The Art and Science of Keeping Your 1911 Running

[SW CQB 45]

If you have money and time and are married to that specific slide, there are quite a few gunsmiths who can fill the dovetail, weld it up, and re-cut it to be in spec. Evolution Armory is one that immediately springs to mind, but there's quite a few more out there that I've seen do it, on 1911forum and 1911addicts.

Otherwise, there's nothing wrong with ordering a new slide from Remsport, Caspian, or JEM and having a new top end fitted...?

Again, it entirely depends on how deep your pockets are, how much time you're willing to spend on it?

thanks for the info. I am good with the current set up. Dawson did a great job fitting a front sight to my oversized dovetail.

[HeavyDuty]

I was heavily into 1911s back in my youth, and recently have turned back to them again. Sadly in the decades since I’ve lost a lot of my knowledge about keeping them fat and happy. Yesterday I picked up a very lightly used DW ECP, and have a minor issue I’m trying to diagnose.

The thumb safety was fitted just about perfectly, firm detents but easy to move. I pulled the slide (only) to check things out, and after reassembly the safety was noticeably harder to move and slightly gritty. I didn’t change anything else.

The diagnostics I’ve done so far is pulling the thumb safety to look for burrs (none found) and examining the plungers and spring, plus lubrication. When I pull the slide and manipulate the safety, it’s still slightly stiffer than before. After removing the plunger the safety moves easily and smoothly. The plunger tube is secure. The hammer and sear pins are both fully seated. The plunger moves freely in the tube with just a bit of grit, probably not enough to feel.

I’m thinking polishing the plunger head is the next step, it’s not quite mirror finish. But what could have changed by only pulling the top end?

[Evil_Ed]

How clean was it? Sounds like some grit got into it?

Did you detail strip the frame at any point? Might be worth taking it all the way down and wiping it out, make sure it's starting from a known clean point?

[HeavyDuty]

How clean was it? Sounds like some grit got into it?

Did you detail strip the frame at any point? Might be worth taking it all the way down and wiping it out, make sure it's starting from a known clean point?

Fairly clean. My confusion is why did it change without my touching the safety or plunger?

[Evil_Ed]

Because if a chunk of carbon fell down, etc etc etc. There's a hundred variables that could have caused it; eliminating all the ones that could be associated with carbon, dust, sand, etc would be a good place to start. Maybe removing the slide loosened a chunk of something, who knows. IMO, people get really hung up on superficial things like slide/frame fit on a 1911; things that really just don't matter if everything is in tolerance. A little grit or bumpyness in the slide moving shouldn't be a big deal, but if it wasn't there before...

If you're super concerned about it; start from scratch:

Detail strip the gun; slide and frame; Clean as thoroughly as possible; up to/including an ultrasonic tank.

Lightly oil the frame rails and slide the slide on...still gritty? There shouldn't be anything but pure slide and frame interface here. If it's still gritty with a light touch of oil, start looking at the rails.

Add the frame internals (hammer, sear, disco, etc), and repeat...still gritty? If it's gritty here, I'd either look at the pick up rail where the hammer will make contact and see if that's it, or look at the disconnector and how it's interfacing with the trigger bow and sear spring. Or, maybe the disconnector is moving over an electropenciled number on the pick up rail and that's expected? (I don't have any DWs but have had a few 1911s with stampings and engravings/electropenciled numbers on the pick up tunnel that if you were really paying attention to, you could feel when the slide moved)

Reassemble the slide including the barrel, reassemble, etc...repeat...still gritty?


Edit - my apologies! For whatever reason I thought you said the SLIDE was gritty - not the thumb safety. That's could very much be a grit thing too, or maybe it slightly popped out when removing the slide and isn't firmly against the side of the frame?

That's easier...pop the safety out, wipe the whole area down on the frame and the inside of the safety, reinsert...I've seen some cases where the thumb safety wasn't fully seated in the frame; it was enough so the detent kind of pushed outwards to meet it, but it wasn't seated flush. But the way you're making it sound, it sounds like something got in the works. Maybe on the shaft, maybe between the frame and the skirt of the safety, maybe where the lobe meets the sear...no idea, but a quick removal and inspection should tell the tale..

