1911 Maintenance?

[Matt in TN]

I'm a Glock guy who is testing the 1911 waters, and I know very little about the mighty steel pistol.  I shot about 200rds through my 1911 in practice with no issue before taking to a 3-gun match this weekend, where I had several FTFs (FMJ 200gr bullet at 1.270" OAL, nose hit feedramp in frame and stopped).  Clearing the gun, putting the offending round in the magazine, and trying again usually fixed the issue, so I don't think it was the ammo.  Comparing mine to another guy's 1911 at the match, the feed ramp in the frame of mine looked a little bit rougher than his, so I came home and polished it.

 

When I took it apart I noticed it was fairly dry, which made me wonder - do 1911's "like to be run wet" like ARs do?  I literally do nothing to my Glock (G41) but shoot it, and clean it every thousand rounds or so.  Does the 1911 need to be cleaned and lubed more frequently?  Oil or grease?

 

 

[aandabooks]

Run it dripping wet.  500 rds to clean.  I just get used to adding some lube to the rails every couple hundred rounds.  

[223to45]

I run a 1911 9mm, I generally run Enos grease.
You can run several matches and not worry about it.

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[raz-0]

It needs lube, but not on the ramp imo. You want something that doesn't dry up to soon. I use slide glide or slide glide light most of the year. A thicker oil like fp-10 in really cold weather.

My 1911s will go 1000 rounds between cleanings. Depending on my powder, the mags might not. Using titegroup and 230gr fmj bullets, running 5x 10 round mags as my setup, I'd get to about 750 before I'd get enough carbon on the feed lips of a mag to cause issues. With slower burning universal clays, I didn't get anywhere near that amount of gas escaping before the bread expanded and sealed, so no carbon fouling on the mags.

With my 2011 in 40 a q-tip to the feed ramp and adding a few drops of lube to the rails, it can go indefinitely it seems. It usually gets kind of gross around 4k.

With the description of your problem I'd check your mags or your ammo or both. It's possible the feed lips are out of spec and causing the bullet to feed slightly low. Alternately, the ammo could be longer than the mags or gun likes, and the bullet sets back a bit when it malfunctions and works the next time.

It could also be anything that slows the follower pushing up the next round or alters the geometry of the feeding bullet vs ramp.

So burrs on witness holes in the mags, a burr on the firing on hole, pinched feed lips from getting stepped on. Spread feed lips that allow too much follower tilt (this one is represented by failures at the last 2 or 3 rounds, and more common with traditional followers rather than solid ones like trip or Wilson offer). The previously mentioned carbon build up on feed lips causing drag. A poorly prepped or finished extractor causing drag as the case head slides up the breech face. Too much extractor tension (although less likely to be intermittent in my experience), or some piece of crud in the extractor tunnel affecting extractor tension.

The 1911 is from the days labor was cheap, and the design makes use of that. A lot of production 1911s can use a bit of a fluff and buff, but the design isn't inherently picky once it is set up right.

Also, it probably has the most number of manufacturers making mags to fit it. Mag quality varies a LOT, and like every semi auto, sketchy mags mean sketchy reliability.

Tripp mags are imo the best. With the wilsons coming in second (I do not like their 10 round.45 mags I've seen too many have the over insertion tab snap at the weld from repeated use where the tab and gun didn't agree 100% on dimensions and tolerances). Metal forms with the rounded follower are also good, and my 7 round metalform mags even with gi style split foot followers always ran.

Cmc 10 round mags can be made to work reliably but need a fair amount of maintenance with feed lip dimensions. I'd readjust them to where they needed to be every couple of matches.

[MisterCoffee]

An FTF on a 1911 could be 1) an ammo issue, 2) a magazine issue, 3) a gun issue. Take one thing at a time (of course). Since it's new, I would lube it and come back in 500 rounds.

 

I have a friend who shoots Sigs out of the box. Apparently, Glock guys and Sig guys live in another world, perfect and beautiful. A world that requires no lube. Must be nice. 

[HCH]

I don't clean my guns. I give them an oil change!

[Bruce]

Go to local auto parts store and buy a quart of Mobil 1, or similar good sythetic motor oil.  Pour some into a small bottle with an end on it that you can drip the oil out where you want it on the pistol.  You know have enough "gun oil" for you and all your 1911 shooting friends...for years:)

 

Enjoy the 1911---it is my favorite pistol.

[Yeti]

Yup, run it wet.  Oil is best.  

