I've got a hard chromed Colt custom shop comabt .45 acp 1911. Been shooting bullseye as well as unique in it trying to work up some loads for accuracy. The thing is filthy, from the bullseye mainly. I broke it down but the powder solvent only took off a layer at time and it was very hard getting down to the metal in all the nooks and crannies of the gun. Can such areas be scrapped with a hard plastic scraper or what is the best method to clean out the baked on soot and residue with economy of time in mind. Can the gun be soaked in a tray of paint thinner to get it off? Does all this soot and baked black residue even matter and the only thing is lead in the barrel to be concerned with? Any recommendations appreciated.

Thanks,

Dan

I use a plastic bristled cleaning brush, toothbrush will work, with a large tapered brush on one end and a small tapered brush on the other end. A good scrubbing with some standard solvent usually goes pretty quickly. Flush it out with some gun scrubber, or whatever you want to use, and you should be ready to VERY lightly lubricate moving parts. Excess lubrication in these pistols turns into a huge mess in my experience. Good idea to clean the extractor and firing pin areas in the slide also, if you haven't been doing so.

I have no problems running 500 rounds of lead bullets driven by WW231 in a day without cleaning or malfunctions. These are good bullets and lube, but I don't know how much difference that makes.

Cylinder & Slide makes a product call "Dunk-it" if I recall correctly, but I've not tried it.

I use a plastic bristled cleaning brush, toothbrush will work, with a large tapered brush on one end and a small tapered brush on the other end. A good scrubbing with some standard solvent usually goes pretty quickly. Flush it out with some gun scrubber, or whatever you want to use, and you should be ready to VERY lightly lubricate moving parts. Excess lubrication in these pistols turns into a huge mess in my experience. Good idea to clean the extractor and firing pin areas in the slide also, if you haven't been doing so.

I have no problems running 500 rounds of lead bullets driven by WW231 in a day without cleaning or malfunctions. These are good bullets and lube, but I don't know how much difference that makes.

Cylinder & Slide makes a product call "Dunk-it" if I recall correctly, but I've not tried it.


I've never taken the firing pin out, just cleaned around the area with Q-tip and solvent. Does firing pin need to come apart often? Where do you buy these brushes you use? Are they gun specific cleaning brushes or just hardware store variety? Do you use oil or grease on the slide

Thanks,

Dan

The firing pin does not need to come out often, but you should do it every once in a while. The extractor is the part that is impossible to clean around without taking it out.

Can't remember where I got the brushes, probably Midway..they are a firearm specific brush I believe, but a stiff bristled toothbrush works pretty well also.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=172840

There's the brush, should be able to find them at a decent gun shop or supplier. They have worked good for me, but not essential.

I very lightly oil the pistol and then wipe it all off. The slide rails get grease...always.

The firing pin does not need to come out often, but you should do it every once in a while. The extractor is the part that is impossible to clean around without taking it out.

Can't remember where I got the brushes, probably Midway..they are a firearm specific brush I believe, but a stiff bristled toothbrush works pretty well also.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=172840

There's the brush, should be able to find them at a decent gun shop or supplier. They have worked good for me, but not essential.

I very lightly oil the pistol and then wipe it all off. The slide rails get grease...always.

concur...I use Rig

You said: "cleaned around the area with Q-tip and solvent."

I have went though the job of trying to make my sixguns perfectly clean. I gave it up. I'm perfectly happy most the time shooting one sixgun for months at a time so I have only one to take care of. I mostly just wipe it down. If the barrel gets leaded and fouled enough I can tell a difference, I'll take the gun down and clean it completely, but I just can't bring myself to go back to the way I was before (super clean).

Dunk-Kit

available from Cylinder and Slide.

Cylinder-Slide.com

:D

You said: "cleaned around the area with Q-tip and solvent."

I have went though the job of trying to make my sixguns perfectly clean. I gave it up. I'm perfectly happy most the time shooting one sixgun for months at a time so I have only one to take care of. I mostly just wipe it down. If the barrel gets leaded and fouled enough I can tell a difference, I'll take the gun down and clean it completely, but I just can't bring myself to go back to the way I was before (super clean).

With revolvers I tend to follow this idea as well, but a auto pistol is another story. They build up a lot of gunk that can, and typically will, have an adverse affect on function.

Does all this soot and baked black residue even matter and the only thing is lead in the barrel to be concerned with? Any recommendations appreciated.
DanAll this residue is NOT helpful to the proper operation of your semi-automatic pistol. Sure, you may neglect to clean it and it continues to function even with all the crud left in it but someday it will fail you. Let's hope that the failure will not happen when you need it most. When things go "bump" in the middle of the night and I reach for my .45 ACP, I will know that it's clean, oiled, and ready. You might make it a habit to clean your gun after every shooting session, afterall, you may just need it to save your life someday.

IF time were the only consideration, then could shoot it until it gets filthy enough to gag, sell it, buy another one and shoot it until it gags, etc.

The lazy way to clean is to spray it down and let it sit...taking it apart and dealing with the crud as time allows later. Give the average TV program, should be able to clean it in the time allowed by the commercails in the average 1 hour offering.

IF you are that short of time, then cut your practice session by 20 or 25 rounds and use that time to clean.

My feelings exactly! A gun should never be neglected until it becomes necessary to chip the crud off it. Periodic cleaning keeps it working as it should, keeps it accurate, and actually increases the lifespan of any gun. :p

All this residue is NOT helpful to the proper operation of your semi-automatic pistol. Sure, you may neglect to clean it and it continues to function even with all the crud left in it but someday it will fail you. Let's hope that the failure will not happen when you need it most. When things go "bump" in the middle of the night and I reach for my .45 ACP, I will know that it's clean, oiled, and ready. You might make it a habit to clean your gun after every shooting session, afterall, you may just need it to save your life someday.


Yes, I agree to keep a defense gun in good clean working order. With this gun, I use it for target work only - and then it is informal target work. But, I guess you never know when a target gun will be used in an emergency for self defense.

Dan

I find that using Gun Scrubber works very well on my .45 Kimber Ultra. Then the usual on the barrel and some wipe on oil of good quality ( Break Free ) , does it for me pretty well. But when it comes to lead removel , thats another story. Seem to take an awful lot of labor to get the lead out of my Colts SAAs. ..............MUTT

There are a couple methods that will get lead out of your pistol/revolver barrels in less time than you would ever imagine. The Lewis lead remover gets rid of it in minutes at most. Another technique, that I learned on this website, is to use the Chore Boy copper scrubbing pad material wrapped around a smaller cleaning brush...takes it out like nothing. If you're getting a lot of lead in the barrel, and you handload, you might want to pick up a copy of the Beartooth Bullets techincal guide to discover how to prevent leading in the first place.

One of the best "tools" I've found for removing carbon deposits are bamboo skewers. The bamboo is hard enough to "dig" out tough deposits, but not hard enough to mar metal surfaces. The pointed end is great for cleaning in grooves and around the breech face.

I also use bamboo chop sticks as well..

try DunKit from Cylinder and Slide

Cylinder-Slide.com

:D

The poor mans "Gun Scrubber", non-clorinated brake cleaner from the auto parts store.