1911 finally ordered

G

gargoyle

Inactive
Well, i finally decided on a 1911. After reading many, many posts, i decided to go with the R.I. 1911.

Now, i know this is probably about the lowest end i could go, in the vast 1911 market, but due to finances, this seemed like a decent base to start with for a rebuild, i have been diligently pouring over my brownells catalog in order to get a few upgrades.

I plan to replace at least, the hammer to a commander style; the trigger, grip safety (definately want an aftermarket with extended beavertail), extractor, and the grips.

I also plan to do a solid polish job as soon as the pistol arrives.

In your guys opinions, what would you say are solid manufacturers of upgrades? Wilson Cpmbat, Ed Brown, McCormick? There is alot of choices for upgrades. Im looking for long term reliability.

Thanks guys, i look forward to some responses.
 
OK. I will respond. It is NOT a Platform. Do not waste one penny on "Upgrades". If it will run with Hardball, throw in under the seat of your pickup and save it for hard times. Sorry, but to me, what is cheap is expensive. You can spend $1500.00 bucks on it and you will still have a $250.00 1911. This is the way it is, and I did not invent it.
 
gargoyle,

I'd have to agree with Dave on this, unless, you plan to keep it forever and ever.
He's absolutely right, I fell into that trap a few times, buy a lower end 1911 and build it up, when I got done, I had a lower end 1911 with a bunch of expensive parts and work on it.
However, if you're going to shoot it, and plan on keeping it, a few part swap outs isn't out of the question. I don't suggest you spend a great deal of money on it, because you'll never be able to get out of it what you have in it.

Basically, enjoy it for what it is and be happy. :)
 
Captain Razor. Thanks. I am not against a man on a budget. I am on one ,too. I have tweaked some really cheap guns with good results but I never kidded anyone about it. I used to turn any 1911 into a really nice sow's ear for some big bucks, but will never do it unless under duress! Enjoy it and if it's a good one, have some fun with some aftermarket parts. I love that stuff. I just don't want you to be mis-led! I really am on your side!
 
I agree with Mr Sample

When you start throwing good money into cheap gun, you end up owning an expensive paper weight most of the time. If it shoots well as it comes from the factory, shoot the heck out of it. You can swap all the parts out if you wanted to, but you still end up with the original frame and slide. If they are of good quality to begin with, the gun should shoot well to begin with. In my personal gun, I changed out the barrel bushing and guide rod and put on an extended slide stop. I replaced the long trigger for a shorter one simply because I have short fingers. The hammer and sear have been replaced over the years and I worked the pull down to 4 lbs. The thing is, the barrel bushing and shorter trigger were the only swaps that gave much of any improvement, the rest were personal taste. I know you can replace the barrel and get better groups sometimes, but it doesn't happen each and every time. If you have a good barrel and the gun operates well enough to shoot hardball ammo, leave it as is unless you have a specific need like I did of a shorter trigger or an extended slide stop. My personal pistol is Colt model 70. It handles most any ammo I feed it and it fires every time I pull the trigger. That is what you want from a pistol. The fact that I can shoot it into a 2'' group at 25 yds with my eyes is a bonus. As long as it shoots well be happy with the gun. If you want to spend a few thousand, buy a better pistol that comes with everything you want on it to begin with and save some money as well as headaches.
 
thanks for the responses guys. I see where you are coming from on this. the few upgrades i am looking at are inexpensive things, mainly done for my comfort. Guess i will make the R.I. an "under the seat" addition, and save my nickles and dimes for at least a springfield :)
 
Well, I don't know if I'd toss it under the seat, I mean, I wouldn't beat it around or anything like that.
I've actually heard some good things about the RI Arms. They seem to be good shooters.

Basically, have fun with it. ;)
 
Why not think about a low end Colt 1911 to start with. They really are subject to improvement and are a good solid platform to tweak a little. You could have fun shooting it and then add some improvements that will make your shooting more fun for you. SA's are Metric with weird dimensions here and there and you have to be very careful what you do to them and where. They are great guns for their intended purpose, just like the RI, but I think you would end up with a lot more 1911 if you use a Colt for a base gun. I hope I am not confusing you. I am just trying to help you end up with something nice later.
 
base gun

Ditto on the Springfield; I'm working on a '88 version with whatever-sized holes and parts just everywhere.

Ed Brown, EGW, Nowlin, C&S, S&A, Caspian.
 
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