[HeavyDuty]

Edit - my apologies! For whatever reason I thought you said the SLIDE was gritty - not the thumb safety. That's could very much be a grit thing too, or maybe it slightly popped out when removing the slide and isn't firmly against the side of the frame?

That's easier...pop the safety out, wipe the whole area down on the frame and the inside of the safety, reinsert...I've seen some cases where the thumb safety wasn't fully seated in the frame; it was enough so the detent kind of pushed outwards to meet it, but it wasn't seated flush. But the way you're making it sound, it sounds like something got in the works. Maybe on the shaft, maybe between the frame and the skirt of the safety, maybe where the lobe meets the sear...no idea, but a quick removal and inspection should tell the tale..

I’ve had it out a half dozen times now, and have cleaned it up each time. I’m almost certain it’s either in the detent to safety interface, or the detent to tube interface. I’m guessing the latter since nothing changed with the safety lever. I need to find some pipe cleaners.

[JohnO]

I was heavily into 1911s back in my youth, and recently have turned back to them again. Sadly in the decades since I’ve lost a lot of my knowledge about keeping them fat and happy. Yesterday I picked up a very lightly used DW ECP, and have a minor issue I’m trying to diagnose.

The thumb safety was fitted just about perfectly, firm detents but easy to move. I pulled the slide (only) to check things out, and after reassembly the safety was noticeably harder to move and slightly gritty. I didn’t change anything else.

The diagnostics I’ve done so far is pulling the thumb safety to look for burrs (none found) and examining the plungers and spring, plus lubrication. When I pull the slide and manipulate the safety, it’s still slightly stiffer than before. After removing the plunger the safety moves easily and smoothly. The plunger tube is secure. The hammer and sear pins are both fully seated. The plunger moves freely in the tube with just a bit of grit, probably not enough to feel.

I’m thinking polishing the plunger head is the next step, it’s not quite mirror finish. But what could have changed by only pulling the top end?

My primary training gun is a DW Valor with thousands of rounds through it. I noticed that the head of the plunger was worn down from friction against the safety. This once it progressed significantly impacted the feel of the safety operation.


I contacted Keith Lawton at DW and he told me it was it was a common issue on high use guns. The safety receives the ferritic nitrocarburizing treatment (Duty Treat) and the plunger does not due to it's size. The hardness difference between the two results in wear on the head of the plunger. I replaced the plunger and all was well.

[Evil_Ed]

I’ve had it out a half dozen times now, and have cleaned it up each time. I’m almost certain it’s either in the detent to safety interface, or the detent to tube interface. I’m guessing the latter since nothing changed with the safety lever. I need to find some pipe cleaners.

Q-tips work in general...I buy the cheap ones for gun cleaning duty.

Try putting the thumb safety in on a stripped frame or at least a frame without the detent and spring in the plunger tube - see if it's still gritty? It won't snick up and down, but you should be able to tell pretty quick just by exercising it, if the grit's there or not. That should make it really clear if it's the detents, or something on the shaft?

[HeavyDuty]

Q-tips work in general...I buy the cheap ones for gun cleaning duty.

Try putting the thumb safety in on a stripped frame or at least a frame without the detent and spring in the plunger tube - see if it's still gritty? It won't snick up and down, but you should be able to tell pretty quick just by exercising it, if the grit's there or not. That should make it really clear if it's the detents, or something on the shaft?

That was one of the first things I tried up above:

The diagnostics I’ve done so far is pulling the thumb safety to look for burrs (none found) and examining the plungers and spring, plus lubrication. When I pull the slide and manipulate the safety, it’s still slightly stiffer than before. After removing the plunger the safety moves easily and smoothly. The plunger tube is secure. The hammer and sear pins are both fully seated. The plunger moves freely in the tube with just a bit of grit, probably not enough to feel.

[HeavyDuty]

I went ahead and ordered a new plunger and spring set.