintenance required.

Spot on.

Glock 19 Gen 3 is currently #1 in rotation and the Colt Commander is in the bullpen.

[tanks]

Glock is like Acura. Runs forever as long as you change oil. I lube it and never have issues. Never replace slide. Never need to replace half that stuff.

1911...Sounds like a Jaguar or Maserati. Expensive and lots of maintenance required.

I use http://www.sprinco.com/springs.html springs. Recommended change interval is north of 25K. Other than cleaning and oiling I have yet to do any other maintenance in 15K+ rounds to my 2011.

I'll give you that 1911 platform is more expensive than the plastic guns though at the end of the day, if one shoots a fair amount, ammo costs will be orders of magnitude over the cost of the firearm.

[Inkman]

If you had a 1911 w/ 25,000 rounds through it, what would you assume would need to be replaced next (other than recoil spring) to keep it worthy of relying on?

Just the firing pin spring. I have more than a few 1911s and i've never changed a mainspring on any. Recoil spring around 5k.

In all i've had two rear adjustable sights break apart, slide stop plunger tube break off (100k+ rds thru that particular gun).

You should strip it down to the frame though and clean it really good inside and out. The internals will get gunked up from lube and left over cleaners that get in there. It'll feel like a new gun again.

Al

[Milsurp Collector]

Wow.......like a Italian car.

Exactly. High performance, beautiful, sought-after, valuable.

Glock is like Acura.

Right again!

[jimmykan]

Glock is like Acura. Runs forever as long as you change oil. I lube it and never have issues. Never replace slide. Never need to replace half that stuff.

1911...Sounds like a Jaguar or Maserati. Expensive and lots of maintenance required.

Older Acuras with timing belts need that replaced around 100K miles. And since the engine will be taken apart anyway, it's a good time to also replace the water pump. Standard maintenance procedure. Same with brake pads, non-LED lamps, etc. They need to be replaced if you drive the car for long enough.

If you can afford to shoot 3000-5000 rounds of 45 ACP, you can afford to replace $10-20 worth of various 1911 springs. Some people talk about it like it's such a major operation. Probably the same folks who don't know how to change their car's engine oil for themselves.

I'm no automotive genius, but I have changed my own oil, change my own brake pads, bled my own brake lines, with about $100 worth of tools, including the floor jack. When my engine started billowing white smoke because I had a cracked piston, okay then I couldn't fix that on my own.

On a 1911, you can access every single spring with no additional tools other than the 1911 parts themselves. The mainspring housing pin can be punched out with the thumb safety. The magazine release can be unscrewed with the tip of the flat leaf spring. The firing pin stop can be released using any of the small pins.

Similar deal with a Glock, except having a small screwdriver or a ball point pen helps to depress the striker sleeve in order to release the slide cover plate.

Glock recommends replacing the Gen 3 recoil spring assembly every 3000 rounds, and Gen 4 every 5000 rounds, if I remember correctly. Likewise, it would be a good time to replace the striker spring and trigger return spring maybe every other time the recoil spring gets replaced. Just standard maintenance procedure, and it costs like $15 in parts, after you've shot $1,000 in ammo.

[redteam22003]

Wow.......like a Italian car.

no kidding....

[bwhited]

I spent good amount of time tracking part replacement on 1911's and come up with the solution that the parts should be changed when they start becoming an issue.
Springs normally last a lot longer than you would think. Many times I have not replaced them with well over 20,000 rounds of usage.

[MosinVirus]

Allowing springs to become too weak can lead to frame/slide damage though, much earlier than the guN will start experiencing issues.

[BigPimping]

Well, have fun spending money on that. I prefer keeping my money in the bank. If you have that much money for an expensive status symbol, just buy a Korth. I like my firearm to work when I pull the trigger. Glock does that. Like no other handgun could ever do. It's the AK47 of handguns. Ask the millions of users worldwide. They use Glock......not a 106 year old 1911. Not a CZ, not anything but the best handgun available. They want a Glock.

