Complete stripping of a 1911.

Madball6 · May 14, 2011, 12:29 AM

Ok, have had my first 1911 for about a month now, have put about 500 rounds through it, and field stripped and cleaned 6 times. Im wanting to do a complete strip and really get into the 1911. How hard is this and what do I need to do it? How often should it be done for cleaning purposes? What are the major pitfalls (IE whats easy to screw up on your gun)? Any advice is appreciated. Keep in mind I am a mechanic and comfortable working on machinery.

larryh1108 · May 14, 2011, 01:59 AM

Detail stripping a 1911 is very simple once you do it a few time. It can be don in under 5 minutes.

Here's a link from the M1911 site that is the place for 1911 discussion and has superior talent about everything 1911. There are also many You Tube videos if you need further help. Have fun! Half the mystique of owning a 1911 is learning it inside and out. It is truly a mechanical marvel that has (and will) pass the test of time.

http://www.m1911.org/stripin1.htm

Ichiban · May 14, 2011, 07:04 AM

It can be a little daunting the first time. These might help.
http://www.surplusrifle.com/pistol19...mble/index.asp
http://gunner777.wordpress.com/disassembly-of-the-1911/
http://digitalmalice.com/Series%20II%20Disassembly.pdf
http://digitalmalice.com/Kimber%20Se...20Assembly.pdf

Don't forget to safety check it after assembly.
http://www.cylinder-slide.com/1911safetyck.shtml

WC145 · May 14, 2011, 07:06 AM

I've watched it done but I've never taken any of my 1911s all the way apart, never had a reason to as it isn't necessary for cleaning.

alloy · May 14, 2011, 07:19 AM

You tube is your friend.
For example.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAh-I...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyM8bbEKV98

Quote:

What are the major pitfalls

Slip a pencil in the barrel on reassembly and test the firing pin, the series 80 parts only work one way but they can be put in wrong(how do I know

), point it away from anything you don't want a hole in.

JimPage · May 14, 2011, 07:40 AM

Field stripping 6 times for 500 rounds is excessive. I would suggest you are over cleaning, putting undue wear on a fine pistol. Armorers in the military told me that that the issue 45acp were field stripped too often and that is the only reason they wore out. I believe them.

I understand you want to take care of your pistol, but over care is as bad as undercare.

Amin Parker · May 14, 2011, 10:37 AM

Detail stripping a 1911 is easy, once the pin at the base of the grip is tapped out everything slides out. Then its just a case of removing the pins that hold in the sear/disconnector and hammer.
Note that the magazine catch has to be removed to slide the trigger out. I agree that youtube is your friend.

Putting it back together is not that bad either. The only thing that i find a bit of a chore is getting the sear/disconnector pin back. You need to line them up properly. Everything else just slides in place. I usually make sure the hammer is in the forward position when sliding in the main spring housing. It makes it easier to put the pin back.

Detail stripping really only needs to be done once every two years in high mileage pistols. Say every 10 to 15 thousand rounds to be honest. In normal duty situations when a pistol is not used for sporting/competition purposes i cant see any reason to do it.

I have to agree with one of the above comments though, learning how the 1911 works inside out is really amazing. It is such a masterpiece of design.

Good luck.

KyJim · May 14, 2011, 12:31 PM

Like a lot of shooters, I used to field strip and clean a 1911 every range trip which, to me, meant about 100 to 150 rounds. Now, I do this on the first trip out to check for wear. After that, it's about every other trip and that's probably more often than it needs. In between sessions and during session, put some oil on the rails and in the area of the barrel hood to keep it lubricated. Wipe down after session.

**Spats McGee** · May 14, 2011, 12:50 PM

Just tagging this thread to make it easier to find again.

Japle · May 14, 2011, 12:54 PM

Back when I was an Army armorer, I had a race with another armorer to see who could detail strip a 1911A1 (not including the mainspring housing and the grip screw bushings) the fastest without tools.

We both did it in under 65 seconds.

