Detail strip / cleaning. Is it necessary?

[Bmfdez]

Detail strip / cleaning. Is it necessary?

Got a couple of 1911 and other pistols I wondering if detail strip / clean is necessary. Some say detail strip / clean once month (for frequent shooters). Some say never. Just field strip / clean.

Yes or no. And why.

Thanks in advance for your assistance on this topic.

[The sarge]

Field strip and clean is all most people need to do. Most people actually clean much more than they need to. Military weapons only get field stripped till something breaks which isn't that often in the grand scheme of things and they see thousands of rounds. Detailed clean could probably be more like once a year or more for 99% of shooters.

[d4v0s]

Yes,

Because every time I detail I find dirt, grit, gunk in various places.

Also get you intimately familiar with your guns for repairs and observation of wear in case things are off a little.

[Deadbolt]

Yes,

Because every time I detail I find dirt, grit, gunk in various places.

Also get you intimately familiar with your guns for repairs and observation of wear in case things are off a little.

THIS. dim the lights, clear the chamber(all safety checks) , get out the toothbrush, put on commando and clean her. Clean her like you know she's been a filthy girl

[SB1964]

I normally do a (regular) basic cleaning & have someone detail strip my 1911 every now & then. I'm a maintenance guy, some people aren't. I have friends that don't clean ANY gun they have. They normally have problems with functioning.

[not-fishing]

My boys and I shoot a couple thousand rounds each year through our revolvers.

I have found that giving the cylinder a good scrubbing makes the biggest difference. The rest of the gun get's an ok scrub or wipe to remove powder. I also have to check the screws when they're new because the factory doesn't seem to make them tight enough.

It was a couple of years before I disassembled the first revolver to replace a firing pin. The insides were clean so it was just a few light swipes with a stone, a few drops of oil and back together.

My semi's I field strip after each shooting but I won't strip the bolts until they've shot a couple of thousand rounds.

The one thing that I have done to all the semi's which really help functioning is polishing the feed ramp. Not so much as to take out all the machining marks just enough to make them feel smooth and look bright.

[Xtracrispy]

I say it depends on how much you shoot, where you shoot, and what you shoot.

I don't shoot often, but when I do it's usually BLM not a range, so dirt seems to get everywhere even if I'm careful(especially in the desert!).
I also shoot a lot of cheap ammo, which is DIRTY, mixes with gun oil and makes a nice gunky goo.

If you don't use it in a dirty environment, and you use better ammo, you can probably get away with longer cleaning intervals.

[HighLander51]

For a Glock, about once a year. That's about 15,000 to 18,000 rounds for me, but clean the barrel after every match.

[only10x]

on 1911's detail strip as in remove the mainspring housing? no, I say theres no need, but field strip? yes. I clean mine after im done shooting just because I doesnt get alot of use and I rather oil them and have them ready for whenever its ready to see the light of day.

[SNCaliber]

I just field strip and clean after every range trip, detail strip is more of an OCD thing, maybe after a lot of rounds through it

[redcliff]

For a Government Model type 1911 I find detail stripping at recoil spring replacement intervals (2500-3000 rounds) sufficient. Field strip/clean after 500 rounds works fine for me but I lubricate prior to range trips.

[Eljay]

It's good to really rip them down to the little bits occasionally if only to inspect everything, check for wear, replace springs. Sometimes getting rid of any gunk in the action will smooth things quite a bit.

[Bmfdez]

Damn. Now I need to figure out how to detail strip my CZs. They look a bit complicated lol.

For a Government Model type 1911 I find detail stripping at recoil spring replacement intervals (2500-3000 rounds) sufficient. Field strip/clean after 500 rounds works fine for me but I lubricate prior to range trips.

Redcliff,

For 1911s, is it necessary to detail strip/clean the frame, or is removing the slide (fire pin / spring and etc) enough? I hate taking apart the hammer / fire control parts. Can never figure out how to put it back together without scratching something. Hahaha. Now that I got some nice 1911 collections, wouldn't want to scratch them up.

[Bmfdez]

For a Glock, about once a year. That's about 15,000 to 18,000 rounds for me, but clean the barrel after every match.

Damn brotha! That's one dirty gun!

[Grumpyoldretiredcop]

Most of my firearms might be field stripped annually, if that, depending on how many rounds they've fired over the year. My carry pistol gets that treatment quarterly to clean out the lint and other assorted crap that a carry gun accumulates. Field stripping and cleaning gets done after every range session.

Many users lack the skills or knowledge to detail strip their firearms and should not attempt it. I've had deputies and other folks bring brown paper bags with a disassembled firearm in it to me more than once. I put them back together, but it cost them...