Problems after cleaning 1911a1

[45acp]

Hello,
So I am trying to figure out what just happened to both of my 1911's. One is a RIA 5" GI model and the other is a Springfield Armory Champion. Yesterday I field stripped them and cleaned them with WD-40, and disassembed the firing pin and extractor area.
Took them both out to shoot and did very poorly. Normally with the RIA i am able to get 3-4" grouping at 10 yards. (I still need some practice) After cleaning it however I was completely missing the target at the 10 yard range. I was using a sheet of paper about 2' by 3' I put the bullseye at the center of that and can normally hit somewhere around that. THis time aiming at the center for the target i was only sometimes hitting the lower left hand corner, but out of a slow 5 shots i was only hitting the paper 2 times, which has never happened before. The Springfield Champion hasn't been grouping as well for me but this time out of about 30 rounds at 10 yards i missed all but 5. I did not have that problem before. I was doing about 12" groups at 15 yards previously, now that is not happening either. Any ideas what the problems may be and how to solve them?

[Kiski Cowboy]

Are you sure you reassembled them with the correct parts on the proper pistol? If you stripped and cleaned them both at the same time, it's highly probable that you might have done this.

[45acp]

While I did disassemble them at the same time I was very careful to keep the parts separate. The only parts which could be switched are the extractor and the slide stop and firing pin retainer plate. I'm certain I used the correct slide stops and firing pin retainer plate, the only question may possibly be the extractors, but it is highly unlikely that I switched those up.

[Lycanthrope]

Are you using grease?


Lycanbadideathrope

[jsc83]

Can i assume from your signature line that you do not grease your 1911? Why is that a bad idea?

[Lycanthrope]

Can i assume from your signature line that you do not grease your 1911? Why is that a bad idea?

Grease is too heavy in the cold.


Lycanchangesthingsabitthrope

[tacticalreload]

And both guns were completely reliable afterward? Most of what you could have done to mess with accuracy so much short of actually moving the sights would probably affect reliability as well.

Do the barrels lock up tightly?

[Deanimator]

WD40 is suboptimal for gun cleaning. I recommend instead something like Shooter's Choice for cleaning and Clenzoil for lubrication. Cleaning and lubrication are different processes involving different products.

[pred]

To oil a 1911 you need about 3 drops, soaking things with WD-40 is for a bicycle chain, Use a good gun oil and try again,
ON the flip side I ran a 1911 that I built from old pars, A ran it clean as a whistle, everything was scrubbed clean and then washed with NAptha, abd hosed out with starting fluid, I just wanted to see if they ran (dry) and it did with no noticable difference in accuracy.
But it is a rattely gun, and yours are most likely tighter, Mine grouped 3" at 45 feet,, Better is some one else was firing it.
Try some good gun lube,,, You should be able to soak it with no ill effects except for gathering dirt,
Dont use grease except for some ( head of pin) on underside of slide where trigger runs.
Peter.

[synergy]

No kind of lube or cleaner would change things the way you describe.

Bushings getting swapped is my guess. Slide stops could adjust the bbl lockup...but I don't think it'd do it by any noticable amount.

Me thinks it might have just been an "off" day. I'd bench em, or have someone else shoot em....or just shoot em again.

2'-3' of variance at 10 yards is shooter induced. The angles involved with that large of a variation in trajectory would be so severe that the guns wouldn't have fit back together that way.