Seriously considering going back to the 1911 for carry. Anyone else?

[BK14]

Grease

One of my favorite smiths told me to stick with a blued pistol for a duty gun and use grease to protect it over any of the the spray and bake finishes out there. His reason being that since it's a 1911 and will have a long service life and inevitably some small parts will need to be swapped in the future and re-bluing the gun is much easier than having to strip the paint finishes off and reapply them.

Yes, it's more work to clean your gun often and grease it down, but I've now been doing it for years without issue and it gives you a chance to re-lube the internals and check for wear anyway. The nice thing is that a 1911 isn't a very hard gun to detail strip.

Thanks for the response. Are you applying the grease all over the gun, or only under particular places like safeties/slide stop?

[KevH]

Thanks for the response. Are you applying the grease all over the gun, or only under particular places like safeties/slide stop?

I apply a light coat of grease on every external metal surface and then wipe the gun down to remove the excess.

I don't do it everyday. I probably give it a coat every couple months. I detail strip a couple times a year, usually after a weekend or two of getting heavily rained on. Like I said, once you've done it a couple times it isn't much harder to strip it down and reassemble than a Glock.

Using that process (taught to me long ago) I've had ZERO surface rust. I also use grease (not oil) on the internals in the appropriate spots. 1911's like to be lubed. Don't be stingy with the grease.

I have 1911's with coatings. I have a custom built Kimber with black Tripp Cobra Coat and ran a Springfield Pro with Black-T for awhile. I honestly think blueing works just fine if you know how to take care of it. What I do is what most gun guys that ran blued S&W revolvers did for decades.

[breakingtime91]

I apply a light coat of grease on every external metal surface and then wipe the gun down to remove the excess.

I don't do it everyday. I probably give it a coat every couple months. I detail strip a couple times a year, usually after a weekend or two of getting heavily rained on. Like I said, once you've done it a couple times it isn't much harder to strip it down and reassemble than a Glock.

Using that process (taught to me long ago) I've had ZERO surface rust. I also use grease (not oil) on the internals in the appropriate spots. 1911's like to be lubed. Don't be stingy with the grease.

I have 1911's with coatings. I have a custom built Kimber with black Tripp Cobra Coat and ran a Springfield Pro with Black-T for awhile. I honestly think blueing works just fine if you know how to take care of it. What I do is what most gun guys that ran blued S&W revolvers did for decades.

which grease and do you know of any good videos of detail stripping?

[BK14]

which grease and do you know of any good videos of detail stripping?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y4lEEVk0IjY

Mr. Burton is local to me, and does amazing work. If you haven’t, check out his Instagram page. My master plan is to secretly befriend him and the workers at his shop so I have a local gunsmith hookup when needed (and they just seem like good people). So far it isn’t working..... but one day.

[KevH]

which grease and do you know of any good videos of detail stripping?

I prefer to use Jardine's or Enos Slide Glide (they both smell the same and I'm guessing their composition is similar), but honestly I don't think it matters. More than likely any good gun grease would do. You want it to stay put.

I learned to detail strip the gun in a Colt Armorer's class a long time ago and I think I can do it blindfolded at this point, but just checking Youtube:

Here is one by Jason Burton:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4lEEVk0IjY

...and one by Ron Philips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIETNijG-DM

1911's are stupid simple guns to disassemble and reassemble. WAAAAAYYYY simpler than most pistols. One simple trick is to put an empty magazine in the gun when you put the sear and disconnector back in to help hold them in place, especially if it is a Series 80 Colt.

[45dotACP]

]

1911's are stupid simple guns to disassemble and reassemble. WAAAAAYYYY simpler than most pistols. One simple trick is to put an empty magazine in the gun when you put the sear and disconnector back in to help hold them in place, especially if it is a Series 80 Colt.

You're a goddamn genius sir.

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[Trukinjp13]

To piggyback the grease talk. Make sure you are using a grease for your environment. Some greases fail miserably in the winter months. And some are terrible in the hot summer.

This thread is filled with knowledge. Thank you all.


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[farscott]

On greases, I have had good luck with RIG, which stands for "Rust-Inhibiting Grease" as well as Lubriplate 105 and 130-A. You can also use Renaissance Wax on metal surfaces; it does a nice job of protection against corrosion underneath grips.

The important thing with Parkerized finishes is to keep the finish filled with the material to protect corrosion; the finish itself is not corrosion-resistant. It only offers protection when filled with a barrier substance.

[OlongJohnson]

I apply a light coat of grease on every external metal surface and then wipe the gun down to remove the excess.

I don't do it everyday. I probably give it a coat every couple months. I detail strip a couple times a year, usually after a weekend or two of getting heavily rained on. Like I said, once you've done it a couple times it isn't much harder to strip it down and reassemble than a Glock.

Using that process (taught to me long ago) I've had ZERO surface rust. I also use grease (not oil) on the internals in the appropriate spots. 1911's like to be lubed. Don't be stingy with the grease.

I have 1911's with coatings. I have a custom built Kimber with black Tripp Cobra Coat and ran a Springfield Pro with Black-T for awhile. I honestly think blueing works just fine if you know how to take care of it. What I do is what most gun guys that ran blued S&W revolvers did for decades.

Keep in mind that, according to KevH's "Location" callout, he is in Contra Costa County, CA. That is not a humid location, even though there is ocean adjacent to it. In fact, it's pretty darn dry.

I used to live three blocks from the beach in SoCal. That was pretty darn dry, too. Being a west coast dweller for nearly 40 years (the first half in the "Pacific Northwet," I simply had no basis for comprehending the reality of Gulf Coast humidity I now suffer with. Just resting a blued pistol barrel on a clean microfiber cloth to protect it from a wooden range bench led to spots of different shininess where the cloth touched it, due to the humidity in the air permeating the cloth affecting the oxidation state of the bluing. And yes, it was properly oiled. I now use non-absorbent closed-cell foam rubber sheets if I go there.

Accordingly, check frequently on the results of any experiments.

If you're going to try the "grease as corrosion inhibitor" path, you might consider Bel-Ray Waterproof Grease. My understanding is it meets the MIL spec for saltwater washout resistance and is used on outboard fittings in submarines. Sold for powersports (motorcycle dealer near you or online), it's considerably cheaper than gun lubes.

I saw a USP .45 Expert online for $818 shipped yesterday. I'm writing down lists of why I don't need one.

[SW CQB 45]

I once had a fail (all my fault) with Slide Glide Lite.

I lubed a STI Targetmaster 9mm 6" shooting a 150 round PPC match with target SWC reloads.

Here is my fail....I did not test and I wanted to try it out.....I figured I was good as the temp was 100 degrees outside. Big mistake.

About 30 rounds into the match... the failure to eject or feed started. This piece ran 100% previously with my reloads.

In between stages...I was allowed to take apart my gun and start wiping lube away. Someone threw me a bottle of spray Rem Oil.... hoping to break down the Slide Glide.

My pistol started to improve but was still hiccuping.

I got home (tail between my legs) and detailed stripped, removing the Slide Glide Lite. Re oil with whatever I used previously.... same loads and the gun ran fine.

Slide Glide Lite, tighter tolerance pistol, heavy 6" slide and target velocity 9mm ammo is not a good mix.