[kfields]

I have to say this is the nicest, prettiest and most expensive pistol I've ever bought.
I bought it last weekend at my favorite local gun store (Olde English). For those who haven't been in the store, they have a large 'knee high to ceiling' display cabinet right at the front door when you come in loaded with many of their really nice or unique or expensive guns (often times all 3). It's a real eye catcher.
After work 2 Friday's ago, I stopped by a half hour before closing just to see what they had.
I was two feet in the door, immediately look in the display cabinet as I always do, where they had a beautiful blued 9mm Combat Commander built in about 1981 with 2 mags, manual, paperwork and box for way less than a thousand. The gun looked brand new and I knew I had to have it.

After purchasing it, I fired about 50 rounds through it during the week but I was feeling a great deal of anxiety about tearing it down and cleaning it. To be honest, the thought of scratching the mirror like finish on the sides by a slip-up in disassembly/assembly concerned me.

Thats when I read the instructions and realized how I'd been taught to disassemble a 1911 in the Army wasn't exactly correct.
By relieving the pressure off the recoil spring at the beginning of the process made it so much simpler!

Anyway, I thought I would share this little story with you!

Kim

 

[Scott Gahimer]

The Army must have taught you differently than they did me, and different than we taught troops in the 1970s. Then, we always taught to remove the mag, and to relieve pressure on the recoil spring prior to attempting to remove the slide stop.

 

[dogface6]

That's how we were taught, as well...

 

[Hobie]

That's how I taught it for 20+ years, remove recoil spring before not after slide stop.

 

[surjimmy]

I would not tear it down and field strip it until I shot at least 5oo rounds through it. If at all possible, wait until it locks up on you due to the crud.

 

[kfields]

Thanks for the advice surjimmy.With regards to my .45 training, it was informal and on the fly as I recall. I was assigned to be the payroll guard one month for when cash was paid out to all the soldiers in my company. Lots of cash for about 215 people. Prescribed weapons were .45's of which I had no experience with. So I received a 3 or 4 minute crash course on the pistol of which I probably absorbed only a portion. I asked what my orders were and the officer in charge said shoot anyone who attempts to grab the money.Kim

 

[JudgeColt]

There is no logic to removing the slide stop while the recoil spring is still in place under tension in the gun. I suspect kfields may have misunderstood to brief training on maintenance. The Army never taught maintenance that way when I was in the Army in the 1960s.

To avoid an "idiot scratch," just be sure that when reinstalling the slide stop on reassembly to push the side stop IN and UP. Pushing IN and DOWN will likely result in an "idiot scratch."

 

[kfields]

Thanks judge....and that first scratch is what I want to avoid.Kim

 

[jake1911]

A simple trick to prevent the "idiot scratch" is to use a plastic tool or anything of hard plastic to reach into the chamber area and into the slidestop cut out and pull the plunger back. Your slide stop will fall into place with the plunger there. Learned this after building thousands of 1911s brand new. I always hated having to refinish or re-sandblast a gun so I got lazy. I think Brownells sells a 100% plastic screwdriver.

 

[SCone]

Without the recoil spring pressure, you can focus on the task at hand and not the slide trying to bite you.

 

[weagle99]

Thanks judge....and that first scratch is what I want to avoid.Kim

Once you get the hang of installing the slide stop it will become second nature and the scratch is easily avoided. It really isn't that hard to do correctly once you get the feel for it.

I normally put the slide stop shaft in the frame and position the stop so that it is almost in the correct position (while keeping the slide stop from touching the frame). Then I sort of 'roll' it in and up so that it positions itself correctly with the plunger spring.

 

[mafd2]

I've always used the up and in method always being careful. I have a phobia of an idiot scratch. I've seen these plastic tools that slip under the slide stop. I found this tip and is the best way I've found. This video is similiar to what jake1911 states. Quick and easy and even an idiot can't scratch the frame. I went to the local music store and purchased cheap guitar pics (like 4 for $1). A DL works fine also. Check out this video I learned the tip from.

1911 idiot scratch prevention - YouTube

 

[guy sajer]

That gun was spotless when it left the store ! :bang_wall: I personally prepped it .

Glad you like it Kim . We're close by if you ever need help so don't be shy . It's not like you're a new customer in the store or something and don't know us

 

[davismh76]

Check out this video I learned the tip from.

1911 idiot scratch prevention - YouTube

Thanks for posting the link. It reallu helped me. Sometimes it is difficult to visualize these kind of procedures and a video coupled with the explanation helps me a lot.

 

[T.May]

As korny as these things seem…..they work quite well at stoping the idiot scratch….I made my own out of a plastic tag that came hanging off of my wife's new sunglasses. You can also use a playing card and cut it to shape. A standard hole punch is the perfect size for the hole required to go over the mag release.

http://www.idiotscratch.com/index.shtml

Kim…still waiting for pictures

 

[gobus1]

The Army must have taught you differently than they did me, and different than we taught troops in the 1970s. Then, we always taught to remove the mag, and to relieve pressure on the recoil spring prior to attempting to remove the slide stop.

That's how the Corps taught it in the 60's….hey, it's the army...

 

[SamColtFan]

A very good gunsmith friend of mine, years ago showed me his trick of taking the upper off the lower by simply removing the slide stop. While it's quick and easy, I still prefer releasing the pressure on the recoil spring before I disassemble the arm.

 

[JohnnyP]

I have never seen a TM that showed taking a 1911/1911A1 down any other way than removing the recoil spring plug first.

 

[JudgeColt]

I have never seen a TM that showed taking a 1911/1911A1 down any other way than removing the recoil spring plug first.

Nor have I. If anyone was trained to first remove the slide stop, the instructor teaching that must have misunderstood the instructor's training. It makes no sense to remove the slide stop under tension from the recoil spring.