Part of the commitment to a 2011 is a little bit of extra care and maintenance versus the plastic fantastic guns. On any 1911/2011 pattern pistol, there are a lot of metal contact points and interactions. Because of this, these pistols tend to run better with some lubrication. If you’ve found the gun start feeling sluggish or starting to get malfunctions when dirty, chances are a little extra lube will help. When it comes to adding lubrication, doing so in the right spots is important for function, without adding too much oil that just makes a mess.

What Lube?

Speaking of oil, there are a lot of products available on the market. A few things to consider are the viscosity (how thick or thin), how long it stays in place, temperature sensitivity, and does it get gummed up when dirty. Also worth noting, you don’t have to use specific “gun” oil, but just beware of what the lube does before you go robbing some off the dipstick of your car engine.

A few of my favorites over the years have been Slip 2000 products (particularly the EWL) and Lucas Extreme Duty Gun Oil, as well as Echo Bar Chainsaw oil. These days I’ve been using the Lucas Oil, I particularly like the bottles with the needle point applicator.

Proper Lubrication of the Staccato

Proper lubrication can allow the gun to keep running, even when dirty. I’ve gone several thousand rounds with my 2011 without issue, however before a several hundred round range sessions I’d add a drop of oil to the locations listed below. There’s not a special prize for seeing how long your gun can go when dirty or dry, so keep the gun lubed for proper function and preventing excessive wear. As far as locations and amounts, 1-2 drops are all that are needed in the following locations:

• Barrel locking lugs
• Front of barrel where it locks to slide/bushing
• Top of the Disconnector
• Slide to frame channel

After adding a little lube, cycle the gun several times to ensure it spreads into place and you’re ready to go.

A couple areas to NOT add lubrication:

• Do NOT add to the inside of the barrel unless as a rust preventative for long-term storage (clean out before shooting)
• Do NOT lubricate magazine internals (blued 1911 magazines might need a very light layer on the outside to prevent rust, but stainless or coated mags shouldn’t need anything)