1911 competition

[brandon1911]

Hello, I am new to this so bare with me. I have just bought a springfield armory A1 1911. I was wanting to get into competitions with it like bowling pin shooting. What kind of upgrades would I need or want for this. Right now the gun is all stock with no trigger upgrades or no FLGR. I want to thankyou all for your response and for helping me out.

 

[Steve C]

If you are going to shoot bowling pins or steel plates the first thing would be to shoot it as it is. You need to be relatively accurate enough to participate in the game, speed will come with practice and competition. Neither steel plates nor bowling pins require pin point accuracy like you'd need for a Bullseye match where you'd invest well over $1K to get it.

Go to one of the matches you'd like to shoot in. Observe the game, talk to the other shooters, they are always helpful and friendly. Take your pistol and a couple boxes of shells in case you decide to participate. Once you've tried the game YOU will be able to determine what, if any, modifications to make to your gun that will help you. What any other shooter does to their gun is to help them and may not do you any good or only be of minimal benefit.

Generally a trigger job to bring the pull down to a crisp 4 lbs is the best investment you can make in a 1911. Most games require several magazines so picking up some good extra mags is something you can do right away. If you want to shoot steel plates you will need a side holster to draw from. The Fobus holsters are inexpensive and work fine for a range holster.

 

[PO2Hammer]

Welcome to The High Road.

I'll agree with the post above. Get some mags, a holster and as much practice mmo as you can afford.

 

[exflatlander]

As said above, get some magazines and a decent holster and practice.

The magaazine reload under stress is the hardest thing to master after being able to shoot well enough to hit the pins.

 

[robctwo]

For steel plates and bowling pins I practice on a 6" paper circle at 25 yds. 6" target printed on 8.5x11 paper. If I can hit the target most of the time, I am comfortable with the gun for competition. If I can rarely hit the target, then I need to adjust the sights, the load, or my shooting.

At our bowling pin shoot we have a paper target set up to the side. If a competitor empties a mag or two without knowcking down pins we have them shoot the paper from a rest. Surprising how many folks show up to shoot with no idea that their gun is shooting 12-14" off point of aim. I like to know that before I go to competitions.

For speed steel we normally have targets set much closer, and much bigger. When we get to a set with a 10" target at 25 yards, many folks are grumbling and reloading. If you are shooting 6" at 25 yards with some regularity, no big deal.

 

[brandon1911]

Thankyou guys for the answers. I have done this before but I used a Rugar P94. I am also wonderin if like I hear about the 18lbs spring will help with saving the slide from a hard impact and if the FLGR will actually help with a crisper cleaner recoil. Is all this I hear true or should I not worry about it.

 

[Canuck-IL]

You don't need an 18# for factory loads and may even go to a 14 ... a heavier than needed spring affects the recoil impulse and the sights resetting for the next shot. The 1911 was designed for a 16 (maybe even 15) - if you're worried about frame battering, clip a coil and add a shok buff, they usually function fine in full size SAs (range use only - not recommended for carry). CP brand will last several thousand rounds - Wilson brand are soft and shred too readily.

FLGR is a solution in search of a problem - some claim it's a little 'smoother' feeling but that's up for debate. It definitely makes takedown more annoying than it needs to be.
/Bryan