[tophatjones]

Well, have fun spending money on that. I prefer keeping my money in the bank. If you have that much money for an expensive status symbol, just buy a Korth. I like my firearm to work when I pull the trigger. Glock does that. Like no other handgun could ever do. It's the AK47 of handguns. Ask the millions of users worldwide. They use Glock......not a 106 year old 1911. Not a CZ, not anything but the best handgun available. They want a Glock.

Your hyperbole is ... unique. A couple of spring changes every time you spend $1.5K in ammo is like maintaining an Italian car? Lol. Glocks need maintenance too, but the best thing about Glocks is how easy it is to break down for parts replacement. 1911s are also easy to disassemble but no captured recoil spring, so you just need to learn tricks for disassembly.

[tanks]

Let's see. A $9 part every 25K rounds, $165 parts (extractor and ejector) every 75K rounds or so and maybe another $20 in misc. springs makes a 1911 like an Italian car that requires tons of maintenance?

Not to mention majority of 1911 owners will never reach the round count thresholds to require the replacements.

[jon94520]

Well, have fun spending money on that. I prefer keeping my money in the bank. If you have that much money for an expensive status symbol, just buy a Korth. I like my firearm to work when I pull the trigger. Glock does that. Like no other handgun could ever do. It's the AK47 of handguns. Ask the millions of users worldwide. They use Glock......not a 106 year old 1911. Not a CZ, not anything but the best handgun available. They want a Glock.

Geeze...do you believe this guy?
We know... You like Glocks
Good luck with that extra $10 in your 401k

[BigPimping]

Geeze...do you believe this guy?
We know... You like Glocks
Good luck with that extra $10 in your 401k

Every dime helps. Plus the initial cost of purchase between the two is quire different. That is a lot of ammo or savings there. To sum it up, why buy a Porsche when a NSX does all the same things for 1/4 the cost of ownership?

[hambam105]

Why are all these shooters jones-ing over replacing springs on pistols?

I should have been in the 1911 Spring business a long time ago. Sure, I'll sell you something you don't need. 10% off for cash. And then tell these same guys they should have a few extra parts for their 1911 and they go ape-sheet. "yer a rich guy, yer a rich guy".

[threeperreaper]

Glock is like Acura. Runs forever as long as you change oil. I lube it and never have issues. Never replace slide. Never need to replace half that stuff.

1911...Sounds like a Jaguar or Maserati. Expensive and lots of maintenance required.

Quit hating. No one is here knocking glocks...

I'm sure most people in this thread love glocks.

I personally have more than twice as many glocks as 1911s

And you're right! 1911s are more expensive. And they DO require more maintenance than your standard polymer gun.

no one is arguing that 1911s are more reliable or cheaper.

Here's the truth about 1911s

1. They are more expensive than glocks.
2.They require a lot more maintenance.
3. If you are betting your life on one you need to understand the intricacies of how the firearm works and how to spot problems before they arise.
4. They are heavier
5. They have lighter and crisper triggers than striker fired guns due to being single action
6. Capacity is inferior to most polymer guns of the same size
7. They require more training in order to master the weapon
8. They are usually more accurate and easier to shoot faster
9. After a break in period and addressing any issues (if any) they are >99% reliable (in my experience) if maintained properly.

Plenty of advantages and plenty of disadvantages

If you can't handle what it takes to properly maintain a firearm like a 1911 then you will likely never enjoy the benefits of such a firearm..

There's nothing wrong with loving glocks.
I do as well.

A 1911 can be an AMAZING gun if it's owner is competent enough. I encourage you to buy one.

Maybe don't carry it and bet your life on one yet, but shoot the crap out of it for a few years. Learn the platform. Tinker with it. You'll see that it can be made into an excellent firearm that you may end up liking more than your glocks.

You'll thank me later.