Is 1000 rounds too early per detail strip 1911

Gunslick · September 17, 2016, 05:56 PM

Well every 1000 rounds I detail strip my 1911 Springfield stainless. Looking at all the internal parts after today's training session everything looks fine. Am I detail stripping too often? I think maybe so.

TunnelRat · September 17, 2016, 05:58 PM

In my opinion yes, but it's your gun. Do what makes you feel comfortable. Honestly a detail strip really isn't necessary in most cases unless you're replacing a pet as part of a maintenance schedule, and while you likely know what you're doing I think most manufacturers would prefer people not detail strip too often as people tend to make mistakes on reassembly.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Gunslick · September 17, 2016, 06:01 PM

Right on. I think you're right.

**JohnKSa** · September 17, 2016, 06:02 PM

You don't need to detail strip a gun nearly that often to keep it in good working shape unless you're using it in harsh conditions.

If you know what you're doing and use some common sense, it's probably not going to hurt anything.

One way to tell if you're wasting time is to go ahead and clean it normally (no detail strip) BEFORE you do your detail strip/inspection/cleaning.

Then do your detail strip/inspection/cleaning. If you find that the gun is already clean in the course of the detail strip then your normal cleaning is working fine and you can go longer before your next detail strip.

Gunslick · September 17, 2016, 06:08 PM

I like the way you put that. Makes sense. I did put back in the factory MIM ignition parts just to come to terms with the fact that there is nothing wrong with good MIM. I will keep the c&s ignition set because I already know it works safely and have it around for a spare is i ever need it. Today was great. Shot about 400 pistol and 350 rifle. We slowed it down today because I had a new guy join us but it was nice to shoot a little slower and be a little more accurate. I am very accurate while shooting very fast but I can always get better and more accurate while being fast.

g.willikers · September 17, 2016, 09:53 PM

Other than dropping it in quicksand, there's rarely a need to do a complete disassembly of a 1911.
Most every part of the gun can be accessed and cleaned without doing so.
It's quite an open design.

reddog81 · September 17, 2016, 10:04 PM

What do you mean by detail strip?

A complete tear down of the mainspring housing, sear springs, trigger, mag release is a little excessive for 1,000 rounds. Every couple thousand thousand rounds is probably reasonable - maybe 2,500 rounds would be reasonable in my book...

If be detail strip you mean remove the slide and barrel - I do that every couple hundred rounds for a good cleaning but even that is probably excessive.

MagnumWill · September 17, 2016, 10:35 PM

Heck, I got into a scrap with someone here years ago telling me I needed to replace firing pin/recoil springs after 500 rounds. We didn't see eye to eye, needless to say.

I'm more of a 3,000 round kind of guy if I'm going into that much detail. It's quite well separated from immediate powder residue, if anything the grips probably get dirtier than the mainspring in some instances...

Jim Watson · September 18, 2016, 08:17 AM

An annual inspection is enough for an airplane, I think it is about right for a pistol.

jonnyc · September 18, 2016, 08:55 AM

Wow, some of you guys seem to have lots of spare time!

I have 50+ guns and shoot at least 4 every Sunday. If I did a detail (not field) strip every 1000 rounds I would be a full-time professional gun stripper.

Field strip, wipe down, spray clean, wipe again, clean barrel, lube, done. I would think that detail stripping too often would do more damage to pins and small parts than it's worth.

Now to replacing springs too often...............

Targa · September 18, 2016, 08:56 AM

I like to detail strip when I buy a firearm before its first range trip and then, like Jim said, I try to do it annually depending on how many rounds have been through it. In the case of my Colt 1991 that has only had 240 rounds through it since I bought it over a year ago I think biannually will work for me.
Do I think firearms require a detailed strip? Nope, i think they would do just fine if they never recieved more than a field strip and cleaning, as Hickock45 would say, this is what I do.

