Cleaning Your Colt 1911 Original

Your Colt 1911 original, regardless of the model, sports a heavy steel frame and barrel and is built to uncompromising standards for durability and reliability. These guns are renowned for their simplicity and grit; take care of one of them and it will last longer than you.

Of course, the operative words there are “take care of it,” but fortunately, Colt 1911 originals are fairly simple platforms that are relatively easy to disassemble and clean, especially if you’re just performing a cursory cleaning after a trip to the range.

That being said, here’s a basic primer on how to take your Colt M1911 pistol apart and give it a quick cleaning.

Safety First

Before attempting to disassemble and clean your M1911, drop the 1911 magazine, open the action, and visually and physically inspect the chamber to ensure the firearm is not loaded. Once you have completed this step and ensured the firearm is clear you can continue.

Basic Disassembly

Once you clear the Colt 1911, you can close the slide and depress the recoil spring plug, at the front of the gun underneath the muzzle, then turn the bushing. This will allow the recoil spring to come forward.

At this point, rack the slide back, and locate the slide stop. You should be able to pop it right out. Now you can slide the whole slide assembly forward and off the frame. In the slide assembly will be the recoil spring, guide rod and barrel.

Now you can remove the plug and recoil spring. Once you rotate the barrel bushing you can remove both it and the barrel from the slide.

With the slide and barrel removed, you’ve actually done basically all you need to do to field strip and clean a colt 1911 original. In most cases, further disassembly is not necessary to perform a quick cleaning.

Admittedly, you can further disassemble your Colt 1911 original, but for a cursory inspection and cleaning this should be all you need.

Basic Cleaning

With the slide and barrel removed from your Colt 1911 original, the first thing you’ll want to turn your attention toward are the slide rails and feed ramp.

Use a Q-tip, a patch, or a nylon gun cleaning brush to remove any visible fouling on the feed ramp and rails. You can apply a little bit of powder fouling solvent if needed to remove stubborn deposits, especially on the feed ramp.

Then you can wipe the whole assembly clean and let it dry before applying a drop of oil to the rails on each side. One drop of oil should do; it protects against corrosion, lubricates, and in many ways, less is more, since oil is sticky and attracts dust and debris.

Now take a look at the slide which you have removed from the gun. Along the inside of the slide you will likely see a lot of fouling and residue. There may be grease, oil, or tar, and in some cases, there might even be unburned powder.

There are two recesses in the upper part of the slide, against the ‘roof’ of the slide, if you will, that are likely to be very dirty and clogged with fouling. Scrub these out as well as you can, along with the breach face.

After cleaning the slide itself, place a drop of oil along the rails, just as you did to the corresponding parts on the slide channel on the frame.

Next turn your attention to the barrel, where you’ll spend the majority of your time. Attach a caliber-appropriate brush, soak it in bore solvent, and pass it through the barrel from the breech end to scrub away any fouling.

Then pass patches through the barrel, from chamber to muzzle, until the barrel is clear and clean, and the patches do not come out with any fouling residue on them.

Next, use either a nylon or brass gun cleaning brush to clean the area around the breech end of the barrel to ensure it is free of fouling and will lock up as intended. After you’ve ensured the bore is clean, dry it out. No oil is necessary on the inside of the barrel as oil combines with fouling to create tar, but you can add a drop of oil to the exterior of the barrel if you wish.

At this point, unless your gun is heavily fouled and dirty, you can dry it thoroughly and reassemble it.

Here for Colt 1911 Originals or Parts?

Hopefully you found this guide to basic disassembly and cleaning of a Colt 1911 original helpful. If you’re here for 1911 parts, check out our full collection and get in touch with us directly if you’re looking for a part you don’t see listed. We have a massive inventory of parts and would be more than happy to help you find what you were looking for.