Dirtysouf hit me up the other day with a request on proper lubrication of a 1911 pistol, so here goes.
Disclaimer:
These practices reflect my own personal habits, and...like opinions...are worth what you paid for them.
First, I hear people advise that a 1911 needs to be "dripping wet" with oil. No. It doesn't. If yours has to be dripping wet in order to keep it running, something's wrong. Get it fixed. Oil...especially the penetrating types...have a way of seeping into places where air can't reach. Oil and ammunition don't play well together. 'Nuff said.
Second, I don't care for any of the various greases on the market except maybe to use on a first outing with a new or newly tightened pistol. After that, clean it out. Grease mixed with powder ash and residue turns into a fine lap, and we all know what that does.
I like oils of medium viscosity. Light oils like Rem Oil have their uses, but a general purpose lubricant isn't one of them. My go to for years has been Mil Spec LSA. It's getting a little hard to find and expensive when you do, but a 4 ounce bottle goes a long way. Failing to find that, CLP Breakfree or FP-10 are good. One side benefit of FP-10 is that, used to scrub a barrel clean, treats the barrel and makes any fouling easier to remove and it doesn't seem to cause any accuracy issues.
Field strip and clean any grime or gunk with a solvent and wipe dry.
Two drops in the frame and slide rail ways...one at the rear and one at the mid point. Stand it on end and allow the drops to spread. Wipe off excess.
A single drop at the muzzle and spread around the circumference with a finger.
A drop on the slide center rail and finger spread. Another in the disconnect slot and wipe off excess. A small drop directly on top of the disconnect and press it up and down to distribute it.
A drop in each of the slide lug recesses.
A drop on the lower barrel lug...spread...and around the link. Wipe. A drop on a fingertip and spread on the slidestop crosspin.
A small drop on the right side of the magazine catch and work the button in and out until it seeps in.
Cock the hammer and place a drop in the small window between the hammer stem and frame. Over cock the hammer to get it off the sear and hold it a few seconds...then go through a few dry fire cycles to distribute it to the sear crown and hammer hooks. Here is one of the uses of a light, low-vis oil before "boosting" a hammer to burnish any rough spots on crown and hooks. If you don't understand how to properly boost one, it's best not to until you get some instruction from someone who does. It's easy to wreck the hammer hooks and damage a sear crown.
For magazines, wipe the body with a lightly dampened rag. If you remove the spring for cleaning and oiling, a drop spread out on finger and thumb, and lightly wipe onto the spring. Sparingly is the operative word here. It's generally best to keep oil and ammunition far apart. The inside of the mag body should be clean and dry.
Wipe outside surfaces of the gun with a dampened rag.
That pretty much covers it. Everyone has their own ideas and habits. These are just mine. YMMV
Disclaimer:
These practices reflect my own personal habits, and...like opinions...are worth what you paid for them.
First, I hear people advise that a 1911 needs to be "dripping wet" with oil. No. It doesn't. If yours has to be dripping wet in order to keep it running, something's wrong. Get it fixed. Oil...especially the penetrating types...have a way of seeping into places where air can't reach. Oil and ammunition don't play well together. 'Nuff said.
Second, I don't care for any of the various greases on the market except maybe to use on a first outing with a new or newly tightened pistol. After that, clean it out. Grease mixed with powder ash and residue turns into a fine lap, and we all know what that does.
I like oils of medium viscosity. Light oils like Rem Oil have their uses, but a general purpose lubricant isn't one of them. My go to for years has been Mil Spec LSA. It's getting a little hard to find and expensive when you do, but a 4 ounce bottle goes a long way. Failing to find that, CLP Breakfree or FP-10 are good. One side benefit of FP-10 is that, used to scrub a barrel clean, treats the barrel and makes any fouling easier to remove and it doesn't seem to cause any accuracy issues.
Field strip and clean any grime or gunk with a solvent and wipe dry.
Two drops in the frame and slide rail ways...one at the rear and one at the mid point. Stand it on end and allow the drops to spread. Wipe off excess.
A single drop at the muzzle and spread around the circumference with a finger.
A drop on the slide center rail and finger spread. Another in the disconnect slot and wipe off excess. A small drop directly on top of the disconnect and press it up and down to distribute it.
A drop in each of the slide lug recesses.
A drop on the lower barrel lug...spread...and around the link. Wipe. A drop on a fingertip and spread on the slidestop crosspin.
A small drop on the right side of the magazine catch and work the button in and out until it seeps in.
Cock the hammer and place a drop in the small window between the hammer stem and frame. Over cock the hammer to get it off the sear and hold it a few seconds...then go through a few dry fire cycles to distribute it to the sear crown and hammer hooks. Here is one of the uses of a light, low-vis oil before "boosting" a hammer to burnish any rough spots on crown and hooks. If you don't understand how to properly boost one, it's best not to until you get some instruction from someone who does. It's easy to wreck the hammer hooks and damage a sear crown.
For magazines, wipe the body with a lightly dampened rag. If you remove the spring for cleaning and oiling, a drop spread out on finger and thumb, and lightly wipe onto the spring. Sparingly is the operative word here. It's generally best to keep oil and ammunition far apart. The inside of the mag body should be clean and dry.
Wipe outside surfaces of the gun with a dampened rag.
That pretty much covers it. Everyone has their own ideas and habits. These are just mine. YMMV
Last edited:
