Hey, 1911 Gurus. Help A Glock Guy Figure This Beast Out.

[Matt Griffin]

So I bought a custom 1911 for single stack, and I need to take the sucker apart for cleaning. The disassembly seems pretty straightforward, IF it didn't have a full-length tungsten guide rod.

So please check my work before I start improvising. The correct way to break this down is to lock the slide back, insert something (I'm thinking a chopped allen wrench) into the little hole towards the rear of the rod, thus locking the cup thingy back. Ease the slide forward, and take out the slide stop when the notch lines up.

So, once I take off the top end, the locked back cup thingy will allow the bushing to be turned? And after the bushing is out, I can slide the whole mess out of the front of the gun?

I thank you, and my eyeballs thank you.

H.

[ihatepickles]

Instead of a chopped up hex wrench, use a bent paperclip for the take down hole.

Also, it's often easier to not fully lock back the slide. It's a little difficult to put into words, but pull the slide back and then hold the slide back with a single hand so that the other hand is free to insert the take down tool (paperclip). If you fully lock the slide back, you must insert the take down tool and then slowly release the slide without knocking the take down tool out of it's hole. Sorry for the vague description, it'll work either way.

Once the recoil spring is captured, you can take the top end off the gun and there won't be any spring pressure to contend with. You must take the top end off first though, the spring assembly (spring, plug, guiderod) won't come out the front. The recoil assembly comes out towards the breach as one bound unit. The barrel and bushing come out towards the muzzle.

If you're not familiar with 1911's, be careful when removing the slide release. Taking this part off and putting it back in accounts for 90% of the "idiot scratches" I've seen on guns. It's an ugly mark of shame, an arc shaped scratch across your slide or frame.

Edited April 5, 2007 by ihatepickles

[markwilliston]

I've got a full length tungstein guide rod in mine and I skip the paperclip trick. This works as long as the guide rod does not stick out beyond the barrel bushing with the slide closed.

Here is how I skin a cat:

Now either use your thumb or bushing tool:

To push down the Recoil Spring Plug and turn the barrel bushing.

This is the part where you either pay attention or spend the next 2 hours looking for the g#%@mn recoil spring plug that has departed across the room. When you turn the barrel bushing all the way over and your thumb over the recoil spring plug slowly let it out. Then pull out the recoil spring.

Move the slide back to the spot for taking out the slide stop. Pop it out, and the slide will come off the gun.

That's on an STI Trojan .45 with a tungstein guide rod from EGW. Although with steel guide rod was the same length. With a 10 lbs recoil sping I don't need the barrel bushing wrench, and can have the gun apart in seconds.

Edited for joke:

If you are a glock guy, your tigger finger is probably tougher than your thumb, so you can use your trigger finger to push down the recoil spring bushing

Edited April 5, 2007 by markwilliston

[Matt Griffin]

Instead of a chopped up hex wrench, use a bent paperclip for the take down hole.

Also, it's often easier to not fully lock back the slide. It's a little difficult to put into words, but pull the slide back and then hold the slide back with a single hand so that the other hand is free to insert the take down tool (paperclip). If you fully lock the slide back, you must insert the take down tool and then slowly release the slide without knocking the take down tool out of it's hole. Sorry for the vague description, it'll work either way.

Once the recoil spring is captured, you can take the top end off the gun and there won't be any spring pressure to contend with. You must take the top end off first though, the spring assembly (spring, plug, guiderod) won't come out the front. The recoil assembly comes out towards the breach as one bound unit. The barrel and bushing come out towards the muzzle.

If you're not familiar with 1911's, be careful when removing the slide release. Taking this part off and putting it back in accounts for 90% of the "idiot scratches" I've seen on guns. It's an ugly mark of shame, an arc shaped scratch across your slide or frame.

Gotcha, it occurred to me last night that an allen wrench would likely mar the plug, and that a paperclip would be a better tool. Thanks for the info, and I see what you mean about holding the slide. Fun trick: I can chamber a round one-handed with a four-inch Beretta. It's all in the pinky and thumb.

H.

Edited for joke:

If you are a glock guy, your tigger finger is probably tougher than your thumb, so you can use your trigger finger to push down the recoil spring bushing

That's the procedure I had understood, but in this case the guide rod does indeed extend out far enough to lock the bushing.

As for joke: That's true about the trigger finger, the great thing about 1911s is that they're so fast you hardly notice all the time you spend clearing jams.

H.

[Nemo]

Other alternatives could be:

- Grind the guide rod tip until it doesn't interfere with turning the bushing.

- Replace it for a two-piece rod.

or

- Replace it for the old short guide rod and plug.

I use the old GI system with a 14lb spring and haven't had a problem with it.

Good luck!

[boo radley]

or

- Replace it for the old short guide rod and plug.

I use the old GI system with a 14lb spring and haven't had a problem with it.

Good luck!

I'm a fan of the latter solution. On my Les Baer PII, I dropped in a full length rod. Then had to buy a metal bushing wrench to turn the bushing....

Then I thought -- I paid all this money for a super-tight (probably needlessly so) gun, why am I grinding away on the bushing/barrel fit? If I ease the slide back a 1/2" or so, I don't need to use undue force to turn the bushing -- but I can't do that with a full-length rod.

LB shipped with a GI-style anyway.

[Matt Griffin]

Other alternatives could be:

- Grind the guide rod tip until it doesn't interfere with turning the bushing.

- Replace it for a two-piece rod.

or

- Replace it for the old short guide rod and plug.

I use the old GI system with a 14lb spring and haven't had a problem with it.

Good luck!

I'll be replacing it with a steel guide rod, as tungsten is illegal in SS.

H.

[LPatterson]

I'll be replacing it with a steel guide rod, as tungsten is illegal in SS.

H.

It is not illegal per se if it does not exceed the 43oz limit.

[Matt Griffin]

Ok, I went home at lunch and did the paperclip trick, which seemed to work, EXCEPT. After capturing the recoil spring, I moved the recoil assembly all the way to the rear and tilted it away from the slide, expecting that it would now fit over the little linkage on the barrel, but no luck. It still needs about 1/2mm to clear the linkage.

Am I missing something, still?

H.

[ima45dv8]

Ok, I went home at lunch and did the paperclip trick, which seemed to work, EXCEPT. After capturing the recoil spring, I moved the recoil assembly all the way to the rear and tilted it away from the slide, expecting that it would now fit over the little linkage on the barrel, but no luck. It still needs about 1/2mm to clear the linkage.

Am I missing something, still?

H.

Rotate the link over back toward the chamber end.

[Matt Griffin]

Naw, I had already done that. It turns out that the guide rod is SO massive, that I had to pry it up a teeny bit with a lever in order to clear the barrel.

Of course, once I got it off, I discovered that the recoil spring also seems to be bigger than normal, and wont fit in the cup on my steel Wilson guide rod, so now I need a spring.

BTW, can anyone confirm the uncaptured diameter of a recoil spring for a 1911? I want to check that I'm right about this one being non-standard. It has an outer diameter of .430.

H,

[Singlestack]

I just measured a 14# Wolf @ .435.

[Matt Griffin]

I just measured a 14# Wolf @ .435.

Weird, am I supposed to screw it into the spring cup, or what?

H.