One of the most important aspects of owning a gun is cleaning and maintaining it. The entire process involves field stripping, cleaning, and reassembling your piece. This article will cover how to clean a 1911 Kimber with simple steps and practical tips.
If you are a new owner, stick around for complete gun cleaning instructions. You can also check here for practical basic cleaning tips.
How to Clean a 1911 Kimber?
Field Stripping
The first step of cleaning a 1911 Kimber is to field strip your piece. Place the gun on the table or homemade gun cleaning station with the barrel facing upwards. Use eye protection for safety if the recoil spring pushes the plug out. You must unload your 1911 Kimber before cleaning it.
The first step of the field strip process is removing the magazine and emptying the chamber. Ensure that you take away all the ammo around it. Ensure that the recoil spring is loose for easy movement of the slide.
Double-check your 1911 Kimber to ensure the magazine is out and the chamber is empty. This step is crucial for gun safety, as stated in the owner’s manual. Once satisfied, use a slide stop lever to take out the slide. Push the slide to the rear, insert a take-down tool into the opening in the guide rod and release the slide lock lever. The slide should stop against the lever.
The next step is to align the slide with the slide stop lever by gently pushing it forward till the slot clicks. As soon as it aligns, push the slide lock lever from one side while pulling it towards you to eject it from the frame.
Pull the slide out from the front of your piece and remove the guide rod assembly. The last step is to pull the barrel out of the slide from the front side, and your gun is fully disassembled and ready to clean.
Cleaning the Barrel
You will need a cleaning solvent and a cloth to clean the guide rod assembly and the outside of the barrel. Soak the cloth in the solvent and wipe over the surface of the barrel and the guide rod assembly until it is immaculate.
You can also soak all the metallic surfaces to ease the cleaning procedure, especially if they are extremely dirty. It is essential to keep the barrel clean, and you should clean it after every shooting session.
For the middle of the barrel, you will need a bore snake, a cleaning rod/brush, and a solvent. Insert the small end of the bore snake inside the barrel and run it through a couple times to remove the dirt. Make sure that the bore snake is the right size for the caliber of your gun.
If the barrel is too dirty, apply some solvent to the bore snake before running it through to deeper cleaning by soaking it in the dirt. Use a paper towel or a cloth to wipe off the extra solvent.
Cleaning the Frame
Similarly, you will need a solvent and paper towels or a fresh cloth to clean the surface of your 1911 Kimber frame. Soak the cloth in the solvent and use it to wipe the surfaces. Pay attention to the rails to avoid leaving any dirt on hidden surfaces. Once satisfied, use the paper towel to wipe away extra solvent off the surfaces.
You can also use alternative gun cleaning supplies in the market and available gun cleaning tools. Remove extra products off the frame using a fresh paper towel.
Apply Lubricant
At the frame, pay attention to the rails, hammer pivot, slide stop, and the moving parts of the control area. Focus on the rails, hammer cocking surface, and the firing pin aperture at the slides. Once your parts are clean, apply a quality lubricant to the frame and slide.
Apply the lubricant sparingly because the oil moves around automatically, coating the essential surfaces. Also, thick and quality lubricants are better because they take longer to wear out. However, you can reapply lube between cleanings.
Reassembling
Place the slide inverted on the table, then slip the barrel inside of it. Once it is set inside the slide, situate the barrel bushing and press it firmly into place against the front side of the slide. Push the bushing clockwise into position using the barrel bushing wrench.
Keeping the slide upside down on the table, situate the guide rod assembly on the barrel, then slip the tighter, smaller end of the recoiling spring onto the rod and press it on firmly.
Next, hold the barrel and guide rod in place and turn the slide sideways while ensuring the barrel link sits perpendicular to the barrel. Situate the barrel lug with the hole in the frame by gently pushing the assembly onto the rails.
Once the barrel link and the frame hole are lined up, put in the slide stop pin through the frame hole and ensure the notch in the slide and the square hole in the frame are aligned. Align the slide stop lever with the hole as well.
The next step is to press the lever into place by applying pressure on both ends of the lever. Move the slide forward, lock it using the safety lever, and place the plug on the end of the recoiling spring. Use the wrench to press down the plug until the wrench flushes with the muzzle. Ensure the barrel bushing aligns perfectly with the plug.
While reassembling your 1911 Kimber, ensure you line up everything perfectly to avoid scratching your gun when pushing the lever into place.
After reassembling your 1911, work the slide back and forth to ensure everything runs smoothly and spread the lubricant around. Wipe off excess lubricant using a paper towel or a cloth. After field stripping, cleaning, and reassembling, you can perform function and safety checks before using your 1911 Kimber.
Conclusion
If you are a gun newbie or own a Kimber but barely know how to clean a 1911 Kimber, save this guide for your next range trip. Should you have questions regarding the cleaning process, products for cleaning or lubrication, and cleaning supplies, ask below in the comments section, and we will get back to you.
Check out our article on where to find a gun cleaning service near your place to take care of your gun.
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