It's not hard.

Casimer · May 14, 2011, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Field stripping 6 times for 500 rounds is excessive. I would suggest you are over cleaning, putting undue wear on a fine pistol.

+1

When you remove and replace the pins, you're putting wear on them. Same goes for the bushing. Gradually this is going to loosen things up.

drail · May 14, 2011, 05:30 PM

Field stripping a pistol "wears it out"? Removing the pins wears them out? Those are two of the most ridiculous unsubstantiated statements I have come across in a long time. There is nothing in a 1911 that is going to undergo excessive wear and tear from disassembly and reassembly unless somebody is using a big hammer.

Casimer · May 14, 2011, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Removing the pins wears them out? Those are two of the most ridiculous unsubstantiated statements I have come across in a long time

So why do pins wear then? Haven't you ever noticed that your pins get easier to insert and remove over time?

The advice to avoid frequent stripping is something that's been passed along by armorers at the AMU and other service teams. Due to their observation that it does have an effect on these components over time.

The wear isn't dramatic, but it's enough to have an impact, especially on match pistols.

RickB · May 14, 2011, 06:21 PM

The difficulty if disassembly depends on whether you have an old, out-of-date, primitive 1911, or one of the new, whiz-bang, now-this-is-what-the-1911-always-should-have-been models. The former can be completely disassembled down to the last pin and spring with no tools, while the latter might need three sizes of allen wrenches, a bushing wrench, and a paperclip.

Mike38 · May 14, 2011, 07:23 PM

JimPage wrote:

Quote:

Field stripping 6 times for 500 rounds is excessive. I would suggest you are over cleaning, putting undue wear on a fine pistol.

I agree. At 500 rounds I would be doing my first maybe second field stripping. Granted, I “wipe out the big chunks” every 50 rounds or so with an oil dipped q-tip, but a frequent field stripping is not necessary. My wipe out with an oiled q-tip cleans and oils in the same motion.

Drail wrote:

Quote:

Field stripping a pistol "wears it out"? Removing the pins wears them out?

It sure does. Ask any Pistolsmith that specializes in the M1911. Not an all around Pistolsmith. Not a Gunsmith. But a Pistolsmith that specializes in target grade M1911 pistols. Not only pin wear, it wears the barrel bushing the most.

Is the OP’s pistol a match gun? Maybe, maybe not, but over cleaning a pistol is just as, possibly more damaging then shooting it dirty, IMO.

To the OP: “Back in the day” when John Browning designed the M1911, it could be taken apart completely, each and every part disassembled, without any tools at all. Start with your fingers, and as the pistol came apart, you’d use the previously disassembled part to remove some of the next ones. Example, the firing pin was the punch to remove the pins such as the mainspring housing pin. The sear / hammer spring was a screwdriver. Can’t do that now-a-days because of the close fitting tolerances. Point being, they are easy to take apart. You’ll pick it up very soon.

**44 AMP** · May 15, 2011, 01:05 AM

Two things to remember, first, the plunger tube does NOT come off the frame, and the grip screw bushings are NOT intended to be removed, either.

Both are staked in place, and if they come off, you have broken it.

On a stock GI 1911A1, everything that is intended to be removed can be, without any tools, other than the parts of the gun itself. You will need a small pointed object to push in the firing pin for its removal, but once you get past that all the "tools" you need are the parts of the gun. If you aren't familiar with how to do this, I suggest you use separate tools, (punch and screwdriver)

If you have one of the non GI type 1911A1s (guide rods, collet bushings, firing pin safety, etc.) it gets a little more complicated, but not tremendously so.

As far as the need to completly strip the gun, there isn't one in normal use. The 1911 was designed for military use, which often goes well beyond what is normal for the rest of us, and therefore is able to be detail stripped easily, and when done right, it can be done frequently without damage or undue wear to the gun, unlike most sporting handguns.

If you have a finely fitted match/custom gun, its not a good idea, as the tiny wear over time that a GI class pistol will ignore can take away that custom fit that you paid all that money for. Not recommended as a regular thing.

