I have found, in general terms, that most solvents commercially available for gun cleaning have little to no negitive effect on the gun's finish. (steel,
NOT plastic gun finishes) Of course that's if you use it per directions.
As a rule I do two types of 1911 cleaning;[*]The
"fast-but-necessary" post range trip buff
This consists of a field strip removing only the;- mag
- slide release
- bushing
- barrel
- spring
- guide rod
Using the Hoppe's #9 Semi-Auto Bore Cleaning Solvent I clean the barrel. breech face and any other carbon deposits I see with a brush. I continue the cleaning until my wipe cloth/patch returns clean.
Wipe down and inspect the mag, recoil spring, guide rod, plug and bushing.
I do a complete visual inspection of the moving parts looking for wear witness marks, cracks or galling.
I then LIGHTLY lube all areas with my Cane Mobil Mystery custom blend. (NOTE: Lube must be present but.....NOT dripping wet!)
Reassembly looking for a smooth build with no exceptions.
Wipe down the gun's surface with your silicon rag.
[*]The
"Detailed Deep-Clean" scrub. Completely strip your 1911, everything except;
- Sights
- Plunger tube (remove the spring & plungers)
- Grip bushings
- Ejector
While you have it in this most revealing condition, inspect
everything.
- Get your soap and mix with hot water in the bucket. If really dirty use Brakleen.
- Place the large parts (receiver, slide) in the bucket.
- Place your small parts in a strainer and dip in the soapy water. Attachment 39979
- Scrub all parts until void of any lubricant.
- Lay parts out on a clean shop towel and re-inspect everything. Look at the wear areas and for cracks or galling.
This is the time to visually inspect every part in detail..
Trigger Bow ^
Slide stop ^
Barrel ^
Using your compressed air, clean all the nooks and crannies. Use the q-tips to clean the extractor and firing pin channels.
If you find any trace of dirt/lube, draw more hot water, add the Dawn and re-do the scrub thingie. Or re-spray with Brakleen.
I then
LIGHTLY lube all areas with my
Cane Mobil Mystery custom blend. (NOTE: Lube must be present but.....
NOT dripping wet!)
After a deep cleaning especially with Brakleen, use an aerosol lube like Rem oil, or as I do, get a olive oil spray bottle and fill it with my
Cane Mobil Mystery custom blend. The spray allows you to get deep into the nooks and crannies to protect the bare surfaces.
Reassembly looking for a smooth build with no exceptions.
And most important, after a complete tear-down, dry fire the gun with a squib rod seated against the breech face. Insure the firing pin is working by rotating the muzzle to straight up, dry fire and look for the rod to jump when struck by the firing pin. Do this before you return the pistol to service. (Trust the old man on this one!)
cleaning and oiling new 1911
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