BigJimP · September 18, 2016, 11:18 AM

I would take a gun down to a "bare frame" after an initial break in period of probably 500 - 1,000 rds ...but after that, I take it to a bare frame - detail strip - lube and inspection - about every 5,000 rds - which is when I replace the firing pin spring on my 1911's.

If you know what you're doing you're not hurting anything doing it more often...but I think its probably a waste of time.

Gunslick · September 18, 2016, 12:07 PM

5000 sounds good.

polyphemus · September 18, 2016, 12:21 PM

Do you know how to do it anyway?
Just wondering

tipoc · September 18, 2016, 04:01 PM

Detail strip once a year unless you shoot over 1000 rounds a month. Then maybe twice a year or once every 18 months. More often if more rounds per month.

Field strip when needed. Maybe after each range trip. Don't let a dirty gun sit more than a couple of weeks in a safe.

As others said...too many detail strips causes excessive wear to pins and other parts. There is also no need for it.

tipoc

RickB · September 18, 2016, 07:31 PM

When I was shooting twice a week I detailed stripped once a year, whether it was 1000 rounds or 5000. That meant I was detail stripping three or four guns a year.
Now, it might be only once every year or three, depending on round count.

imashooter · September 18, 2016, 09:03 PM

I detail strip 2-3 times a year on my remaining 10 or so 1911s. On a field strip clean and lube, I include removing the firing pin and extractor which most folks don't. Parts will not prematurely wear due to detailed stripping. But to answer the OP's question, if you have the time and enjoy doing it, you can take it all the way down as often as you please.

5whiskey · September 18, 2016, 09:35 PM

I shoot cast out of my semis, and that bullet lube finds it's way EVERYWHERE. I tend to detail strip more than most others would, depending on the firearm. 1911s? Every 1-2k rounds or so. I have a Jericho 941 that is a pain in the butt to detail strip. I will strip the slide on my normal schedule, but the frame hasn't been stripped in at least 5k rounds. It's a pain in the butt and I can dig most of the crud out with q-tips, plus it continues to function even if there is some caked on crud stuck in some crevices.

Gunslick · September 18, 2016, 09:55 PM

Yes I know how to detail strip a 1911. I have all the jigs and stones and what not to do sear and hammer jobs, next I want the tools to fit a barrel. In my opinion there is no need to take any classes for gunsmithing. I have been around it my entire life so I have been taking guns apart and fixing them my self when needed. Have never really sent a gun off anywhere with the exception of a Kaboomed Glock 22. That was a long time ago. It's funny, the thing that deterred me from Glock's was.....MIM parts, but as I study them and the process, MIM is everywhere and seems to function fine for law enforcement and military needs in extreme conditions so I let that one go after I got my most recent 1911.

**44 AMP** · September 18, 2016, 11:04 PM

I would like to point out how some people are saying "firearms" in general and talking about the 1911 specifically.

And that's fine, so long as you maintain a degree of separation between the two. The 1911, and several other duty class firearms were designed with the expectation that they would be both field, and detail stripped OFTEN, as such is the practice in virtually every military.

Done right, detail stripping that kind of gun hurts nothing. And yes, you probably are doing it more than needed.

Other kinds of firearms, particularly those with a sporting arm design, are NOT intended to be taken apart regularly, and should not be. Detail strip away, its your gun, but don't do it because you think there is a need. If there IS a need, sure, but otherwise, why bother??

UncleEd · September 19, 2016, 04:33 AM

I never "detail strip" my 1911s.

But, boy, when it comes to my car, I detail strip it----engine, drive train, everything, after every 1,000 miles.

CajunBass · September 19, 2016, 06:12 AM

The only guns I have EVER detailed stripped (to bare frame) were com-bloc mil-surps that were soaked in cosmoline.