Madball6 · May 15, 2011, 02:16 AM

To further the discussion this is a target/match full custom gun. While i dont think i abused it during field stripping (wipe down/oil/clean out the slide rails) I was curious about a full strip just because i havent done it yet. If its a bad idea and would adversely affect the gun i wouldnt do it. Right now i have this gun shooting 2" groups at 25 yards and im pretty sure the gun can shoot better then that. I mainly just like to tinker/know how everything works. I thought a full strip of it might help my knowledge base.

Magyar · May 15, 2011, 09:18 AM

Quote:

I would suggest you are over cleaning, putting undue wear on a fine pistol. Armorers in the military told me that that the issue 45acp were field stripped too often and that is the only reason they wore out. I believe them.

Not in the Army I served....

Smaug · May 15, 2011, 09:27 AM

Japle stated he was an Army Armorer. I'd like to get his thoughts on whether detail or field stripping a 1911 will accelerate wear.

I think it will; how could it not?

On the other hand, how could it possibly make the slide:frame fit loose? That only happens from it originally being built to looser tolerances, or from a lot of cycles of those parts sliding together.

Japle · May 15, 2011, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Japle stated he was an Army Armorer. I'd like to get his thoughts on whether detail or field stripping a 1911 will accelerate wear.

On a custom-fitted weapon that requires wrenches and punches to remove parts, there might be some wear the first few times the gun is stripped. After that, no.

On service-type pistols that were assembled at a factory, no.

The parts are far too hard to be worn by someone using his hands.

I've seen many guns that were abused by ignorant owners who didn't know what they were doing and damaged things. The best and most common example of that is the guy who wants to remove the sideplate on his S&W revolver and pries it off with a screwdriver. Automatics that have roll pins often show wear because the owner doesn't have a roll pin punch.

I base my opinion on nearly 40 years of working on, repairing and customizing 1911s and other handguns. Other than military duty, I didn't do the work full time, but I've done it a lot.

The 1911s we had in the units I was assigned to were built in the early '40s. They'd been field stripped by unskilled, ham-handed soldiers for decades, plus the depot rebuilds they'd been through. I believe they were just as accurate and reliable as they were when they left the factory. I used many of them in inter-service competitions and, as long as the magazines were clean and had good springs in them, they did everything I asked of them.

Slamfire · May 15, 2011, 10:34 AM

I absolutely no problem taking the thing apart but I have lots of issues getting the thing back together.

I have spent at least an hour getting those trigger parts, the sear, disconnector, and grip safety all back together. Series 80 mechanisms are the worst.

I am such a fumble butt compared to the Marine Armorers who did the trigger job on my Kimber at Camp Perry. Those guys had every thing together in seconds. I don't know how they did it. Some fast hand movements and they were testing the sear in the pistol.

I think the easiest thing to do is remove the grips and blow the thing with carb cleaner and follow up with compressed air.

But everyone ought to take a M1911 all the way down at least once. Just don't do it over shag carpet, you will loose parts in the shag carpet.

I have never detailed stripped a M92, a P38 or a Walther P5. I don't think these things were ever meant to be taken down after they left the factory.

dreamweaver · May 15, 2011, 10:42 AM

it all sounds easy enough, but until you've either had someone walk you thru it (hands on) or done it a couple times yourself, it can be frustrating.
there's a video on splodetv on a 70 series takedown. it's well done, but without audio instructions there are still a couple areas left to chance, like installing the sear spring correctly and KEEPING it aligned when you slide the mainspring housing in.
also, the 80 series have the firing pin safety which ads 3 more parts. they are a PITA to line up until you have done a couple.
none of it's hard, just the potential for a lot of frustration. don't try and force anything. put it down and walk away if you can't get something after 3 attempts.

jmho

WVsig · May 15, 2011, 03:32 PM

https://www.10-8performance.com/page...27s-Guide.html

g.willikers · May 15, 2011, 03:40 PM

There's really no need to do a full parts strip and removal just for cleaning.
It's good to know how it all works, comes apart and goes together, but 1911s are real easy to clean with just a basic field strip.
Plus, once in awhile, removing the firing pin and stop and extractor to clean, along with their channels in the slide.
The frame parts are easily cleaned with a spray cleaner or by soaking.
No disassembly required.
Anyhow, that's what I do.

