Finally got my first 1911. Care and feeding?

[schadenfreude]

Some may remember I made a post about budget 1911's and had pretty much decided on the Springfield Mil spec. Then when I got to the gunshop I noticed for around $200 more I can get the 1911 A1 Full size that has a better feeling adjustable trigger, Novak sights, a better dovetail out back, nicer grips, skeleton hammer, front serrations and an ambidextrous safety. Felt a lot better in my hands so I got it. So much for my "budget"

I got a bore snake for it and some new cleaners and oil and a couple of cheap boxes of winchester target ammo.

Any recommendations for good defensive and target ammo?

Accessories that are a must have for a 1911 owner?

Best after market mags? Are there ANY 10 rnd mags for this pistol?

What are the oiling points for a 1911? I didn't see it in the manual so I oiled the whole thing pretty well. Any specific areas need more attention?

Thanks a ton!

 

[45R]

Wilson makes good after market magazines for 1911s, 7, 8 and 10 rounders.

Oil parts of the gun that show shiny spots. I usually put one drop on each rail and all parts were metal rubs metal.

Accessories would be a good screw driver, and a bushing wrench.

Ammo. Winchester SXTs and Speer Gold Dots work well for HD.

And oh BTW have fun with your new 1911!!!!!

 

[George S.]

Congrats on a good .45!! I have a SA Loaded model and I really enjoy it. While it's not real picky on ammo, I would stay away from Wolf as it has a laquered finish and steel cases. I shoot mostly Winchester White Box from Wally World or S&B both in 230gr FMJ for target and plinking. Just got into reloading and I hope that will bring the costs down!!

For defensive use, I have Remington Golden Saber 230gr JHP. If you intend to use your 1911 for carry or home defense, I suggest you shoot at least 200 rounds of each type of ammo you are considering. I tried Federal Hydra-Shok and got too many hiccups with it. No problems at all with Remington. I recall reading that the GS bullet is shaped more like a traditional ball round than the Hydra-Shok. Cor-Bon is also a good ammo as is the stuff from Pro-Load in Idaho. They have a good line of ammo using Gold Dot bullets.

All 6 of my mags are the standard Springfield mags. My pistol came with a coupon that got me a really good discount on them. Wilson Combat is a good brand but they usually run around $25 per. Use the 7-round versions to insure good feeding. I've heard stories of 8-round mags having problems with feeding the last round.

BTW, if you want some good internet prices for ammo, check out Outdoor Marksman in Salem. http://www.outdoormarksman.com/

There is lots of good information over on the 1911 Forum regarding what extras you should have and the care and feeding of 1911's: http://www.1911forum.com/forums/ There is even a specific section devoted to different 1911 brands and SA is included.

 

[Quintin Likely]

My 5" blued Springfield Loaded isn't exactly the epitomy of reliability...guess I got spoiled by Glocks and Sigs. I'm pretty sure the extractor tension on mine is out of whack; ejection is getting worse and worse day by day, getting more that are popping me in the head. First time out with it, it'd throw empties with authority off to my right rear. This is only about 300 rounds in, BTW. Previously, I had a straggler with the last round of a JHP locking the slide back and laying on the follower of the magazine. Now it's starting to do it with ball ammo, not as often as with a JHP, but it still does it and it kinda irks me. Don't matter what hollowpoint it is, don't really matter what brand of ball it is. I also get double feeds from time to time. I'm still undecided as to what to do. Try and fix it myself, let the local gunsmith tinker with it, send it back to Springfield, shoot it some more and see what happens? I dunno. Maybe I should have bought a NRM Colt.

Your mileage, of course, may vary.

-Quintin

 

[wally]

Get a milspec spring steel extractor. 5 minute replacement. I think Cylinder and Slide still makes 'em if you can't find GI surplus. My Kimber Ultra Carry came with a crappy extractor too :-(

Might be wise to try a different mag as well.

I've had no troubles with Wolf (other than the occasional dud) in 45ACP, 40 S&W, or 9mm, but their .380 seems to have too much case adhesion for blowback guns to extract reliably. I've been shooting lots of Wolf lately because where I've been shooting yeilds very low brass recovery -- weeds are too high, not scrounging for brass after shootin is a pleasure!

$9.99 Chip McCormick 8 round Tacticals and $7.99 Mec-gar 8 rounders (both from www.cdnninvestments.com) have worked well for me (in half a dozen different 1911s). I did radius the point on the bottom of the McCormick follower to match the contour of the 8 round Colt's that I have after hearing reports of them chewing up alloy frames.

I'd actually prefer the Mec-gar were it not for the goofy floor plate. I like a mag flush with the bottom of the gun and don't really trust plastic here.

--wally.

 

[Sean Smith]

guess I got spoiled by Glocks and Sigs.

No, you got a bad Springfield. Send it back and make them fix it; plenty of Glock owners have had to do the same. In fact, I don't recall Springfield ever having to do a recall for defective frames.

 

[McNutt]

I have four 8-round magazines. Three are Wilson and one is a Chip McCormick Powermag. All are excellent, but cost around $30.

I don't think you can beat the Winchester white box for range ammo. It's $20 for 100 rounds at Wal-Mart. For defense I use Remington Golden Sabre. Haven't had a single problem with it.

 

[1911Tuner]

Escaped Round

A308Winchester said:


Previously, I had a straggler with the last round of a JHP locking the slide back and laying on the follower of the magazine. Now it's starting to do it with ball ammo, not as often as with a JHP, but it still does it and it kinda irks me.

Without knowing, I'm betting that you're using 8-round magazines that
don't have a dimple on the followers. It will get worse as the spring gets
weaker. Some of'em even do a neat little trick. The NEXT to last round
gets ejected outta the port, and the last round feeds just like it was designed to do that or somethin'. Found any live rounds among your brass?