If I think they are THAT bad a good shot of "Gunscrubber" will take care of it. If not, it's time to get rid of it and get another one.

polyphemus · September 19, 2016, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Yes I know how to detail strip a 1911

ok now to your question,it is the conditions under which you shoot your pistol
that determine how often you should take it down for maintenance not so much the number of rounds so seeing as you know how to do it deciding when is entirely up to you.

osbornk · September 19, 2016, 09:15 AM

Quote:

I never "detail strip" my 1911s.

I'm worse than you because I never "detail strip" any of my guns and I've never had an issue with any of them. That includes 3 shotguns from the 40s and revolvers from the 60s and 70s. My semi-autos. bolt actions and lever actions are from this century.

I don't "detail strip" my cars, motorcycles, lawnmower or anything else that is running reliability. Why is a gun different? A gun is far less complicated and gets far less use than any of them.

tipoc · September 19, 2016, 11:37 AM

Quote:

I don't "detail strip" my cars, motorcycles, lawnmower or anything else that is running reliability. Why is a gun different? A gun is far less complicated and gets far less use than any of them.

You detail strip to clean, inspect and maintain a pistol or revolver.

A detail strip of a firearms is far easier than of a car motor. In part, for that reason, it's part of routine maintenance.

A shooter can do this based on when they need to or on a schedule. Competitive shooters usually do it on a routine maintenance basis based on round count.

"Need to" is a floating thing. You drop a gun in the Gulf of Mexico and you ought to detail strip it as soon as you can for cleaning. Salt water promotes rust. Rust weakens metal.

I've bought used revolvers where the grease and old oil had become caked on solid blocks of sludge and rust and feckling had set in. A detail strip allows for cleaning of this and inspection of the areas you can't see. Dirt and dust, over years, collect internally in guns. These become areas where moisture can collect.

1911s were made to be detail stripped using only the parts of the gun itself as the tools. Harder to do that on modern versions. But the gun was built for it. They expected it would get wet and muddy, that condensation would form on the metal, inside and out.

Most of us cannot detail strip cars or lawnmowers, even if we wanted to. Truth is there is no need for that. Regular maintenance can be done on them without that. They are also not made for us to detail strip (we usually send it to the shop for that when a timing belt needs replacement, etc.). Guns are made for detail stripping, service sidearms anyway.

tipoc

September 17, 2016, 05:56 PM	#1
Gunslick Senior Member Join Date: July 3, 2016 Posts: 321	Is 1000 rounds too early per detail strip 1911 Well every 1000 rounds I detail strip my 1911 Springfield stainless. Looking at all the internal parts after today's training session everything looks fine. Am I detail stripping too often? I think maybe so.

September 17, 2016, 06:02 PM	#4
JohnKSa Staff Join Date: February 12, 2001 Location: DFW Area Posts: 24,993	You don't need to detail strip a gun nearly that often to keep it in good working shape unless you're using it in harsh conditions. If you know what you're doing and use some common sense, it's probably not going to hurt anything. One way to tell if you're wasting time is to go ahead and clean it normally (no detail strip) BEFORE you do your detail strip/inspection/cleaning. Then do your detail strip/inspection/cleaning. If you find that the gun is already clean in the course of the detail strip then your normal cleaning is working fine and you can go longer before your next detail strip. __________________ Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?

September 17, 2016, 09:53 PM	#6
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	Other than dropping it in quicksand, there's rarely a need to do a complete disassembly of a 1911. Most every part of the gun can be accessed and cleaned without doing so. It's quite an open design. __________________ Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez: “Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”

September 17, 2016, 10:35 PM	#8
MagnumWill Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2009 Location: Central Colorado Posts: 1,001	Heck, I got into a scrap with someone here years ago telling me I needed to replace firing pin/recoil springs after 500 rounds. We didn't see eye to eye, needless to say. I'm more of a 3,000 round kind of guy if I'm going into that much detail. It's quite well separated from immediate powder residue, if anything the grips probably get dirtier than the mainspring in some instances... __________________ Those who hammer their swords into plow shares will plow for those who didn't...