Edward429451 · May 15, 2011, 04:52 PM

Most of you guys are purporting this to be a big feat or something, which it clearly is not. Perhaps the over-engineering of Match pistols can make them interesting to disassemble, but the standard 45's anyone should be able to work on one even if you are not mechanically inclined.

Unless you've spent more than 2 grand on your pistol, taking a pin out will not hurt it LOL! Understand that we're talking about two different kinds of 45's here...those that are tools and you will not hurt it without abuse, and those that should be under glass somewhere and not touched. Use it in a shooting game only and these guns are so specialized that they have little value as a SD gun. You guys are confusing the newer 45 owners into thinking their 45's should be treated like race guns which they don't have.

May 14, 2011, 12:29 AM	#1
Madball6 Senior Member Join Date: March 30, 2011 Posts: 211	Complete stripping of a 1911. Ok, have had my first 1911 for about a month now, have put about 500 rounds through it, and field stripped and cleaned 6 times. Im wanting to do a complete strip and really get into the 1911. How hard is this and what do I need to do it? How often should it be done for cleaning purposes? What are the major pitfalls (IE whats easy to screw up on your gun)? Any advice is appreciated. Keep in mind I am a mechanic and comfortable working on machinery.

May 14, 2011, 01:59 AM	#2
larryh1108 Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2008 Location: NC Posts: 813	Detail stripping a 1911 is very simple once you do it a few time. It can be don in under 5 minutes. Here's a link from the M1911 site that is the place for 1911 discussion and has superior talent about everything 1911. There are also many You Tube videos if you need further help. Have fun! Half the mystique of owning a 1911 is learning it inside and out. It is truly a mechanical marvel that has (and will) pass the test of time. http://www.m1911.org/stripin1.htm __________________ Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

May 14, 2011, 07:06 AM	#4
WC145 Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2008 Location: Downeast Maine Posts: 1,836	I've watched it done but I've never taken any of my 1911s all the way apart, never had a reason to as it isn't necessary for cleaning. __________________ "If violent crime is to be curbed, it is only the intended victim who can do it. The felon does not fear the police, and he fears neither judge or jury. Therefore what he must be taught to fear is his victim." - LtCol Jeff Cooper

May 14, 2011, 10:37 AM	#7
Amin Parker Senior Member Join Date: August 19, 2010 Posts: 1,118	Detail stripping a 1911 is easy, once the pin at the base of the grip is tapped out everything slides out. Then its just a case of removing the pins that hold in the sear/disconnector and hammer. Note that the magazine catch has to be removed to slide the trigger out. I agree that youtube is your friend. Putting it back together is not that bad either. The only thing that i find a bit of a chore is getting the sear/disconnector pin back. You need to line them up properly. Everything else just slides in place. I usually make sure the hammer is in the forward position when sliding in the main spring housing. It makes it easier to put the pin back. Detail stripping really only needs to be done once every two years in high mileage pistols. Say every 10 to 15 thousand rounds to be honest. In normal duty situations when a pistol is not used for sporting/competition purposes i cant see any reason to do it. I have to agree with one of the above comments though, learning how the 1911 works inside out is really amazing. It is such a masterpiece of design. Good luck. __________________ Every shooter should know what it feels like to hit a Bowling Pin in the sweet spot and see that sucker fly. Consider a CZ pistol before you decide.

