1911 up keep?

[m-g Willy]

After being a revolver man most my life ,I got the bug for a 1911.
What I want to know is what kind of matinace needs to be done to make sure I can count on a 1911 auto?
How often do you clean it? Does it need oiled alot?
What other concerns would I  have with one of these?
I got my eye on a  new WWI Colt.
And one more question .
Which 1911 should I  get (ONLY INTERESTED IN 1911-1911 A1 ) DON'T WANT ALL THE BELLS AND WHISTLES YOU SEE ON THE CUSTOM JOBS.
THANKS FOR ANY INFO

Willy

[Broom Rider]

The Colt WW1 reproduction is very well made.
A little lube for the slide/frame rails, a bit for the barrel/bushing. Barrel locking lugs and feet, a lil bit on the disconnector tip. Perhaps a lite dab where the barrel hood touches the breech face.
Most important is to not let the gun run with dry rails.

[Questor]

On a scale from 1 through 10 with 10 being extreme high maintenance in a modern handgun using smokeless powder, the 1911 is about a 9. If you plan on shooting it a lot you'll need to get a video that shows you how to disassemble and clean it (I bought the one from Wilson and it taught me what I needed to know).  You can also find some less descriptive sites on the web that give you the general idea.

After shooting a revolver and switching to the 1911 I think you'll be amazed at how much cleaning one gun can require. After shooting about 250 rounds from my 38 caliber revolver and another 250 from my 1911 I find that it takes about five times longer to clean the 1911.

The difference is that you've got a lot of taking apart and putting back together to do. There are lots of nooks and crannies that need to be cleaned if you want to do a thorough job that keeps the gun reliable.

Then about once a year you need a complete cleaning of the lower end (i.e., the trigger, hammer, and related geegaws).

I have a Pardini 45 auto that is also used for target shooting, and it takes only about five minutes to clean it to the same degree that 25 minutes' work on a 1911 yields. If maintenance time is an issue, consider a SIG instead of a 1911.   

If you don't customarily use gun cleaning spray or wear an apron and vinyl gloves when cleaning your guns, then you'll find yourself using them when cleaning the 1911.

By the way, don't get the impression that I don't like the 1911. I use it more than all my other guns combined. The reason is that the gunsmiths have figured out how to make it accurate enough and reliable enough for a shooting game called bullseye. There aren't many other 45 autos that are accurate enough for the job. Because of that connection to gunsmithing and competition, me and the 1911 are like a couple in an arranged marriage.

[m-g Willy]

WHOA!!!
I didn't think of myself as being lazy when it comes to taking care of my guns (shooting cap and ball revolvers)--- BUT--I never dreamed the 1911 was that fussy when it comes to keeping it running!
Maybe I"ll stick to my N frame Smiths when things  get serious.
Still going to get a 1911 though,--------I"LL just have to use it for quite a while before putting a whole lot of faith in it .

thanks for the info guys

Willy

[ihuntbucks]

All that Questor said is true.But it is worth it IMHO.You take good care of your car,house,ect....why should you firearms be any different.Each and every time I shoot my SA Custom Loaded .45 I take it apart and clean everything.Does not matter how many times I fired,10 or 100 or more.No matter.I do it out of respect and love for my 1911.I don't let it down,so it will never let me down."Know what I mean?".......Rick

[williamlayton]

HUMMMMM!!
In the evolution of progress things get a bit more complicated---better--but require more attention.
If one wants a better pot of beans it may require better beans and a little more attention to too the preparation.
A semi-auto does a better job at what it was designed for than a revolver--more complicated but, faster and more capacity.
Here comes the rants---i can feel 'em.
Blessings

[Questor]

One more word on it: I clean mine every 200 to 250 rounds. That seems adequate using the relatively dirty low velocity target loads I use. If I used something very clean burning like some of the new non-toxic ammo, then I'm sure I could clean it a lot less frequently.

