What stuff for 1911?

S

sundance43.5

New member
I'm planning on getting a 1991 with the rollmarks, but as I'm new to 1911's, what parts do you folks recommend I get to add on to it? I was thinking:

Full length guide rod

Recoil Buffers (Anone use these? Any practical value?)

A new trigger set, possibly Videcki?

So, what else?

Thanks!
 
don't do anything to it until you shoot several hundred rounds though it and get a feel for it. then decide based on how you like it so far what you want to do to it. i personally don't feel a full length guid rod or recoil buffer is necessary. if you don't like the trigger or want a short trigger than change it. if the gun shoots accurately and reliably right out of the box you really won't need to do much to it.
 
No, no, yes. Full length guide rod does nothing good, makes launching spring retainer easier, re-assembly harder. Operation no different. Shok-buffs are cool when they're new, once they get squished out they sometimes will make the gun malf. I use them occasionally. Good trigger definitely. Does the 1991 come with decent sights? If not get some. Get some Wilson Mags and lots of ammo and that's all you'll ever need.
 
Sundance, SHOOT the thing for a few hundred rounds before making any changes. I get increasingly annoyed at this presumption that you have to dump all the factory parts out of a new 1911 and replace them before you even fire the first shot. If that were the case they would no longer be worth buying.

Try it. You may like it as-is. If not, then you can replace what you don't like without relying on advice from others.
 
don't do anything to it until you shoot several hundred rounds
Click to expand...

My First Handgun was a Colt 1991A1 (Don't ask what I paid for Mine because You'll Cry) and I haven't made any changes other than filing down the front site a little. The Cool thing about the Colt 1991A1 is that its a Plain Vanilla 1911. The trigger and the sights are the only thing I could ever conceive of changing. Otherwise get a Kimber. Get good Mags too!! I had bad luck with all the Colt Mags that Came with mine. 1 Factory 7rd and I picked up an 8rd too. Both are junk and I had to replace the 8rd mags Follower and Spring to get it to work. Don't waste your money on junk and get the Wilsons Combat Mags.

Oh and you may have some trouble with anything other than Ball ammo with your gun. I did have Mine throated a little more and it feeds Hydra-Shoks flawlessly.
 
Always get good magazines, like Wilsons, Chip McCormick, or Wolff. Many feeding problems can be attributed to bad magazines.

Full length guide rods are no plus. Save some money and possible frustrations.

If you get recoil buffers, be prepared to replace them every couple thousand rounds. If you let them get all battered, the buffer can come apart and cause a malfunction.

You may get a gun with a good trigger pull, or one that needs very little modification. A few hundred rounds allows some wear in. After that, reevaluate the quality of trigger pull.

Make sure you get good sight, if the factory ones don't do it for you.

Really, I don't understand why people think that new 1911's need modifications out of the box. All the new ones I try work like a charm. It may have been necessary, but not any more.
 
A new 1911 should work straight out of the box. If it doesn't make the factory pay to fix it. If you bought a new SIG and it jammed, would your first course of action be to ship it off to be given a "reliability job"? Hell no, you'd ship it straight back to SIG!

Yet 1911 owners accept lemons as part of the territory.:confused: Maybe the real reason why so many lemons exist is because the manufacturers feel they can get away with it.
 
I agree with dsk and the rest, shoot it for a while then decide what you want.

That said, for me the minimum mods are:
1. Beavertail grip safety.
2. Thin grips.
3. Ambidextrous safety.
4. Flat mainspring housing (if it doesn't already have it)

These mods just make the 1911 fit my hand better and shoot easier for me. I've spent a lot of years and money finding out just exactly what I want in a 1911. FLGR and shock buffers are purely personal preference, I and many others have not seen any real gains in reliability or shootability with either one.

I think dsk with his last post is mistaking customizing with lemons. I think most people who buy a 1911 buy it because it is so easy to customize. I've seen a lot of people buy a custom Kimber (for example) and immediately ship it to their favorite gunsmith for customizing. Doesn't necessarily mean it was a lemon, they just bought it with the intent of modifying it to suit their taste. You really can't compare the 1911 to a SIG or Glock or any other pistol because there's no other pistol that has so many parts available to customize or is so easy to customize.
 
Another NO, NO, YES

I have the 1991A1 Commander model(stamped slide). The only thing I changed was the PLASTIC trigger. I just couldn't look at it, especially with that heavy tapered look.

Under normall shooting conditions it's just as comfortable as my 'decked out' Commander-sized Kimber. I would probably add a beaver-tail if I took it to Thunder Ranch.

I wouldn't even think about changing the recoil system. In fact, I'm putting this recoil system into my Pro Eclipse, using the factory reverse-plug and a GI short guide-rod. No more FLGR!

Have Fun/Good Luck
 
All you will need to be happy with your new Colt will be the following:
>New barrel/link
>new trigger/sear with trigger job
>new sights
>new hammer
>new beavertail grip safety
>new grips
>new bushing
>aftermarket mags such as Wilson/Chip McCormick
>new recoil spring such as one from Wolf
After making this "simple" investment, might be happy with your colt. Enjoy.
;)
 
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