Get a good extractor...Brown hardcore or Wilson Bulletproof. C&S has
had some out of spec recently...Tune it right and forget it. Get some
Metalform magazines...7 round with a flat follower. Get a copy of
Ken Hallock's little book and use the template to set the follower angle.
Metalform magazines are about 9 bucks a copy if you order 50 or more.
Get 5 friends together for a group buy. Tell them that you want to upgrade
to the Wolff mag springs...Well worth the extra cost. Do these things and
kiss your reliability issues goodbye.


Cheers!
Tuner

 

[schadenfreude]

I went to the range with it last night and sent 200 rounds through it. It was a blast. (pun intended)

Things that bugged me,

I have gotten so used to the rubber grip sleeves on my glock and beretta and the rubber wrap around grips on my ruger mkII. The 1911 grips were sharp and uncomfortable.

The cocking serrations were sharp and cut into my thumb.

I dont think I like the full length guide rod. I like the way the milspec broke down easier. Can I put the original style guide rod in it?

Over all the pistol felt too tight, like it needs a thousand rounds through it to loosen everything up. Accuracy wasn't a problem, I shot it better than my beretta.

 

[1911Tuner]

Havin' a Blast

He said:

I dont think I like the full length guide rod. I like the way the milspec broke down easier. Can I put the original style guide rod in it?

Yep. It's a drop-in swap.
------------------------------------------

Over all the pistol felt too tight, like it needs a thousand rounds through it to loosen everything up.

Notta problem. Get a small bottle of CLP Breakfree and a small tub of
Original J&B Bore Cleaner. Mix it together in a suitable cup until you
get a slurry that will just sag, but not drip off the end of a screwdriver.

Coat the rails, locking lugs, lower lug and link, and the ID of the barrel bushing. Put a little on the barrel back at the sides of the chamber area. Leave the recoil spring, plug, and guide out of the gun. Put a light smear on the disconnector/cocking rail, too. (The center rail in the slide)

Hand-cycle it about 150-200 times. Rinse the slurry out of the gun with
some Gunk Carb medic. Be careful to keep it out of the innards. Put two drops of oil in each frame rail and work the slide a few times to distribute it. A drop in each lug recess in the slide, and a few drops on the lower lug and link. Put a drop on the disconnector rail. Cock the hammer and put 2-3 drops between the hammer and frame...right on the curved part of the hammer. Cycle the gun and dry-fire it a few times. Put one drop around the top of the disconnect, too.

Bingo. Slide will feel like it's running on buttered glass. Smoother and
NOT tight. This won't cause any looseness or accelerated wear. It's not
gritty, and it won't harm your pistol in any way.

Best thing to learn is how to detail strip the gun. Very easy, and after just
a little pracice, it can be completely stripped in less than 2 minutes.

Luck to ya!

Tuner

 

[schadenfreude]

Where would I order the other style spring and rod? Any adverse affects of me going with the non full length rod?

Do you know anywhere that has a complete exploded view of a 1911? I would like to learn a little more about them.



Any recommendations on grips?


Thanks for all the helpful info

 

[1911Tuner]

More Info

Where would I order the other style spring and rod? Any adverse affects of me going with the non full length rod?

Brownells has them. The Ed Brown set is very nice...About 22 bucks for
the rod and plug, plus shipping. No adverse effects at all. Just make sure
that the guide rod head doesn't make contact with anything except the
frame abutment and the slide's impact surface. It will likley be a drop-in swap.
---------------------------------------

Do you know anywhere that has a complete exploded view of a 1911? I would like to learn a little more about them.

The link below isn't an exploded diagram, but it's very good. Let the
pictures have a few minutes to download.

I posted a thread on the gunsmithing section on detail-stripping the pistol.
Most who give it a shot are amazed at how simple it is to do. After a little
practice, you should be able to completely strip and reassemble one in
5 minutes, though the Springfield's ILS system may slow things down a bit.

http://www.m1911.org/locking.htm

Luck to ya...and you're mighty welcome.

Tuner

 

[Mil Novecientos Once]

schadenfreude

Use the loaded coupon and buy ten of the 7 rdns mags listed there. Those are Metalform and they are among the best mags ot there. Here is a list of web sites that every 1911 owner must visit:

http://www.1911forum.com/forums/index.php?s=

http://usgi1911.tripod.com/index.html

http://www.sightm1911.com/

http://www.m1911.org/m1911dt.htm

Regarding ammo selection any brass cased 230grn FMJ will do the job. OTOH if you may use the 1911 as a CCW pay a visit to this site:
http://www.firearmstactical.com./tactical.htm These folks have lots of info regarding the use of self defense ammo. Make sure you read

 

[Majic]

Any recommendations on grips?

Just about every maker has grips for a 1911. There are more styles, more different materials used, more configurations to boggle the mind.
You can look at Hogues, Eagles, Ajaxs, the various pistol manufactors, Brownells, and on and on................. .
Open a browser and do a search on 1911 grips.

 

[schadenfreude]

*Update*

I ended up going through the procedure that 1911tuner recommended and it cycles a lot smoother now. Not as smooth as my beretta by a lot smoother than before.

I bought a cheap $15 Hogue grip that's rubber with the wrap around. I like it much better. I handled the Rob Leatham TGO service model with the smooth wood grips yesterday and decided I really like the feel of those so some nice smooth wood grips might be in my future.

I'm getting ready to place an order for some magazines and the standard guide rod through Brownell's. Anyone know if their packaging that they ship says anything about guns or is it more unambiguous?

Thanks

 

[1911Tuner]

Brownells Packaging

Brownells packaging doesn't draw attention to what the contents are.