September 18, 2016, 08:55 AM	#10
jonnyc Senior Member Join Date: July 20, 2009 Location: PA Posts: 1,731	Wow, some of you guys seem to have lots of spare time! I have 50+ guns and shoot at least 4 every Sunday. If I did a detail (not field) strip every 1000 rounds I would be a full-time professional gun stripper. Field strip, wipe down, spray clean, wipe again, clean barrel, lube, done. I would think that detail stripping too often would do more damage to pins and small parts than it's worth. Now to replacing springs too often............... __________________ 2024 PA Cartridge Collector Show; Aug. 16-17, 2024!!! Buy...Sell...Trade All Types of Ammunition & Ordnance PM or email me for 2024 show details.

September 17, 2016, 05:58 PM	#2
TunnelRat Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2011 Posts: 12,212	In my opinion yes, but it's your gun. Do what makes you feel comfortable. Honestly a detail strip really isn't necessary in most cases unless you're replacing a pet as part of a maintenance schedule, and while you likely know what you're doing I think most manufacturers would prefer people not detail strip too often as people tend to make mistakes on reassembly. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

September 17, 2016, 06:01 PM	#3
Gunslick Senior Member Join Date: July 3, 2016 Posts: 321	Right on. I think you're right.

September 17, 2016, 06:08 PM	#5
Gunslick Senior Member Join Date: July 3, 2016 Posts: 321	I like the way you put that. Makes sense. I did put back in the factory MIM ignition parts just to come to terms with the fact that there is nothing wrong with good MIM. I will keep the c&s ignition set because I already know it works safely and have it around for a spare is i ever need it. Today was great. Shot about 400 pistol and 350 rifle. We slowed it down today because I had a new guy join us but it was nice to shoot a little slower and be a little more accurate. I am very accurate while shooting very fast but I can always get better and more accurate while being fast.

September 17, 2016, 10:04 PM	#7
reddog81 Senior Member Join Date: October 16, 2014 Location: Iowa Posts: 1,634	What do you mean by detail strip? A complete tear down of the mainspring housing, sear springs, trigger, mag release is a little excessive for 1,000 rounds. Every couple thousand thousand rounds is probably reasonable - maybe 2,500 rounds would be reasonable in my book... If be detail strip you mean remove the slide and barrel - I do that every couple hundred rounds for a good cleaning but even that is probably excessive.

September 18, 2016, 08:17 AM	#9
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,543	An annual inspection is enough for an airplane, I think it is about right for a pistol.

September 18, 2016, 08:56 AM	#11
Targa Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2014 Posts: 2,084	I like to detail strip when I buy a firearm before its first range trip and then, like Jim said, I try to do it annually depending on how many rounds have been through it. In the case of my Colt 1991 that has only had 240 rounds through it since I bought it over a year ago I think biannually will work for me. Do I think firearms require a detailed strip? Nope, i think they would do just fine if they never recieved more than a field strip and cleaning, as Hickock45 would say, this is what I do.

September 18, 2016, 11:18 AM	#12
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	I would take a gun down to a "bare frame" after an initial break in period of probably 500 - 1,000 rds ...but after that, I take it to a bare frame - detail strip - lube and inspection - about every 5,000 rds - which is when I replace the firing pin spring on my 1911's. If you know what you're doing you're not hurting anything doing it more often...but I think its probably a waste of time.

September 18, 2016, 12:07 PM	#13
Gunslick Senior Member Join Date: July 3, 2016 Posts: 321	5000 sounds good.