If you don't have time to do a full clean...  wipe it off and reapply oil on barrel hood & both sides of the hammer.

Lock it open... wipe off/relube the exposed barrel, full guide rod (if running one).  If you want to pull a bore snake down the barrel go for it.

Flip it over and put a couple drops of oil on the rear slide rails.  Ease slide down again and move it back and forth a few times to distribute the oil.  Done!  

Quick & easy.  

 

I prefer to grease the rails of high mileage guns in hot weather, but that is my preference.  Oil always works.

[M1A4ME]

Used 3n1 oil for almost 30 years, then started using Mobil 1 (I have plenty since that's what I use on my cars/truck and there's always a little bit left to drain from the jugs after an oil change.).

 

I buy those little GI plastic oil bottles that come in the M16 cleaning kits.

 

I'm a compulsive "over oiler".  If there's too much the gun will toss off the excess.  If there's too little, you may have a problem with function.

 

Some 1911's run great out of the box.  Some need help.  Awesome pistols.  I carried one at work (about 5 years) and away from work for about 35 years.

[MikieM]

On 7/4/2017 at 8:31 AM, Bruce said:

Go to local auto parts store and buy a quart of Mobil 1, or similar good sythetic motor oil.  Pour some into a small bottle with an end on it that you can drip the oil out where you want it on the pistol.  You know have enough "gun oil" for you and all your 1911 shooting friends...for years:)

 

Enjoy the 1911---it is my favorite pistol.

 

And your reloading presses, too. 

[Dutchman195]

I run both on mine dripping wet and never had a issue. Lube the rails, barrel hood and barrel. Its just absolutely pissing oil during the day shooting but have never had a problem. If my 45 does get a little to dry while it is dirty it will have a problem getting into battery on the first round because I baby the slide forward. Nothing a quick karate chop to the back wont fix.  

 

I'll break it down and clean in at about 1000 rounds ish

[cs62]

I agree, run it wet. I use Wilson ultima lube and it hasn't let me down. I clean and lube every 400-500 rounds. 

[Dranoel]

The 1911 "can go 1000 rounds" without maint. But don't.

 

Get in the habit of cleaning ALL your guns after a trip to the range. It might not hurt it to go 1000 rounds but its certainly not going to help it. What oil you use does not make as much difference as how OFTEN you clean and lube.

[JayDee]

+1 on running 1911s wet. I use Militech or FP10 on the rails and barrel hood. In warmer months, I use a light coating of Mobil 1+ Royal Purple ATF fluid. I usually clean mine every 500 rounds or so. The've gone longer, but they are built really tight. Once you find the right bullet/mag combo, stick with it. 

[StuckinMS]

Make sure you are also cleaning those magazines!  They are just as important.  I use Lucas gun grease on the barrel and hood.  I use Lucas extreme green oil for the slide channels and barrel link.  I clean gun after each match or day of shooting.  Sometimes I clean up the magazines between stages.  They make lots of ground contact shooting single stack and a little grain of sand can kill function. 

[Eureka1911]

My SA loaded target has a little over 4,000 rounds though it since February. Runs flawlessly. I use Slide Glide Lite exclusively. I field strip every 250 rounds and detail strip every 500. I like cleaning it. Sort of a therapeutic thing for me. 

[f2benny]

If it rotates oil it if it slides grease it. Same for all guns. The grease I use is a light food grade type.

http://www.grantcunningham.com/2006/05/lubrication-101/

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[Eureka1911]

That's an old rule of thumb for sure. But consider that when it says "rotate" it is referring to things that are in constant rotation, like a wheel on an axle, etc. We have nothing like that. Things that appear to "rotate" in our 1911s are actually merely sliding back and forth a short distance around a pin. It is not true rotation. Hence, I grease everything.

And even many truly rotating things are still greased. Look at wheel bearings as an example.

[perttime]

Anyway. a Glock doesn't need much lubing: a small drop in slide rails, maybe. I often run an oily finger over the barrel, too. 1911s seem to like some more in those same areas.

[StuckinMS]

1911 & 2011 guns require more lubrication due to the closer fitting tolerance of the slide and frames.  They are metal for crying out loud not plastic... you wouldn't just put a couple of drops in your vehicle engine.  Metal needs lots of lubrication.  A gun that is going to have lots of rounds put through it will need more than a carry gun or night stand gun also.

[synchronicity]

Lubriplate SFL-0.  And a little Mobil 1 where needed.

Edited August 9, 2017 by synchronicity
Accuracy