This thread was caused by some questions that have been asked over the years in this board, regarding "how to lubricate a 1911".
What follows is not meant to be an authoritative thesis on the issue, just a description of what I do. As such, your method should be tailored to the environment where your pistol is, as you all know Greece has a very dry climate so your mileage may vary. One more thing, I use GunButter for the internal parts of my pistols, so I have added some remarks which apply to the usage of that lubricant. These remarks are linked inside the text with (*) or (**) and are explained at the end of this post.
OK, to start with, I assume that you have your pistol fully disassembled and cleaned.
I start reassembly from the frame.
- Add a drop of lubricant at each side of the trigger bow and spread it with your finger along the length of the bow (*). Insert the trigger in the frame. I rub the face of the magazine release button, where the magazine gets first in touch with the button, with my fingers to leave some lubricant on that surface too. Insert the mag release button in the frame and lock it. Once in a while, I may add a drop of lubricant inside the hole on the mag release, where the small spring will go in, but I do not do that every time.
- Insert the sear and disconnector in the frame and secure them with the sear pin. I add a drop of lubricant on each side of the sear, near the pin. I also add a drop of lubricant at the rear of the trigger bow where the disconnector will rest.
- Add a drop of lubricant in the hammer hole and spread it around. Install the hammer with the hammer pin. Add a drop of lubricant on each side of the hammer and one at the hammer strut pin.
- Add a drop of lubricant on the rear surface of the disconnector leg, where the sear spring will rub and very little lubricant on the sear area where the sear spring will rest. Insert the sear spring in place.
- Add a drop of lubricant on the main spring cap and insert the mainspring in place. You may want to add a drop of lubricant at the rails in the frame where the mainspring housing goes in. Again, once in a while I may take the main spring housing apart and use a cotton batonnete with some lubricant, to lubricate the inside of the main spring housing, but I do not do that every time.
- Add a drop of lubricant in the grip safety hole and spread it around. Insert the grip safety in place, and secure it with the thumb safety, then press the main spring housing in place, making sure that the hammer strut is placed in the center of the main spring cap. Secure the mainspring housing in place with its pin.
- Add a drop of lubricant on the top of the disconnector where it protrudes on the top of the frame.
- If this is a Series 80 pistol or of it has a Swartz-style firing pin safety, you may want to add a drop of lubricant, at the top of the safety's activating lever.
- Spread a couple of drops of lubricant on the frame rails (**).
Time to move to the slide. I assume the extractor and the firing pin are in place. Again, I seldom remove those parts and I only lube the inside of their tunnels whenever I remove them, using an lubricanted batonnete again (or a pipe cleaner).
- If your pistol is a Series 80 pistol or if it has a Swartz-style firing pin safety, put a drop of lubricant on the firing pin plunger, and let it drip inside the plunger's hole. You do not need to overdo it with this one, I would not suggest doing it after each trip to the range, just once in a while.
- Add a drop of lubricant on the corner of each one of the three locking lugs. Let the lubricant drip in the recesses of the locking lugs and then insert the barrel. Secure it in place with the bushing. Once in a while I may rub the inside of the slide at the muzzle end with some lubricant, but I do that very rarely.
- Add a drop of lubricant on the sides of the link pin (one on each side). Add another drop in the hole through which the slide stop will pass and spread it around the hole.
- Add a drop of lubricant on the firing pin where it protrudes at the firing pin stop. Another drop at the bottom of the firing pin stop, spread it in that area.
- Another drop is spread on the surface where the disconnector rubs, on the underside of the slide (*). Insert the guide rod and spring and install the slide on the frame. Some times I may put a drop of lubricant on my fingers and rub the guide rod with it, but I do not do it all the times.
- Insert the slide on the frame, pass the slide stop in and install the reclubricant spring plug. Lock the slide back and spread a couple of drops of lubricant at the muzzle end of the barrel on its outside surface (*). Work the slide back and forth a couple of times to spread the lubricant on the surface of the barrel where the bushing mates with it. Drop the hammer every time you rack the slide.
You are done. Wipe off any excess lubricant that has come out at the rear of the slide. There shouldn't be any excess lubricant any where else, except the muzzle end, around the barrel as it comes out of the bushing. Wipe that area too.
If this is a blue pistol, I usually use either a spray (if I am in a hurry) or an lubricanted cloth to put some lubricant on the outside of the pistol. Remember to cover the rear of the grip, the grip safety, the rear of the slide and the open areas around the grips, these touch your body when carrying and may be more susceptible to rust than other areas. Once in a while, I may pass an lubricanted cloth on the inside of the mag well too, but not every time.
Now, a very important remark. When I say "a drop" I mean a drop, a small drop actually. I use GunButter for the internals of my pistols, so a drop is a tiny drop. Still that's enough to lubricate the areas that need to be lubricated. Use the nozzle of GB's bottle to spread the lubricant around, if you have to, or use your fingers.
If you are using a different lubricant and the container's nozzle is very wide, you may want to use a tooth pick to pick up smaller drops from its container. Do not over-lubricate the pistol, lubricant acts as a dust magnet, and dust mixed with lubricant is not good for your gun.
You may have noticed that I do not lubricant the internal surfaces of the pistol. I've never seen any problems there, so I may do it once a year, using a spray. Of course, whenever a spray is used you have to wipe the surfaces with a cloth, which doesn't leave any cloth residues behind. Old t-shirts are fine in this role.
(*): On these surfaces a drop of GunButter may not be enough, so I usually trace a thin line of GB along the length of these surfaces.
(**): GB drops are again tiny for this role, so I either put 3-4 drops on each rail or I trace a thin line of GB along their length.
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Originally Posted by John
That was after it jammed or failed to chamber of course. 
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