I have two of these fine pistols, both hard chrome finished, and one has a compensator (pin gun). I got this pin gun in 1988, and I used it in 1990 at the old Second Chance bowling pin shoot in Central Lake, MI, and that year I won the Winchester-Second Chance grand championship shoot-off ($5000). My other SA M1911 I got in Montreal in 1990, and I have done well with it at local pin matches in NH and VT. There is a pin match in Chester, NH on 28Oct2017 that is the last one of the year. Wish me luck.
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Springfield Armory M1911A1s
- Thread starter otasan
- Start date
Are we talking about the same Springfield Armory that is producing pistols today? I will assume yes and join the discussion.
I just got a new range officer. It it short on finish and fancy bells and whistles but shoots to beat the band. I will qualify that saying, I also have a beautiful finished Colt series 80 Gold Cup that delivers a consistent 6" (+) pattern at 25 yards. I have examined the barrel to barrel to slide fit is quite loose fit. The SA is tight. Very tight. Barrel to slide & slide to frame.
My Range Officer shot a 1.5 inch five shot group at 25 yards on the first day out. That is my only session with the gun. I just had 25 rounds to get sighted and familiar with the gun and then shoot the one target off a rest. Ammo was bulk Federal from Walmart.
The trigger measured 4.5 pounds and crisp out of the box. After shooting it was down to 4.25 pounds. I love this gun. The Colt will soon be getting a new barrel. Gold cup, more like tin cup!
I expected to need some break in. In the gun shop, I racked the slide back and it would not return to battery without a nudge. The clerk offered to get me another gun. I said "No, I want this one!". I gave it a good clean and Luca Extreme oil and cycled it a bit. No hang up for the first 25 shots- all good.
Like I said, the blue is rough. so much that it picks up little bits of lint when wiped down. The is no ambi, flared, slotted or wonder grips. It is the no frills accuracy bargain of my lifetime.
I dont know if they are all like this. Your mileage may vary.
I just got a new range officer. It it short on finish and fancy bells and whistles but shoots to beat the band. I will qualify that saying, I also have a beautiful finished Colt series 80 Gold Cup that delivers a consistent 6" (+) pattern at 25 yards. I have examined the barrel to barrel to slide fit is quite loose fit. The SA is tight. Very tight. Barrel to slide & slide to frame.
My Range Officer shot a 1.5 inch five shot group at 25 yards on the first day out. That is my only session with the gun. I just had 25 rounds to get sighted and familiar with the gun and then shoot the one target off a rest. Ammo was bulk Federal from Walmart.
The trigger measured 4.5 pounds and crisp out of the box. After shooting it was down to 4.25 pounds. I love this gun. The Colt will soon be getting a new barrel. Gold cup, more like tin cup!
I expected to need some break in. In the gun shop, I racked the slide back and it would not return to battery without a nudge. The clerk offered to get me another gun. I said "No, I want this one!". I gave it a good clean and Luca Extreme oil and cycled it a bit. No hang up for the first 25 shots- all good.
Like I said, the blue is rough. so much that it picks up little bits of lint when wiped down. The is no ambi, flared, slotted or wonder grips. It is the no frills accuracy bargain of my lifetime.
I dont know if they are all like this. Your mileage may vary.
Interestingly....My first .45 was a series 80 Gold Cup. It shot just fine out of the box. I wanted it to shoot better and so sent it off to the late George Madore (“the wizard of the 1911”) for accurizing. I also sent along a new Kart match barrel. George tightened the slide, improved the trigger, changed the barrel bushing, bobbed the hammer a bit, etc., etc. and returned the gun....along with the unused match barrel. His note said that there was nothing wrong with the factory barrel. The gun shot two inches at 50 yards from a Ransom Rest.
otasan....So you're the one from Canada that shoots pins at Chester Rod and gun. You discouraged a lot of fun shooters from entering the event. it was in the '80's
I believe. Between people like you and the FBI closing the Range down when they practiced thanks alot.
Many ordinary people just having fun, stopped shooting pins because of the likes of you.
I believe. Between people like you and the FBI closing the Range down when they practiced thanks alot.
Many ordinary people just having fun, stopped shooting pins because of the likes of you.
Interestingly....My first .45 was a series 80 Gold Cup. It shot just fine out of the box. I wanted it to shoot better and so sent it off to the late George Madore (“the wizard of the 1911”) for accurizing. I also sent along a new Kart match barrel. George tightened the slide, improved the trigger, changed the barrel bushing, bobbed the hammer a bit, etc., etc. and returned the gun....along with the unused match barrel. His note said that there was nothing wrong with the factory barrel. The gun shot two inches at 50 yards from a Ransom Rest.
My Gold Cup was purchased back in the mid 1980's and just sat until I recently decided to shoot 45acp. Quality my vary over time. The blue and trigger are very nice the slide fit seems ok but the barrel is very loose. It has the spring loaded /finger type bushing. I dont know if that is good or bad. The barrel fit is clearly bad.
