1911 maintenance advice needed.

J

jmstr

New member
I am now officially a member of the 1911a1 owners club of america. I just received my pistol today and can't wait to go test it out. I've heard about all of the traditional 'tune-up' advice about upgrades, and I am sure I will go that route [on some of the parts] someday soon. However, what I need is a little more basic help with maintenance. I would consult the owners manual, but I bought one of those Argentine imports [Ejericto Argentino model 1927] and the two page handout is worse than useless. It covers only the legal stuff: don't leave loaded, don't point at anything you don't want to shoot, don't leave unlocked, etc. I need some of the 'basic' info, like:

1: after how many rounds should I stop and re-oil at the range? I am talking of a possible 500 round day to test out different ammo for reliability issues. Or should I actually fieldstrip and clean it before that number?

2: what type of ammo should I NOT use? I mean some sort of velocity measurement, not a bland "+P+" type rating. Also, are there any hollowpoints that feed better than average in the 1911 design?

3: what should I use to clean/maintain wooden stocks?

4: When loading a round, what is the best way to chamber it? Using snapcaps I have tried to manually release the slide and 'guide' it forward on the rails, but the snapcap gets jammed. If I just release the slide stop and allow the slide to 'slam' the round into the chamber it chambers every time. Is this normal?

The next couple of questions are more accessory oriented, but I hope some of you can give some good feedback on those also.

5: what are some good sights that will mate up with the Pre-WWII design with minimal milling/slide work? brand and model would be helpful, as some make multiple models.

6: Who makes a wider gripsafety that allows me to use the existing hammer?

7: If the pistol is ejecting the shells reliably, why would I want to have someone lower and flare the ejection port for me?

8: Are Wolff's 'extra power firing pin springs' worth the time and money to invest, or just another gimmick? I don't want to buy them to find out that it creates lite primer strikes.

Thanks in advance for any and all advice you can give me.

jms
 
1. Clean and oil before shooting and again every 300-400rds. or as often as you like. No need to lube the gun while in the middle of a range session.

2. Any ammo that is .45ACP should work on your 1911, although I recommend switching to a heavier spring and using a shok-buff while using +P ammo

3. I just wipe mine with a rag, some light oil

4. You should never "slam" the slide home on an empty chamber. It is safe to do this with a snap cap.

5. Any available sight that will fit the cut in your 1911 should be good. I prefer Heinie's http://www.heinie.com

6. Dunno this one

7. You just answered your own question on this one buddy :D

8. If its an "extra-power" firing pin spring, its suppose to be stronger than the factory rated spring, hence you get more weight behind the spring making the firing pin strike much harder

9. Your welcome :cool:
 
1. No need to at the range as long as it's properly lubed before the range visit.

2. Stay away from Corbon or any excessively hot ammo with that Argentina Colt.

3. A rag :)

4. Don't ease the round forward. Let it slam forward with a round in the magazine. Never allow the slide to slam forward with an empty chamber.

5. Heinie sights WILL NOT fit the cut on your Colt. The only sight on the market that I know of that will fit that cut are made by Robar. (see attached picture)

6. Why not just replace the existing hammer? Good quality hammers are cheap and this allows you more flexibility in using Ed Brown, Wilson, etc beavertails.

7. No need to lower it.

8. It's a gimmick as long as you're not getting a lot of misfires
 
1) No harm in applying an additional drop or two after 200-300 rounds.
4) That's the way it's supposed to work
5) King's Hardball sights fit the stock dovetail, are taller/wider, and can be had with white dots/outlines if preferred.
8) Every Wolff recoil spring includes a "free" replacement, extra-power firing pin spring. Glock_Racer seems to have confused the fp spring with the mainspring; the x-power fp spring will slightly REDUCE the impact of the fp on the primer, as Son alluded, but it gives you a little slam-fire protection, and in the occurrence of a muzzle-down drop, it can prevent an (extremely unlikely)accidental discharge.

Replacing all of the springs in your Sistema isn't a bad idea. A buddy of mine has two of them, and all of the internal parts were pretty well worn. New springs will likely make the gun safer and more reliable.
 
Some unsolicited 1911-a1 advice:

You'll want to pull out the extractor and clean out the area where the extractor goes. A lot of crud can build up in there.

I hope it goes well for you. I entered the 1911 world almost a year ago, and I can't figure out why I didn't do it sooner.
 
6: Both Kings and Wilson Combat offer wider, flat "drop in" grip safeties allowing the original hammer to be used.

http://www.kingsgunworks.com

http://www.wilsoncombat.com

3: Toothbrush and some SIMPLE GREEN to get the crud out of the checkering. Linspeed oil carefully applied.

8: Not a gimmick if you've changed the recoil spring from 16# to a heavier one. I use the EP FP springs and have not had any light strikes/failures to fire.

For a lot of info;

http://www.m1911.org
http://www.sightm1911.com

and

httP://www.1911forum.com
 
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