Do 45acp 1911s need to cleaned often?

The 1911 needs its oil. Don't try to run it dry. Check oil first if you're having issues. A draggy slide won't cycle rounds as reliably.

If you reload then powder and bullet choice will make some difference, although I can't recall seeing anything about choices for optimally clean .45 ACP. With the various commercial ammo I've used, and my own reloads generally using Titegroup, the amount of fouling afterwards has always seemed pretty much par for the course.
 
I had a stainless steel Sam 1911 and it needed cleaning extensively . It had Tight clearances and wouldnt function properly after 75 rounds.
I have a Norinco 1911 and you can shoot it till the cows come home before even thinking of cleaning it.
the military knew about proper clearances. Tight means trouble.
 
PSE said:
Try changing ammo types. Winchester 230 gr ball white box or American Eagle 230 grain ball are good clean rounds to try. If you can afford it try a box of Hornady (another clean round with consistent performance) give that a try.

Bargain basement loads use dirty inconsistent powders.

I've shot 1911s for years and was not aware of any exceptional cleaning required.
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I have a Sig Tac Op 1911, I applied oil from brand new out of the box, gone through over a 1100 rds at this point, no FTF or feed jam. I HAVE NEVER CLEANED IT AS I WRITE. I only use American Eagle ammo.
 
When function is impaired - clean it!

I've found that my SS 1911s require more lubing than my blued models to avoid galling. Especially when new.
 
All great info everyone!
I was running almost dry so I'm betting that might be the problem! It's all clean again and ready for the range so I'll oil it up and get to the range and shoot a few boxes..

Thanks again everyone!
 
Thorsbear said:
I was running almost dry so I'm betting that might be the problem!
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That is your problem. I carry a bottle of oil, a rag, a brass brush and lighter fluid. The brass brush is for the feed ramp and bolt face. The oil is for the rails and the lighter fluid is for the excess oil that runs down my grips. Some guys use grease... I’m not one of them.
 
Can't speak with authority on 1911s, but the word for Browning HPs is 'the wetter the better' because carbon becomes a bedding surface. These are little machines that turn one force into other forces. Yes there are tolerances and margins, but without sufficient lubrication they have to work just that much harder to cycle.

That covers the slide and barrel movements. But the OP's problem is chambering and ejections, right? He isn't helping himself shooting lacquer coated steel cases in a gun designed for virgin brass. I wonder if the problem isn't right there? Switch to better quality ammunition and see what happens.
 
I clean my gun after every range session. I shoot .45 Lead SWC 150/200 rounds usually but went with 250/300 rounds easy with any failure a few times. Those are reload. I do not shoot factory ammo in my gun except when ‘new ´ to establish an accuracy and function baseline.
There is no dirty gun in my safe.
It take at the most 10/15 min to do so. No reason not to do it.
 
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Grease on rails is OK in summer but takes 7 rounds to warm up the gun to cycle in winter, oil is shootable in various temts.
If I feel lazy just drops of oil and wipe extractor.
 
I don't use American Eagle ammo any more. the stuff i had was filthy. shoot the cheapest stuff and expect it to function as such. would you buy your vitamins from the dollar store? try some good ammo before you buy a barrel. 👍🏻
 
Thorsbear said:
First off, yes I like to clean my guns after the range religiously, however I'm finding that my WW2 Colt 1911 seems to be very sooty after the range. The brass appears to be sooty as well and if I shoot over 100 rounds thru it Im getting occassional failure to eject. Even the muzzle is sooty, very strange as my TT33 looks lie new after 300 rounds using steel case surplus ammo.

I'm shooting blaser brass and Remington Eagle. Could it be the chamber is worn out?

The gun itself is extremely accurate and had been updated years ago with trigger, bushing, sights before people valued war surplus pistols.

Love the gun, just shocked at how few rounds before fouling.
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Back in another life when 400 - 700 rounds per range trip were routine, A couple squirts of WD 40 loosened and washed away the grit and allowed the gun to function another 100 rds or so. Repeated as necessary. Range time was valuable then as now, so I couldn't be bothered to field strip and clean.

These days, any spray CLP will do. The caveat of avoiding oil on ammo wasn't heeded as the ammo/magazine didn't stay longer than 5-10 seconds in the gun before being expended.


I know better now...WD40 is not a lubricant.
 
easyrider604 said:
Back in another life when 400 - 700 rounds per range trip were routine, A couple squirts of WD 40 loosened and washed away the grit and allowed the gun to function another 100 rds or so. Repeated as necessary. Range time was valuable then as now, so I couldn't be bothered to field strip and clean.

These days, any spray CLP will do. The caveat of avoiding oil on ammo wasn't heeded as the ammo/magazine didn't stay longer than 5-10 seconds in the gun before being expended.


I know better now...WD40 is not a lubricant.
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That all I do.. I don't clean my guns often, just add oil to loosen up any carbon, and wipe the excess oil off after the first mag.
 
Would Ballistol suffice for lubrication on a 30 year old Series 80, applied in a principled manner to key friction points without field stripping, based on three or four 100 shot range visit annually...? As well as cleaning as much as possible in the chamber, etc with lubed Qtips....
 
Kinda a side story; Marlin 1984 in 45 colt, auction purchase, 20 years old perfect outside. Could hardly open the action as the oil, grease, carbon, sludge had dried solid. Had to disassemble to each piece and screw to scrub the gunk off.
Once in a while you just gotta take them apart and clean em.
 
I find my 1911 (Ruger SR1911) requires more regular cleaning than any of my other handguns. I find that I can start to feel the slide not exactly bind up but not move as cleanly after about 250 to 300 rounds. I typically reload with HS6 and 230gr LRN. HS6 is not the cleanest of powders. I notice a significant amount of smoke with this powder. I use the same powder in pretty much all of my reloads and it doesn't affect the others as much.
 
NHunter said:
Would Ballistol suffice for lubrication on a 30 year old Series 80, applied in a principled manner to key friction points without field stripping, based on three or four 100 shot range visit annually...? As well as cleaning as much as possible in the chamber, etc with lubed Qtips....
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If I was going to take a Qtip or tips to clean w/out dismantling, I’ll just field strip, spray CLP every where, brass brush what is reachable, run a bore brush through, dry with clean rag and lube with Ballistol. Wont take two minutes longer.
 
I am a fan of science. Test it for yourself!

In my experience, they get sooty quickly but can reliably blast 1000 rounds without cleaning, at least. It will probably go much much further than that, but there comes a point where I don't care. At this point the cleaning is a light barrel cleaning and spray and wipe down of G96.

P.S. shooting mixed lead and copper jacketed.
 
AS others have said the 1911 needs to be oiled or it will not run reliably. The tighter the gun ie slide to frane fit and barrel bushing the mire true the statement is. To the OP if your pistol has slotted grip screws you can take the entire gun apart starting with an empty case and the using only parts ffrom the gun as tools. JMB as truly a genius.

I clean my handguns after each range visit. Just out of habit.''

Take Care

Bob
 
After 500 rds, I strip and clean my 1911s. This means removing the slide/barrel/recoil spring, not a detailed stripping.

I'm using Tite Group, a clean burning powder. They would likely run quite happily with more, but there comes a point where it becomes detrimental. In between, I'll put some CLP on the barrel hood, the muzzle portion of the barrel, a drop on the hammer pin and what I can see of the rails with the slide locked back.

Way back when I was using the old smoky Unique, I cleaned more frequently.
 
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