Help a new 1911 owner with cleaning tips and products please!

[cwin]

Congrats on the TRP! I clean my guns after I shoot them, every time. I use a bronze brush for inside the barrel, Hoppes 9, and Slip 2k, and some Shooter's Choice to grease the rails. There are plenty of great videos on breaking down and cleaning a 1911 on YouTube. Good luck and have fun shooting it. It's a great piece. Post pics when you get a chance!

[SgtMerc]

SPD covered pretty much everything i wanted to say.

I was raised on CLP in the corps, but have since discovered the joys of finding your own formulas. Personally i use Hoppes 9 solvent for carbon, mpro7 oil for anything that rotates, mobil 1 for anything that slides.

Also, about that recoil spring, many say you should change it out after so many rounds. Not everyone has a notebook that tracks exact bullet counts (personally i do for each of my firearms, but that's to track when i should be detail stripping) so instead of counting rounds just pull out your recoil spring and compare it to a factory new recoil spring (you do have a spare parts box, right?). if the recoil spring is 3 coils shorter than the new one, it's time to change it out (usually about 800-1000 rounds, from my experience)

1911s are pretty damn reliable, so i suggest you take a couple of spare mags (i use wilson 47D's) and run it through it's paces. Some manufacturers ask you do a "break in" period before calling in with any complaints. Others are fine right out of the box with a cleaning. and besides, a "break in" period gives you time to know the nuances of your new pistol. Took my first 200 rounds to figure out thumb placement and that my girlfriend was limp-wristing. After that, no failures in the last 3000 rds, unless i use the wilson ETM instead of a 47D.

Oh, and it appears you have a skeletonized hammer. there is no decocker for 1911s like the beretta, so learn how to control your hammer. I prefer the "pinch the hammer from the sides with your weak hand, then pull trigger while easing trigger down" method. Some people prefer to drop the hammer on an empty chamber, but some believe that's a great way to have an ND.

Edit: Almost forgot LOSE THE EYELETS. Get a nice .45 brass jag and use that instead. Eyelets are only good for soaked patches. But most cleaners are foams/sprays now, so no need to "patch swab" the bore.

Congrats on your new hardware!

[Kappy]

I typically clean mine once every 200-400 rounds. I don't clean it probably as often as I should, but it hasn't caused any problems thus far.

I degrease and scrub with brake cleaner. Probably not conventional, but it works. I scrub it down with a nylon brush and some Hoppes... then I use some kind of lube. Rem Oil, often enough.

I've also got a boresnake I use from time to time.

Finally... that Otis kit is good stuff. I just have a cheapo from Wallyworld. The red crayon-shaped thing from Winchester.

Beyond that... I think a lot of folks here have offered good advice... I'll just end by saying that as long as you've cleaned it decently and gotten rid of the junk, then lubed it decently, don't sweat it too much.

[SDmtnbkr]

Oh, and it appears you have a skeletonized hammer. there is no decocker for 1911s like the beretta, so learn how to control your hammer. I prefer the "pinch the hammer from the sides with your weak hand, then pull trigger while easing trigger down" method. Some people prefer to drop the hammer on an empty chamber, but some believe that's a great way to have an ND.

Edit: Almost forgot LOSE THE EYELETS. Get a nice .45 brass jag and use that instead. Eyelets are only good for soaked patches. But most cleaners are foams/sprays now, so no need to "patch swab" the bore.

Congrats on your new hardware!

Great info thanks!!

Funny that you mention that because that has been my biggest issue with 1911's so far. While practicing at different gun shops, and even with my 1911 at the dealer (it's still in jail for another week, so I don't have it yet), I haven't been very good at decocking it! The guy helping me told me a few times that I probably would have fired a round because I let it fall to fast. I will definitely make sure I have that down solid BEFORE I go to the range!

What's a Brass Jag? <googling>

[Press Check]

Great info thanks!!

Funny that you mention that because that has been my biggest issue with 1911's so far. While practicing at different gun shops, and even with my 1911 at the dealer (it's still in jail for another week, so I don't have it yet), I haven't been very good at decocking it! The guy helping me told me a few times that I probably would have fired a round because I let it fall to fast. I will definitely make sure I have that down solid BEFORE I go to the range!

What's a Brass Jag? <googling>

There's simply no such thing as decocking a 1911. Remove the magazine, eject the chambered round, press check your pistol one more time, and then dry-fire your pistol.

Continue practicing the method you're speaking of, eventually, you will in fact have an AD. Actually, make that a ND.

[SDmtnbkr]

There's simply no such thing as decocking a 1911. Remove the magazine, eject the chambered round, press check your pistol one more time, and then dry-fire your pistol.

