Posted: 1/13/2005 5:33:49 PM EDT
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OK, I have a Stainless Steel Mil-Spec from SA, I love this gun and shoot it all of the time, I also clean and lube it religiously after every outing and re-oil it once a month if I haven't used it since the last cleaning. In spite of this I can not keep rust from forming in the ridges on the backstrap. I have tried cleaning vigorously and drowned the backstrap in oil, and after a month there will still be rust forming! None of my other 1911 do this, and no other part of the gun has rust forming on it. It is almost like the backstrap soaks up the oil within a week or less. Anyone else have this problem? if so, how did you take care of it? I am also considering having the backstrap replaced with something more rust-proof by a local gunsmith so if anyone has a suggestion on what would be a good replacement backstrap that would also be helpful. So far I have not been able to find a source for "rustproof" backstraps  .Any recommendations will be greatly appreciated, Thanks! |
| Degrease the piss out of it, then re-oil and slap it back on. If the problem persists, have it cleaned/degreased again and get it coated or finished with something that will inhibit the corrosion. Stop eating salty foods and wipe your hands dry whenever you take a break to load magazines. |
| Though I have not had a Stainless Mil-Spec in a few years, let me suggest this. Replace the MSH. On the one I had, and every one I looked at made around that time, it had a chrome plated msh, not stainless. That might be why it's rusting and nothing else is. I found out the same way after 1 trip on a boat and a completely rusted MSH. Nothing else had a spot on it. |
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With the hammer down, firearm unloaded, simply take a pin punch and push the main spring housing pin at the bottom of the frame on the side where it is concave. Push it all the way out and then slide out the MSH. There is another small pin the at holds the main spring and plunger in. You will have to press the plunger slightly to remove the small pin. Then re-install the parts on a new MSH. I usually use black polymer MSH, because they are much cheaper. Option 2: Sell it to me cheap and buy a Kimber. 
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How new is your gun? You may have the newer ILS mainspring housing. If so, you would have to purchase a new mainspring, mainspring cap, and mainspring cap pin, along with a new MSH. If you don't know how to tell, let me know, and Ill see if I can take some pics. The ILS MSH has a small circular part on the upper left of the rear surface with two small holes in it for a key, in order to lock the gun. If you do have an ILS, I'll tell you how to disassemble that also. It can be even easier than a regular one, if you are switching to a regular MSH. Also, if you have a regular MSH, here are a few tips for disassembly. First, hammer down is good, but even better is to take the slide off the frame also. That will relieve all pressure from the mainspring. Second, when you punch out that concave pin on the bottom, make sure you use a punch that fits in that cup, and give it a sharp rap. It's easy to slip and scratch the gun. Third, once you get it off, put it in a vise before trying to remove the mainspring. Once in a vise, push the mainspring cap down from the top, which has a lot of pressure behind it. While holding it down, push out the small retaining pin at the top from front to back with a small punch, and very gradually let pressure off. That spring can get loose pretty easy, so WEAR EYE PROTECTION! Also, make sure that there is nothing important overhead, like a light fixture. Fourth, when reassembling, do the reverse, until you get to putting the MSH back in the gun. This is where you run the most risk in scratching the gun. When you put that concave pin (mainspring housing pin) back in, use a rubber mallet or something like that to hit it all the way back or almost all the way into place. That way you will avoid slipping and scratching your gun. Here's my last little bit on this. None of this is too difficult if you can detail strip a 1911. However, if this is your first time, you will probably run into a few problems. If you want to go through with it, and hit some snags, IM me and I'll walk you through it over the phone. The biggest snag you will probably encounter is when you first slide the MSH off the bottom of the gun. You will probably have the grip safety still on, and the sear spring will pop loose (it's held in place by the MSH). If it does, and they do this about 99% of the time, you will have to pull off your thumb safety and grip safety, realign your sear spring, reassemble, and function check the gun. |
Thanks for the advice! Where do you find the black polymer MSH? That sounds like a good idea and an option I might want to go with. |
Thanks for the detailed advice! I found it helpful and was able to remove the MSH. It deffinately has the ILS but I am thinking about replacing the MSH with one that has no ILS. The polymer one mentioned by wilderp sounds promising.
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Just a hint, If you use a standard hammer spring plunger/plunger retaining pin with the ILS system, The ILS no longer works to lock the pistol up with the hammer down (thank god they still use the plunger retaining hole location for the insert pin/device to pull the spring housing). |
Sorry about the delay, I was working OT all week. That would be great if you could get me one off a Colt. I have been partial to the arched ones. What would I owe you for something like this? Thanks! |
I actually gave a way my last one last week. Let me check with a friend. As far as what you would owe me, it's free. The postage would be next to nothing, and the part will cost me $0.00. If I find one, I'll let you know. |