May 15, 2011, 01:05 AM	#16
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,846	Two things to remember, first, the plunger tube does NOT come off the frame, and the grip screw bushings are NOT intended to be removed, either. Both are staked in place, and if they come off, you have broken it. On a stock GI 1911A1, everything that is intended to be removed can be, without any tools, other than the parts of the gun itself. You will need a small pointed object to push in the firing pin for its removal, but once you get past that all the "tools" you need are the parts of the gun. If you aren't familiar with how to do this, I suggest you use separate tools, (punch and screwdriver) If you have one of the non GI type 1911A1s (guide rods, collet bushings, firing pin safety, etc.) it gets a little more complicated, but not tremendously so. As far as the need to completly strip the gun, there isn't one in normal use. The 1911 was designed for military use, which often goes well beyond what is normal for the rest of us, and therefore is able to be detail stripped easily, and when done right, it can be done frequently without damage or undue wear to the gun, unlike most sporting handguns. If you have a finely fitted match/custom gun, its not a good idea, as the tiny wear over time that a GI class pistol will ignore can take away that custom fit that you paid all that money for. Not recommended as a regular thing. __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

May 14, 2011, 07:04 AM	#3
Ichiban Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2009 Posts: 257	It can be a little daunting the first time. These might help. http://www.surplusrifle.com/pistol19...mble/index.asp http://gunner777.wordpress.com/disassembly-of-the-1911/ http://digitalmalice.com/Series%20II%20Disassembly.pdf http://digitalmalice.com/Kimber%20Se...20Assembly.pdf Don't forget to safety check it after assembly. http://www.cylinder-slide.com/1911safetyck.shtml

May 14, 2011, 07:40 AM	#6
JimPage Senior Member Join Date: February 21, 2010 Location: Rome, NY Posts: 941	Field stripping 6 times for 500 rounds is excessive. I would suggest you are over cleaning, putting undue wear on a fine pistol. Armorers in the military told me that that the issue 45acp were field stripped too often and that is the only reason they wore out. I believe them. I understand you want to take care of your pistol, but over care is as bad as undercare.

May 14, 2011, 12:31 PM	#8
KyJim Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2005 Location: The Bluegrass Posts: 9,142	Like a lot of shooters, I used to field strip and clean a 1911 every range trip which, to me, meant about 100 to 150 rounds. Now, I do this on the first trip out to check for wear. After that, it's about every other trip and that's probably more often than it needs. In between sessions and during session, put some oil on the rails and in the area of the barrel hood to keep it lubricated. Wipe down after session.

May 14, 2011, 12:50 PM	#9
Spats McGee Staff Join Date: July 28, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 8,821	Just tagging this thread to make it easier to find again.

May 14, 2011, 12:54 PM	#10
Japle Senior Member Join Date: October 12, 2004 Location: Viera, Florida Posts: 1,340	Back when I was an Army armorer, I had a race with another armorer to see who could detail strip a 1911A1 (not including the mainspring housing and the grip screw bushings) the fastest without tools. We both did it in under 65 seconds. It's not hard.

May 14, 2011, 05:30 PM	#12
drail Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2008 Posts: 3,150	Field stripping a pistol "wears it out"? Removing the pins wears them out? Those are two of the most ridiculous unsubstantiated statements I have come across in a long time. There is nothing in a 1911 that is going to undergo excessive wear and tear from disassembly and reassembly unless somebody is using a big hammer.

May 14, 2011, 06:21 PM	#14
RickB Senior Member Join Date: March 1, 2000 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 8,518	The difficulty if disassembly depends on whether you have an old, out-of-date, primitive 1911, or one of the new, whiz-bang, now-this-is-what-the-1911-always-should-have-been models. The former can be completely disassembled down to the last pin and spring with no tools, while the latter might need three sizes of allen wrenches, a bushing wrench, and a paperclip.

May 15, 2011, 02:16 AM	#17
Madball6 Senior Member Join Date: March 30, 2011 Posts: 211	To further the discussion this is a target/match full custom gun. While i dont think i abused it during field stripping (wipe down/oil/clean out the slide rails) I was curious about a full strip just because i havent done it yet. If its a bad idea and would adversely affect the gun i wouldnt do it. Right now i have this gun shooting 2" groups at 25 yards and im pretty sure the gun can shoot better then that. I mainly just like to tinker/know how everything works. I thought a full strip of it might help my knowledge base.