Continue practicing the method you're speaking of, eventually, you will in fact have an AD. Actually, make that a ND.

Ok that makes better sense. I couldn't grasp why I would be holding the hammer with my fingers with a round in the chamber.

[SgtMerc]

Ok that makes better sense. I couldn't grasp why I would be holding the hammer with my fingers with a round in the chamber.

I never hammer pinch with a loaded chamber. I only do it because i don't like dropping it on an empty. When i am hammer pinching, it's because i've finished at the range, have cleared it and don't want to case it cocked.

It's still a useful thing to know, because part of the function check is to lower the hammer to half-cock and squeeze the trigger, make sure it doesn't drop, try manually pushing it forward, ensure it doesn't drop.

[postal]

You already had plenty of good advice. I only want to reinforce things that have already been said.

1- Most important. NEVER manually lower the hammer on a loaded chamber. This type of action was never meant for that. *IF* you intend to "carry" this gun, it is carried condition 1. Cocked and locked. Loaded chamber, hammer cocked, safety on.

NEVER lower the hammer on a loaded chamber- and there is NO REASON TO.

Empty the gun, then dryfire is FINE. "easing the hammer down" on an empty chamber is fine, but I dont see the point. No reason why a 1911 cant be dryfired safely.

2- Yes clean it. Qtips and patches with toothpicks to get into the tight spots. What cleaner doesnt matter. Plenty to choose from. Yes use brass brush- dont overdo it, but do it.

3 oil/lube is VERY IMPORTANT on a 1911. Oil everything except the rails that the slide runs on. GREASE the rails. Grease the barrel lugs too. (those 2 squared off ridges on the top of the barrel)

I wont recommend any products, since I use whatever is handy, and dont have 'brand loyalty' in that regard.

[Press Check]

To each his own, but there's certainly nothing the matter with dry-firing a 1911. I'd guess that I've dry-fired my Springfield hundreds, if not thousands, of times. It will not cause the components to malfunction, fatigue or fail prematurely, be it MIM or tool steel components.

[TMC]

Guns are just little machines so you don't need a bunch of expensive cleaning products and specialty tools to keep the gun running.

$2.95 can of brake cleaner, a 99 cent wire brush, and a $4.99 quart of Synthetic motor oil (that will last nearly the life of the gun) and a bronze bore brush/snake is all you need to keep a 1911 running.

I clean about every 1000 rounds or before a match which ever comes first. I do oil the rails, barrel hood and muzzle end of the barrel before every shooting session. Remember its a little machine and need lubrication.

For cleaning, I filed strip, wipe off the heavy build-up with a rag, pull a bore snake through the barrel to clean the chamber, wire brush the feed ramp and breechface, hose down with brake cleaner, oil and reassemble. It takes less than 10 minutes.

At the beginning of each season I'll detail strip to get the fire control parts clean.

I treat my guns like tools so I don't worry about the finish. If you're hung up on that you may not want to use wire brushes but they do speed the cleaning process.

and yes, you can dry-fire the crap out of 1911's

[SDmtnbkr]

This is all great info! The 1911 is a way different animal from a Beretta! I'm really grateful for all the information!

[oddjob]

First of all I'm cheap and hate to clean guns.

I field strip and take the grips off. Spray with Liquid Wrench and lay on newspapers.

I then watch a movie or a ball game.

Use a brush and scrub the gun and run a bore brush. Squirt with brake cleaner and lube with motor oil and/or automotive grease.

[sirgrumps]

1.) Clean it every session until it breaks in and glides like butter
2.) after a liberal application of Hoppes #9, let is soak for 15 minutes and a Nylon brush will be fine. The power clean with aerosol Brake cleaner, then lube with Mobil 1 motor oil
3.) after every session of shooting lead bullets, I shoot 1 mag of FMJ, which cleans out the barrel of almost all the lead., so the included brush should be fine.
4.) see above
5.) That stuff works, but basically, use any gun solvent to clean and any gun oil to lube and you will be fine.

[Press Check]

Frequent Intervals

Cleaning in more frequent intervals will not only prevent copper, lead, carbon and other debris from bonding to the steel surfaces on a 1911, it will also negate the need to use a copper brush, in addition to abrasive chemicals that mar and dull the finish on stainless pistols.

[beerman]

spray carb or brake cleane ron the action (test the wood finish 1st),Hoppes#9 with a few strokes of a bronze brush thru the bbl(Butches bore shine for the stubborn build-up)dab of wheel bearing grease on the rails and an overall douch with G-90 or break free. No need to spenda lot keeping up your guns.