marine6680
New member
100 rounds down range... 100% trouble free.
Well, the very first round chambered, did not fully chamber... but the fiance was the one to load the round, and she rode the slide while chambering. So, I can't fault the gun for her mistake. A quick tap on the slide, and it finished chambering fully. All the rest chambered perfectly from then on.
What can I say, its a 1911... It functioned well, and its comfortable to hold. The backstrap checkering is very nice, and the non-checkred, but bead blast finished front strap is comfortable, but has good grip to it, like a very fine grade sand paper.
The gun is very tight, all the parts are snug together. Disassembly was a pain as the bushing did not want to cooperate, but after the range trip, parts are working in, and its much easier now.
Now for the bad... The trigger... NO NO NO NO NO... that is not how a good 1911 trigger is supposed to feel.
7.5-8lb pull, over several pulls, averaged a bit over 7.5lb... The break was crisp, but the pull felt dirty/gritty on top of the heaviness.
No... just no...
I knew the trigger wasn't the best from the start, but I knew that 1911 triggers can be improved. so I didn't worry about it.
So I tore down the pistol... put a couple small scratches on the frame near the ambi safety, as it was fit so snug together, that I had to pry it up.
Its not too bad though, but I don't want another SS pistol. I am too worried over the "finish".
I didn't want to do anything drastic, so I just polished the trigger where it touched the frame, and polished the trigger bow. I stoned the sear engagement surface, as it was not very smooth/even, then I polished it up. I did a small amount of polish to the hammer notch as well, but it wasn't too bad from the factory, so it was just a quick buff.
Got her all back together and the result...
5.5lb trigger... consistent pull weight too. Multiple readings all the same, I got 5lb 7oz, five or six times in a row. And this is on a Lyman digital gauge...
I could tweak the trigger some more, but I am not looking for a trigger much lighter. I shot a Nighthawk with a very light trigger down around 2-3lb, and while it was nice, it scared the fiance a little. She was also still new to shooting then though. Her Mkiii has a 2.5lb trigger, and she does fine with it.
If I feel up to it, I may try for a 4lb trigger sometime. We will see how the current pull weight works for us.
Overall, I am very happy with the SA "Loaded". The trigger did need some attention, but the overall quality of the pistol is very good. We paid $800 for the pistol, so I was not looking for something like Ed Brown quality. (the fiance likes to drool over the Ed Browns though) So for the money we paid, I think we got a very good pistol.
I will report back after we get a few hundred more rounds through it.
Well, the very first round chambered, did not fully chamber... but the fiance was the one to load the round, and she rode the slide while chambering. So, I can't fault the gun for her mistake. A quick tap on the slide, and it finished chambering fully. All the rest chambered perfectly from then on.
What can I say, its a 1911... It functioned well, and its comfortable to hold. The backstrap checkering is very nice, and the non-checkred, but bead blast finished front strap is comfortable, but has good grip to it, like a very fine grade sand paper.
The gun is very tight, all the parts are snug together. Disassembly was a pain as the bushing did not want to cooperate, but after the range trip, parts are working in, and its much easier now.
Now for the bad... The trigger... NO NO NO NO NO... that is not how a good 1911 trigger is supposed to feel.
7.5-8lb pull, over several pulls, averaged a bit over 7.5lb... The break was crisp, but the pull felt dirty/gritty on top of the heaviness.
No... just no...
I knew the trigger wasn't the best from the start, but I knew that 1911 triggers can be improved. so I didn't worry about it.
So I tore down the pistol... put a couple small scratches on the frame near the ambi safety, as it was fit so snug together, that I had to pry it up.
Its not too bad though, but I don't want another SS pistol. I am too worried over the "finish".
I didn't want to do anything drastic, so I just polished the trigger where it touched the frame, and polished the trigger bow. I stoned the sear engagement surface, as it was not very smooth/even, then I polished it up. I did a small amount of polish to the hammer notch as well, but it wasn't too bad from the factory, so it was just a quick buff.
Got her all back together and the result...
5.5lb trigger... consistent pull weight too. Multiple readings all the same, I got 5lb 7oz, five or six times in a row. And this is on a Lyman digital gauge...
I could tweak the trigger some more, but I am not looking for a trigger much lighter. I shot a Nighthawk with a very light trigger down around 2-3lb, and while it was nice, it scared the fiance a little. She was also still new to shooting then though. Her Mkiii has a 2.5lb trigger, and she does fine with it.
If I feel up to it, I may try for a 4lb trigger sometime. We will see how the current pull weight works for us.
Overall, I am very happy with the SA "Loaded". The trigger did need some attention, but the overall quality of the pistol is very good. We paid $800 for the pistol, so I was not looking for something like Ed Brown quality. (the fiance likes to drool over the Ed Browns though) So for the money we paid, I think we got a very good pistol.
I will report back after we get a few hundred more rounds through it.
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