1911 almost defeated me today

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kir_kenix

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Sep 18, 2006
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Shelby, nebraska
well, i brought my springfield gi 45 to the range today and put about 500 rounds thru her. not even so much as a hickup running about 250 rounds 230 gr wwb fmj, 100 230 gr cci blazer brass fmj, and 150 230 gr wwb jhp. i was really suprised how well it cycled the jhp as ive heard so many mention that modifications are in order to have hollow points feed. anyway...i went over to my friends house after shooting and i started to clean my pistol when i got this wonderful idea...why not take it COMPLEATLY apart and make her immaculate while getting a better understanding of the basic mechanical principles behind the 1911. well Cody (my friend whose house i was at) had to go pick up some calves so i figured id give it a shot while he was away. this turned out to be quite the project. i really should have had some sort of reference, but i figured i would have no trouble working on such an "old" design.

i had no trouble with the basic field stipping, but i had never taken it any further then this. i had no trouble taking apart the slide/firing pin/extractor, nor the frame. putting it back together on the other hand gave me some serious problems. actually i did have trouble taking the thumb safety off, tried taking it off while the mainspring housing was still on...then it took me a while to figure out to cock the hammmer and it slid right out. i must have spent like 25 minutes trying to figure out how the sear got put back in and how to get that darned pin back thru it. that was deffinetly the hardest part of the whole project. then i got the whole thing back together but put the mainspring housing pin in the wrong hole (put it in the hammer hole) so i pretty much had to start all over. i was sooo ANGRY.

well i learned quite a bit about how the 1911 works, and im glad i was able to get her up and running again. i really appreciate how complicated such a simple design can be and i actually enjoyed tinkering w/ it. i think some mods are in order now that i know what im doing....lol.
 
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Well done! Way to learn about your firearms! You're well on your way to be truely addicted to 1911s ;) Don't fight it, you'll just waste time! :D
 
I bought the SA Loaded earlier this year. Went to the gun smithing section here and started reading the 1911 threads. Ended up changing out the mainsping housing, hammer, sear, and disconnector. Also fiddled with the leaf spring to adjust the trigger pull. I acquired a few tools from Midway. Have a very sweet shooting and well functioning pistol. This is a great hobby.
 
i really appreciate how complicated such a simple design can be and i actually enjoyed tinkering w/ it. i think some mods are in order now that i know what im doing....lol.

On to the next stage:

Blindfolded.
 
1st Love

I took my 1st 1911 apart when I was 16 or 17. (USGI Remington Rand) I was fascinated by how simple yet complicated it was.
One of my favorite parts was the round peg through the square hole. I was taught round peg round hole in school. (I always was a nonconformist!) :)
 
If you havn't already found out-the little screw in the
RH side of the magazine catch isn't really a screw. It's
a 1/4 turn fastener. Gently turning it to the left (unscrew
direction) while pushing in the mag release button will
allow it to release from the frame, and be retained
in the catch. Replacements don't cost much.
 
Congrats! The first time is always fun...

Great time waster, and a great opportunity to clean and lube all the internals. It'll get easier as you do it more and more.

Happy shooting!
 
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