May 15, 2011, 09:27 AM	#19
Smaug Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2004 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 3,210	Japle, what do you think? Japle stated he was an Army Armorer. I'd like to get his thoughts on whether detail or field stripping a 1911 will accelerate wear. I think it will; how could it not? On the other hand, how could it possibly make the slide:frame fit loose? That only happens from it originally being built to looser tolerances, or from a lot of cycles of those parts sliding together. __________________ -Jeremy "Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." - Eric Hoffer

May 15, 2011, 10:34 AM	#21
Slamfire Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2007 Posts: 5,261	I absolutely no problem taking the thing apart but I have lots of issues getting the thing back together. I have spent at least an hour getting those trigger parts, the sear, disconnector, and grip safety all back together. Series 80 mechanisms are the worst. I am such a fumble butt compared to the Marine Armorers who did the trigger job on my Kimber at Camp Perry. Those guys had every thing together in seconds. I don't know how they did it. Some fast hand movements and they were testing the sear in the pistol. I think the easiest thing to do is remove the grips and blow the thing with carb cleaner and follow up with compressed air. But everyone ought to take a M1911 all the way down at least once. Just don't do it over shag carpet, you will loose parts in the shag carpet. I have never detailed stripped a M92, a P38 or a Walther P5. I don't think these things were ever meant to be taken down after they left the factory. __________________ If I'm not shooting, I'm reloading.

May 15, 2011, 10:42 AM	#22
dreamweaver Senior Member Join Date: January 23, 2008 Posts: 713	it all sounds easy enough, but until you've either had someone walk you thru it (hands on) or done it a couple times yourself, it can be frustrating. there's a video on splodetv on a 70 series takedown. it's well done, but without audio instructions there are still a couple areas left to chance, like installing the sear spring correctly and KEEPING it aligned when you slide the mainspring housing in. also, the 80 series have the firing pin safety which ads 3 more parts. they are a PITA to line up until you have done a couple. none of it's hard, just the potential for a lot of frustration. don't try and force anything. put it down and walk away if you can't get something after 3 attempts. jmho __________________ http://takdriver.com/

May 15, 2011, 03:32 PM	#23
WVsig Senior Member Join Date: June 30, 2010 Location: NC Posts: 5,309	https://www.10-8performance.com/page...27s-Guide.html __________________ -The right to be left alone is the most comprehensive of rights, and the right most valued by free people.-Louis Brandeis -Its a tool box... I don't care you put the tools in for the job that's all... -Sam from Ronin -It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. -Aristotle

May 15, 2011, 03:40 PM	#24
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	There's really no need to do a full parts strip and removal just for cleaning. It's good to know how it all works, comes apart and goes together, but 1911s are real easy to clean with just a basic field strip. Plus, once in awhile, removing the firing pin and stop and extractor to clean, along with their channels in the slide. The frame parts are easily cleaned with a spray cleaner or by soaking. No disassembly required. Anyhow, that's what I do. __________________ Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez: “Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”

May 15, 2011, 04:52 PM	#25
Edward429451 Junior member Join Date: November 12, 2000 Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Posts: 9,494	Most of you guys are purporting this to be a big feat or something, which it clearly is not. Perhaps the over-engineering of Match pistols can make them interesting to disassemble, but the standard 45's anyone should be able to work on one even if you are not mechanically inclined. Unless you've spent more than 2 grand on your pistol, taking a pin out will not hurt it LOL! Understand that we're talking about two different kinds of 45's here...those that are tools and you will not hurt it without abuse, and those that should be under glass somewhere and not touched. Use it in a shooting game only and these guns are so specialized that they have little value as a SD gun. You guys are confusing the newer 45 owners into thinking their 45's should be treated like race guns which they don't have.