Auto Ordnance 1911

[Stophel]

I still haven't even tried to shoot it with the original firing pin spring. It is SO heavy, I have my doubts about whether or not I could even get the gun to go off. I have no doubt that it would pass any drop test!!!

I put a standard recoil spring and a standard firing pin spring in it. The mainspring and sear spring that were in it are fine. I actually may change the safety plunger spring too... I'd like a little more snap.

The gun functioned as it was (well, again, I didn't even try the monster FP spring), everything I did to it was just to make it function better and to suit me.

I have a couple of old Millett orange stake on front sights coming to me to try. I'll file off the "shoulders" that they put on there and get it fitted, and I'll then have a front sight I can see! The rear sight notch I can open up wider to match the front.

Way back, I had one of the original Auto Ordnance 1911's. The ones that everyone said were absolutely horrible. Mine was pretty loose and rattly, but it worked fine. Maybe I just didn't know any better. I traded it off for something, I don't remember. And shortly after, bought a Springfield Armory, which I still have.

 

[HPJeep]

Now I want to get an Auto Ordnance 1911A1 replica of WWII gun.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

It's a manufacturing thing.
Rather than make State-specific things, it can be more economical to make them to the lowest common denominator.
Most autos are built to CA emissions standards for this reason.
Items likely to pass between State in commerce get complicated, too.

I get that from a manufacturing standpoint. That's all about the economics behind mass production.

But this is a pistol owned by a person not living anywhere near either of those states. Why modify a personally owned pistol to make it compliant with the laws in another state? Unless the person intends to sell, trade, or otherwise transfer the pistol to someone else in those states, there's no need.

If it's because the person WANTS to make the modification because they want the benefits touted by a titanium firing pin with respect to drop safety, great.

 

[CapnMac]

But this is a pistol owned by a person not living anywhere near either of those states. Why modify a personally owned pistol to make it compliant with the laws in another state? Unless the person intends to sell, trade, or otherwise transfer the pistol to someone else in those states, there's no need

Ok, that's "the other way around." Usually only a manufacturer sweats multi-state compliance. And, I think, presume, really, that the original usage, above, was meant as in out-of-the-box condition, not a User-made change to that state. I could be wrong.

But, there are times when some Per-State mods are useful--like the "NY Trigger" for a Glock, as an example. That's a personal choice, and can have some sound logic.

I'm not hung up on the Series 70 versus Series 80 debate. Only reason I even own a Ti firing pin is because I'm a bit more confident it won't get bent riding around in a soft-side cleaning kit. But, in all fairness I have owned an AMT, and a Navy Arms "Typewriter" 1911, the latter having a firing pin that looked like it was "blacksmithed" in a barn from a box nail.

 

[ShortRound45]

I purchased an AO 1911 GI in 2019. Discovered that the firing pin block was stuck in the "up" position. Back to Kahr it went, returned to me repaired.

Had intermittent feed issues with the factory magazine, GI magazines, and Colt magazines. Bought a couple Wilson Combat 8 round magazines and they work with only 1 or 2 failures to feed.

Finally (as in today) I compared the extractor tension to another 1911. The AO was over-tensioned. I removed the extractor and also noted the overly long and wildly stiff factory firing pin spring.

Re-tensioned the extractor, and did some minor file work to clean up the bottom angle...will try to remember to re-post here after I test fire it.

Re-assembly with that stock firing spring was far more difficult than I expected. As with the original poster I intend to replace the firing pin spring with a stock GI spring.

Last...the trigger, while not NM, is quite acceptable. Accuracy was better than I expected with generic 230gr ball ammunition.

 

[Steve in Allentown]

The mainspring and sear spring that were in it are fine. I actually may change the safety plunger spring too... I'd like a little more snap.

You may need to massage the thumb safety a bit in order to get a more solid "snick" when swiping the thumb safety on and off.

See https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/fitting-and-reshaping-a-1911-thumb-safety.867790/

 

[Whiskeyhotel2020]

The only experience I have with an Auto Ordnance 1911 is I sold one to a regular customer when I worked at a gun shop/range. Every sunday he would come in as the door opened we'd have coffee and swap stories from the past week and he would shoot a hundred sometimes two hundred rounds of his reloads through that pistol. The only maintenance he performed on it was a couple drops of oil to make it run smooth. The round count was around 5000 without a malfunction the last time I saw him.