Couple of things for these kinds of guns...

I used to use a lot of Break Free CLP. Wonderful stuff on guns that see frequent use and cleaning. It does, however, harden and gum up over time. Granted, really long time, but I wouldn't use it on the "nightstand gun" that is forgotten about until needed. I've had it render guns stored for extended periods non-functional, with their little parts too gummed up to operate correctly.

I would never use a recoil buffer in any 1911 for any purpose. You just found out why - they tend to disintegrate. Imagine having one all dried out and disintegrated in there when you really need it. Another "answer to the question nobody ever asked". Seems intuitively like a good idea, but these things just don't batter themselves in the manner the buffer is meant to protect anyway.

And yes, Ballistol on wooden stocks. Won't do a thing on stocks with modern "plastic" finishes applied, but does wonders on oiled wooden stocks. It's some kind of a mineral oil, formulated by a German chemist in answer to a request from his government during The Great War. It was issued to German soldiers for use on wooden rifle stocks, carbon steel rifle and pistol actions, and leather items like boots and slings as a water proofing agent. Remains to this day one of the best things we can apply to any of those things.

What do you call "a long time"? None of my firearms sit for more than 3-5 months before being shot and cleaned again.

Way, way longer than that. It can take me years to cycle through my less used firearms. If you are cleaning them and re-applying whatever lube you like every 3-5 months you can get away with just about any decent lube.

OK, so what would you say is the 'shelf life' for CLP between cleanings?

Sidebar.
 

I never knew just what Dick Simon was advertising on the sides of his IndyCar until I started reading these gun threads a couple of years ago.

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1651107344.jpg

Darn good question, but I'm afraid I have no idea. I wonder if anyone has ever tested this attribute of the more popular "gun oils". I think it's important information. Lots of guns get cleaned, lubed, stuck in a nightstand, then left there for years. Then they are all gummed up when needed...

My own experience has been with a number of match and hunting rifles that had fallen into disuse. The kinds of matches being fired with a specific class of rifle dried up around here. I found myself too busy with my career to take some of the hunting trips I used to take that required a certain kind of hunting rifle. So, it was years. Maybe a decade... But, then again, who knows how far into it they reached that point? We're talking sears that would not engage, stuff like that, until they received a thorough cleaning.

That is why I have a trusty old revolver under my bed. I have complete confidence it will go boom when the trigger is pulled, even when my heart rate is 140 and I am amped up with adrenaline and not thinking clearly with a bad guy in the house.

Great minds think alike, Glen. I love 1911's and shoot them a good deal, carry them often, but the one that sits "on standby" within middle of the night reach will always be a double action revolver. In the context of this discussion, even if they get a bit "gooey", all we do is pull the trigger a little harder. Yeah, maybe the bolt won't pop all the way up or something, but it will still go "bang".

Which is actually a non-issue for me anyway, since I absolutely make it a point to keep "that" gun "in the rotation" and shoot and practice with it regularly. I just know a lot of folks don't, putting them in the drawer and leaving them for years untouched.

I have to say, I'll never forget the feeling when I pulled a couple of my old go-to hunting rifles from the safe after I once again felt I had time to put them to their intended use. The feeling when they would not engage their sears and stay cocked, and when the firing pins didn't fall with enough authority to detonate primers. Kind of a cold chill, really... Thank God I clean and check all firearms before (as well as after) I go hunting. Especially the kinds of critters I hunted with those rifles. Some of them have the tendency to get pretty mad at us at times...

Yesterday I got put the 1911 back together. Thoroughly cleaned and properly lubed.
Haven't shot it yet but so everything seems to be working. Very rewarding feeling :)

I even found out where the little mystery washer went. (not 100% sure but almost)
When the previous owner deleted the firing pin plunger he also left out the plunger lever (part 31 on the schematic)
The small washer was used to fill the gap.
I found some a part online that replaces the trigger bar lever and the plunger lever. and will change the washer for a this dedicated replacement.

https://colt1911.eu/epages/15e1c7b8-0092-45c9-9770-6fdb9bf09028.sf/en_GB/?ViewObjectPath=%2FShops%2F15e1c7b8-0092-45c9-9770-6fdb9bf09028%2FProducts%2Fn50-S80-entfernt

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1651224137.jpg

Next up the 92fs. (in another thread)

Nicely done! ... and now you'll be able to sleep well :)

So after buying a replacement spring, did the original spring show up? Usually after I give up and get a replacement the original part shows up.

Mystery solved... awesome.

Well, I actually found the original spring and am still waiting for the replacement. :)
In a last attempt I ran a magnet through the narrow gap between the guncabinet and the wall and found the missing spring. Pure luck that’s where it ended up.
The use of a big see through plastic bag prevented any further escapes.