Cleaning really a pain?

[Pastor C]

I hear horror stories about cleaning and disassembling 1911's, are they really that bad to clean compared to a GLOCK? / or is it apples and oranges?

[Alpo]

They are more difficult to take apart than a Glock or Beretta, but that does not mean they are hard to take apart. I've never heard any horror stories about it. Like just about everything else, you just have to learn how.

[3-tours]

strip it assemble it. over+over+over+over,untill you can do it blind folded in under 30 sec. and i garentee you'll never have to ask your question again. this is how the corps tought me in 1965 and it's held me in good sted ever since. remember practice makes perfect

[johnlives4christ]

they certainly aren't enough to make a preacher cuss...

[techoca]

Cleaning a 1911 is not difficult. One only needs a few times to become familiar with the gun. There are numerous videos on the web as well as printed material to get you started.

Sure, cleaning a Glock is simple-just throw it into the dishwasher. It is nice to handle a 1911.

[PPK 32]

Cleaning a 1911 is not that difficult. Harder than a Walther or a Berreta, but no big deal. Way easier than a Ruger!!!

[USMCSpeedy]

Heres a link to a video that someone else had in another post here. I thought it was pretty good. You can pause it as necessary to follow along. This also goes through the complete disassembly. Field stripping should be all thats necessary in most cases.

http://smg.photobucket.com/player.sw...fs=1&os=1&ap=1

[Insulation Tim]

The 1911 is a little more difficult to clean than a Glock in only that it has more parts. Very simple once you get the hang of it. I learned by watching www.youtube.com

[Pastor C]

Gotcha ---phew!-- ok I was getting a little worried there . My friend said he had to take his gun back to his gunsmith in a box for him to put it back together but after talking to him today he said it was the FIRST TIME he tried it

[LDBennett]

When in doubt read the directions. Find a disassembly book that has a 1911 assembly/disassembly procedure and follow it several times and it will be readily apparent after that. The 1911 is a simple gun and not difficult to disassemble but it is not as easy as a Beretta. The toughest part for me is getting the barrel bushing out without shooting the recoil plug across the room.

LDBennett

[Insulation Tim]

Originally Posted by LDBennett

The toughest part for me is getting the barrel bushing out without shooting the recoil plug across the room.LDBennett

Be extremely careful of that as you could easily lose an eye. The first time I disassembled my new Kimber the recoil plug launched, never to be found. I always make sure my face is no where near the end of that thing.

[TranterUK]

My 2c, the 1911 is 'better' and more user friendly to clean than a Glock.

First, subject to learning how, and what worth knowing isnt, you can strip a 1911 on you kitchen table down to the last pin. You cant do that with a Glock.

Second, I for one find the disassembly latch on a Glock fidley and awkward. The 1911 is simple and positive.

Third, there are more inaccessible small places in the Glock for debris to hide. The 1911 can get pretty dirty and still work.

I also have an ongoing argument with cleaning Glock mags with their silly bottom plate removal system. I think it would be easier to saw the bottom off. Though easy to clean, it may then result in poor performance once re loaded.

Oh, and regarding 'horror stories' about stripping 1911s, you just need to be shown how, there is no horror'

[LDBennett]

Insulation Tim:

I actually have a metal tool, a wrench that fits the barrel bush for rotating the bush out of the slide, with a protrusion that blocks the escape path for the recoil spring plug when the barrel bushing is released from the slide. My Delta Elite 10 mm has one strong recoil spring and even with the tool the plug can still be hard to control. But I haven't lost a plug yet in over 20 years of 1911 ownership!

LDBennett

[3-tours]

the reason the 1911a1 was the go to weapon in WWII was for the ease of cleaning.And even if totally grunged it would still function flawlessly.Also, as far as tools were concerned,a p38 was all the tools a marine ever needed,other then their own teeth that is. sailors just dipped it in the ocean and rinsed it in the bilge water. the only exception was the army,but after recuiting a few monkeys to show them how ,most[ not all mind you] after awhile got it.

[Doc1911]

M-1911 Disassembly. If you can wash a car then you can clean a 1911.

[doug66]

Practice makes perfect. I used to hate to clean my Ruger MK II 22 pistol. Over time it becomes old hat.

[Doc1911]

Originally Posted by doug66

Practice makes perfect. I used to hate to clean my Ruger MK II 22 pistol. Over time it becomes old hat.

Great post ...

I have done 1911s for so long I have forgotten about my first time. Now the AUG A3: The first time was a learning experience. By the third time - it was simple. As doug66 stated, "Practice makes perfect."

[Carne Frio]

1911's in 45 acp are not a problem to take down, clean and reassemble.
Less enjoyable, for me, are my 10mm 1911's. The springs are harder to
deal with.

[Hammerslagger]

As our esteemed member in England mentioned, you can completely disassemble an original GI spec 1911 "down to the last pin" using no tools but other parts of the pistol. That's how Mr. Browning designed it.

With a little practice you can do it with your eyes closed. With a little more study and practice you can keep your eyes closed scramble the parts, and put it back together again.

Once, this is how apprentice gun smiths were trained. Sometimes called "learning to see with your fingertips".

[Doc1911]

I forgot to mention - do some reading at this site about your 1911. The left hand colum has several links.

[40CalJoe]

The "horror stories" not doubt come from people who want things to be automatic. It does take more time to clean my 1911 than any of my Glocks. But I find the time relaxing.

[fyimo]

Most 1911's come apart really easy and cleaning is a snap. In the Arny we had to field strip and and reassemble them quickly so we practiced until we could do it blind folded. Now some of the new ones with custom fit bushings requiring a special wrench to take them down and it takes longer but it isn't really a pain.

Now my Sig P220 comes apart in 4 seconds and back together almost as fast. Now that's easy.

[Wildalaska]

never had a problem cleaning a 1911, nor any other pistol, I just hate it
The easiest pistol of them all to detail strip and clean is the SIG P210

[woolleyworm]

Originally Posted by Wildalaska

never had a problem cleaning a 1911, nor any other pistol, I just hate it
The easiest pistol of them all to detail strip and clean is the SIG P210

Dang it man.... making me drool with envy so early in the morning.... Would love to have a 210 some day. I agree, Sigs are the easiest take down. I can field strip my 220 and 229 , re-assemble within 2 minutes easily. Never actually timed myself though...... yep, I'm off to find my stop watch.

My .02 on cleaning and how to avoid the dreaded "where did this part go" is this:


Learn the function and purpose of each individual part; then it's going to be easy to clean, inspect and know what is causing problems if you do have any malfuntions.

I've found that many weekend plinkers have no real idea what a sear or disconnector is or does in their firearm. I can understand someone that has no idea how to rebuild a tranny or top end, but a gun that only has 20-30 total pieces? I think 99% of gunowners are capable of understanding it, it's just a matter of studying it.

Semper Fi,

Woolley

[crockett007]

The 1911 service pistol is field stripped for cleaning easily. Literally millions of service members have learned this simple task in basic training. Usually in less than 30 minutes ......there is no horror involved I assure you.