September 18, 2016, 12:21 PM	#14
polyphemus Senior Member Join Date: June 24, 2012 Posts: 1,055	Do you know how to do it anyway? Just wondering

September 18, 2016, 04:01 PM	#15
tipoc Senior Member Join Date: December 11, 2004 Location: Redwood City, Ca. Posts: 4,114	Detail strip once a year unless you shoot over 1000 rounds a month. Then maybe twice a year or once every 18 months. More often if more rounds per month. Field strip when needed. Maybe after each range trip. Don't let a dirty gun sit more than a couple of weeks in a safe. As others said...too many detail strips causes excessive wear to pins and other parts. There is also no need for it. tipoc

September 18, 2016, 07:31 PM	#16
RickB Senior Member Join Date: March 1, 2000 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 8,518	When I was shooting twice a week I detailed stripped once a year, whether it was 1000 rounds or 5000. That meant I was detail stripping three or four guns a year. Now, it might be only once every year or three, depending on round count. __________________ Runs off at the mouth about anything 1911 related on this site and half the time is flat out wrong.

September 18, 2016, 09:03 PM	#17
imashooter Senior Member Join Date: December 28, 2013 Location: Alabama Posts: 395	I detail strip 2-3 times a year on my remaining 10 or so 1911s. On a field strip clean and lube, I include removing the firing pin and extractor which most folks don't. Parts will not prematurely wear due to detailed stripping. But to answer the OP's question, if you have the time and enjoy doing it, you can take it all the way down as often as you please.

September 18, 2016, 09:35 PM	#18
5whiskey Senior Member Join Date: October 23, 2005 Location: US Posts: 3,657	I shoot cast out of my semis, and that bullet lube finds it's way EVERYWHERE. I tend to detail strip more than most others would, depending on the firearm. 1911s? Every 1-2k rounds or so. I have a Jericho 941 that is a pain in the butt to detail strip. I will strip the slide on my normal schedule, but the frame hasn't been stripped in at least 5k rounds. It's a pain in the butt and I can dig most of the crud out with q-tips, plus it continues to function even if there is some caked on crud stuck in some crevices.

September 18, 2016, 09:55 PM	#19
Gunslick Senior Member Join Date: July 3, 2016 Posts: 321	Yes I know how to detail strip a 1911. I have all the jigs and stones and what not to do sear and hammer jobs, next I want the tools to fit a barrel. In my opinion there is no need to take any classes for gunsmithing. I have been around it my entire life so I have been taking guns apart and fixing them my self when needed. Have never really sent a gun off anywhere with the exception of a Kaboomed Glock 22. That was a long time ago. It's funny, the thing that deterred me from Glock's was.....MIM parts, but as I study them and the process, MIM is everywhere and seems to function fine for law enforcement and military needs in extreme conditions so I let that one go after I got my most recent 1911.

September 18, 2016, 11:04 PM	#20
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,846	I would like to point out how some people are saying "firearms" in general and talking about the 1911 specifically. And that's fine, so long as you maintain a degree of separation between the two. The 1911, and several other duty class firearms were designed with the expectation that they would be both field, and detail stripped OFTEN, as such is the practice in virtually every military. Done right, detail stripping that kind of gun hurts nothing. And yes, you probably are doing it more than needed. Other kinds of firearms, particularly those with a sporting arm design, are NOT intended to be taken apart regularly, and should not be. Detail strip away, its your gun, but don't do it because you think there is a need. If there IS a need, sure, but otherwise, why bother?? __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

September 19, 2016, 04:33 AM	#21
UncleEd Senior Member Join Date: April 13, 2013 Location: N. Georgia Posts: 1,150	I never "detail strip" my 1911s. But, boy, when it comes to my car, I detail strip it----engine, drive train, everything, after every 1,000 miles.

September 19, 2016, 06:12 AM	#22
CajunBass Senior Member Join Date: May 6, 2005 Location: North Chesterfield, Virginia Posts: 4,767	The only guns I have EVER detailed stripped (to bare frame) were com-bloc mil-surps that were soaked in cosmoline. If I think they are THAT bad a good shot of "Gunscrubber" will take care of it. If not, it's time to get rid of it and get another one. __________________ For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (NKJV)