1911 Parts Question

B

Banzai

New member
I'm looking at replacing some things on my gun with some Wilson parts that I like. Can things like an aftermarket pre prepped hammer and/or sear be dropped into my Springfield 1911A1 without any special fitting? How about a mainspring housing?

What does that little set screw in a trigger do for you and why/when would you need one? How do you set it?

Are thumb safeties interchangeable (drop in)? What do I need to know special about ambi safeties? How do they hold together?

Is a one piece full legnth guide rod better than a two piece? How do you get it out?

Anything else that I should know, and any books (ones still in print) that I should be looking for/at?


Thanks major amounts. I'm new to the 1911 thing, and I love how a basic gun can be customized with off the shelf parts and be super tuned to each shooter! Can't do that with a Glock/Sig/Ruger/Etc.!!!!


Tom


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A "Miss" is the ultimate overpenetration!
You can never be too rich, too skinny, or too well armed!
 
Tom,

I'll speak of the modifications that I have done and had done.

Before buying ANY parts pick up either an Ed Brown bench reference manual or Jerry Kuhnhausen's manuals. You Will See This Again Later.

I haven't used any drop in or pre prepped parts. But with the Springfield I have a dramatic increase in trigger smoothness can be attained by polishing the mating surfaces of the hammer and sear. DO NOT change any angles just polish to remove any roughness on the parts. (Manual will show this).

The screw in the trigger is an over-travel stop. This prevents the trigger from moving any further to the rear than necessary to release the sear. Tightend too much and the trigger won't move thus not tripping the sear. If you don't tighten it, it kinda becomes useless. My advice tighten all the way down and try the trigger, back out just enough that the trigger releases sear. It may take several tries. After release point is found start over this time using Loc-Tite so the screw stays put.

The thumb safety will probably have to have some material removed to allow the sear stud on the safety to contact the sear and allow it to engage. I haven't used a Wilson but the Ed Brown has a lot of extra material. Go slow and remove only a little at a time then try. Of all the modifications that can be done this is one I would take to a pro, it can avoid damage to the safety rendering it useless and the pistol unsafe. I had mine done by someone who had a lot more experience than I did. And I'm thankful for it.

A Wilson Mainspring housing may match up completely, maybe not. Keep in mind parts manufacturers don't know the specific make (ie Kimber, Springfield, Colt, etc) that a part is going into. Different firearm companies sometimes have angles that vary from others. So the individual contours may be a little different. Everything is pretty much trial and error. Hopefully less on the error side.

A full lenght guide rod has pro's and con's.
Pro's: It can't come unscrewed during firing.
Con's: Requires a bushing wrench to take down.
My advice is forget the guide rods, the standard set up is much more reliable than either.

Do yourself a favor and sit down and list all of the wants. Then do the mods that are going to improve the shooting. Ie good sights and good trigger versus extended, ambi, etc. There are a lot of parts that are "must" haves, according to their manufacturers, but don't have any real impact other than taking cash out of your wallet.

Go slow and if you have any questions or problems ask someone. George Stringer has helped me out more than he will ever know.

Gator
 
Banzai, I pretty much agree with what Gator has already told you. Except where the mainspring housing and other parts may have different angles. The angles should all be the same. The differences in machining tolerances in the frames is what turns a drop-in part into a fitted part.

Personally I prefer a two piece guide rod. With these the front part is installed after the pistol is assembled and removed first. Then the pistol is disassembled lik any other. The one piece rods have a hole near the muzzle end. The slide is locked back and a small pin inserted in the hole. You then disassemble the gun by removing the complete slide and taking the rod/spring/reverse plug out as one unit like a bullseye pistol.

Ambi safeties are installed/fitted like a standard one. The two ends are connected by a trunion/slot inside the grip safety. Depending on the brand, some of the ambi levers are simply kept in place by the grip while others come with a longer sear pin that has a little groove in one end to keep the lever in place. I like these but don't use them because the 1911 triggers I work on include adding oversize trigger and hammer pins.

I recommend both of Kuhnhausen's shop manuals as well as Hallock's .45 Auto Handbook and Custom touches by Nye. All are available from Brownells. www.brownells.com

If you run into anything during your project post your question and not only me but several knowledgeable folks here will do all they can to help you. George
 
Hmm...my slide may be out of specification. I can depress the recoil spring plug just enough (with the pistol held muzzle-up) to get the bushing turned on my wife's full length guide rod equipped 1911.

No wrench required.

I've noticed that I change recoil springs on her 1911 about half as much as on my standard-configuration 1911's. Local IPSC shooters swear that they get three times as much use out of their recoil springs with guide rods than without. I shoot a fairly stout .45 ACP load instead of a whimpy 'barely major geek load' so popular in the Armed Track Meets, but there is definely something there.


Alex

[This message has been edited by wakal (edited April 20, 2000).]
 
George:

The reason I include the bit about the angles of the housing/frame fit is that I have a Colt factory MSH on my Springfield and there is a considerable change in the angle. Also the Colt appears to fraction of an inch shorter.
Granted this is a plastic MSH and that could be the reason it doesn't match up.

Gator
 
Wakal, there's nothing wrong with your slide. Some guide rods will allow you to do that and some won't. I've seen the same spring replacement ratios. The only reason for it I can think of is that the guide rod forces the spring to coil uniformly without kinking or binding.

Swampgator, if you mean the outside angle of the housing many of them are different but the inside dimensions should be the same. George
 
Kuhnhausen's two manuals on the 1911 can be obtained from the publisher, as well as a neato wall chart showing the operation of the 1911, at http://www.gunbooks.com . The books and wall chart are well worth the money.

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Ne Conjuge Nobiscum
"If there be treachery, let there be jehad!"
 
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