Cleaning the 1911: Tips for the Care & Feeding of John Browning’s Icon

By Chris Eger

The 1940’s USGI M1911A1 variant in all of its glory. (Graphic: Springfield Armory National Historic Site)
John Browning’s Model 1911 pistol and its offspring have been around for over a century and the secrets to maintaining them are pretty easy to master.
First– starting with a cleared and unloaded pistol, with no brass, ammunition or loaded magazines in the room– you need to field strip the gun. Almost all M1911 variants takedown in virtually the same way, ranging from Great War-era guns through today’s Commander and Officer carry variants.
Below is Team Colt shooter Mark Redl’s simple tutorial on how to field strip one of these venerable handguns. Pay close attention to avoid an unsightly “idiot’s mark” on the slide. Also, be careful with that recoil spring, as it has a nasty habit of trying to launch itself across the room.

One thing to keep in mind, however, on M1911 models is that some with a one-piece guide rod, such as the gun to the right, instead of the more traditional guide rod assembly, such as in the gun on the left, may need a tool, above, to help take them down. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Once stripped, clean the carbon, fouling and grime away with

Source: Guns.com