For me, that translates to cleaning it about once a week. My estimates for cleaning time assume that you can take the gun apart and put it back together with your eyes closed. If you can't do that, expect the job to take longer.

[Savage]

Wow! I must have been doing something wrong for the last 45 years. Guess I've been lucky my 1911s keep on running! My 1911s are not bullseye guns, but they are not junk either, well a couple might be considered low end guns. I have to say that it takes me about a half hour to clean a 1911. About the same amount of time it takes to clean my Sigs/Glocks/CZs. That's routine cleaning and lube. About twice a year my game guns get a detail strip for cleaning and inspection. That usually takes about 1 1/2 to 2hrs. I have put over 1000 rds thru one of my stainless Kimbers without cleaning, (Two day training session in the rain) with no malfunctions. I don't find the 1911 platform to be high maintenance, certainly no more so than my Sigs or CZs.
Savage

[Questor]

Savage:

Your point is very well taken. We both spend about the same amount of time cleaning the 1911 when we do clean them. I don't know where the discrepancy with other models comes in. I don't know about the CZ, but my Pardini is very similar to the SIG autos and it cleans up very quickly-- 5 minutes. 10 if I'm really dragging my feet.

One thing to consider is that competition guns get cleaned a lot and get dirty from low velocity target ammo. I need to clean mine at least once a week. But then how many shooters realistically expect to fire 250,000 rounds from a 1911 before rebuilding it? Bullseye shooters do. Action shooters shoot even more, but bullseye shooters seem to be the most fastidious about cleaning.

[Savage]

Questor,
I would guess that wad guns would need to be kept pretty clean to maintain accuracy and function. I'm sure you fuss more with your guns than I do with mine.  I don't own any of those. I am quite active in action shooting sports averaging 3-4 matches a month with practice sessions in between. I clean all my pistols the same way except for the Glocks. They are completely disassembled for every cleaning. Twice a year, that's about every 3k rounds. The 1911s/Sigs?CZs are cleaned after each range session. I use WD 40 as a cleaner/flush along with a brush and picks, and often a few cotton swabs, then blown dry with compressed air. All lube points get a light coating of synthetic grease applied with an artist's brush. I wipe down the exterior with a patch and a light synthetic oil. Reassemble and function check-------I'm done.  The 200gr LSWCs really make a mess, but it cleans right up with the WD40.
Savage
Forgot to add that all the bore gets is the bore snake run thru it a couple of times, light oil patch and one dry.

[Lloyd Smale]

I can clean a 1911 just as quickly if not more quickly then a revolver. You have to keep in mind when your cleaning a revolver your dealing with brushing out 6 cylinders. Its an easy 1/2 hour job if your taking your time. Im not as anal about cleaning my 1911s as some. I do clean a comp gun before a match and do keep my ccw gun cleaned often. But ive run over a 1000 rounds though a 1911 many times without cleaning and have even sprayed them out at 1000 rounds with break clean and oiled them without dissasembly and proceded to shoot another 1000. One thing i do tend to do is keep up on my springs. I like to replace the springs after about every 2000 rounds. I use light loads for the most part so if you use heavy loads you might want to look at even a little sooner for repacement. There cheap insurance to keeping your gun running reliably and keep it from getting beat up. Ive got a gold cup that has had nothing but springs replace and the extractor adjusted  and is WELL over a 100000 round through the pipe and basicaly is as tight as it was the day i bought it. I differ from a few others too as im a believer in a 1911 cannot be over oiled. I use only tetra oil land grease anymore and the one exception to my over lube rule is with real light loads tetra grease on the rails can be to stiff and not allow the slide to run right so in my target guns i just lube the slide with tetra oil. Only 1911 that gets lightly oiled is my ccw gun and thats because it isnt going to be called on to shoot a 100 rounds at one time and i dont want oil all over me or my clothes. A little tetra grease in stratiegic places and its good to go.