The bottom lug is very loose where it rides over the pin. There is a lot daylight between the hood (top of barrel side to side) and slide. My groups tend to open up into a large dog bone cloud pattern. The group almost like two groups one high and right and other low and left. Not small groups but a big mess. It seems the barrel locks back low/left or high/right depending on luck or nuisance of hold on the bags. It is so bad, I have all I can do to get the pattern to zero so all shot hit the paper at 25 yards.
I am going to try and fit up a new barrel and bushing. I like the Briley system, even if not very popular on the web. Not the easy fit, I am going for full fitment.
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My opinion on 1911 barrels and accuracy is that its all about the fit. These company's selling new 1911s with match barrels are just appealing to the ignorant masses with advertising baloney. The fit is what matters.
In my not so humble opinion. There is no "good" method to weld or shim or long pin a loose barrel.
I believe, the realistic advantage of a high grade barrel is to reduce cleaning. And it maybe to get the last tiny fraction of accuracy once everything else is perfect. And everything else is a lot. I dont have a lot of experience to draw on here. So; take this internet opinion -FWIW.
Again, opinion, I am not impressed with taking a hammer to tighten the slide up. I was surprised to see those tools and video on Brownels. That cannot stand up long term. Not like get it tight in the first place.
In my not so humble opinion. There is no "good" method to weld or shim or long pin a loose barrel.
I believe, the realistic advantage of a high grade barrel is to reduce cleaning. And it maybe to get the last tiny fraction of accuracy once everything else is perfect. And everything else is a lot. I dont have a lot of experience to draw on here. So; take this internet opinion -FWIW.
Again, opinion, I am not impressed with taking a hammer to tighten the slide up. I was surprised to see those tools and video on Brownels. That cannot stand up long term. Not like get it tight in the first place.
Accurizing
About tightening slides and long term accuracy.
When my Gold Cup was returned to me, it had had the rails tightened and filed. The marks (all inside) were obvious. As noted earlier, the gun shot into the X-ring at 50 yards.
That was well over 60,000 rounds ago. The gun still shoots into the ten ring - having loosened a bit - many of those are Xs. In addition, the gun has proven itself ultra reliable; all of the very rare ftfs were traced to ammo problems not issues with the gun itself.
About the barrel bushing. One of the things that George did to the gun was throw away the fingered bushing and fit a solid bushing to the Colt barrel.
About tightening slides and long term accuracy.
I think that the late Mr. Madore would disagree about long term accuracy in a hammer tightened slide. People did not call him the wizard for no reason.That cannot stand up long term.
When my Gold Cup was returned to me, it had had the rails tightened and filed. The marks (all inside) were obvious. As noted earlier, the gun shot into the X-ring at 50 yards.
That was well over 60,000 rounds ago. The gun still shoots into the ten ring - having loosened a bit - many of those are Xs. In addition, the gun has proven itself ultra reliable; all of the very rare ftfs were traced to ammo problems not issues with the gun itself.
About the barrel bushing. One of the things that George did to the gun was throw away the fingered bushing and fit a solid bushing to the Colt barrel.
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Yes, Mitchell Ota here, living in Hartford, VT. I am a US citizen, and the next Chester, NH pin match is on Saturday, 28 Oct 2017. I am going.otasan....So you're the one from Canada that shoots pins at Chester Rod and gun. You discouraged a lot of fun shooters from entering the event. it was in the '80's
I believe. Between people like you and the FBI closing the Range down when they practiced thanks alot.
Many ordinary people just having fun, stopped shooting pins because of the likes of you.
I lived in Montreal 1989-91. Sorry to discourage shooters, but if I wasn't there someone else would have taken first place. I have been shooting pins since 1979.otasan....So you're the one from Canada that shoots pins at Chester Rod and gun. You discouraged a lot of fun shooters from entering the event. it was in the '80's
I believe. Between people like you and the FBI closing the Range down when they practiced thanks alot.
Many ordinary people just having fun, stopped shooting pins because of the likes of you.
otasan....So you're the one from Canada that shoots pins at Chester Rod and gun. You discouraged a lot of fun shooters from entering the event. it was in the '80's
I believe. Between people like you and the FBI closing the Range down when they practiced thanks alot.
Many ordinary people just having fun, stopped shooting pins because of the likes of you.
That is a sorry excuse not to shoot. I am a D class trap shooter and just because there are AA and A class shooters at an event I still go shoot. It aspires me to get better.
I believe. Between people like you and the FBI closing the Range down when they practiced thanks alot.
Many ordinary people just having fun, stopped shooting pins because of the likes of you.
That is a sorry excuse not to shoot. I am a D class trap shooter and just because there are AA and A class shooters at an event I still go shoot. It aspires me to get better.