Officer's ACP story

[Daniel T]

...as Wilson said to replace spring evey 300 rds.

300 rounds? Is that a typo? ...my Colt 1991A1 Compact is only on its second recoil spring. I put roughly 3000 rounds through it on the original set of springs, and about that many on the second with no non-magazine related malfunctions until the original extractor's hook snapped off.

Do I have a magic Officer's-sized 1911?

 

[ken grant]

Typo ????????????????

Nope,not a typo, On Wilson's reverse plug conversion with a FLG rod and 24# spring, they say change springs every 300 rds.

 

[1911Tuner]

Wilson

Although it's pretty well accepted that the shortened springs that go into those shortened pistols need to be changed more often than the 5-inch guns' springs...and the reverse-plug system is even shorter than the original Officer's Models' springs...which would dictate that they be changed even more often, due to the wider spacing between coils...300 rounds is a bit off the scale. (Good way to sell spring sets.)...AND...24 pounds is way yonder too much spring. Clipping a couple of coils off the inner spring brings the total compressed load down to a more reasonable level...maybe in the 22-pound range...which works pretty well in most guns. Going to the small radius on the FP stop takes care of the faster recoil speeds and frame to slide impact nicely. Since puttin' the tweak on Salty's OM From Hell, I don't think he's changed the spring in about a thousand rounds...or maybe I dreamed that number. Can't remember. Salty? What's your round count since you got your blaster runnin'?

 

[ken grant]

recoil spring

The spring on my pistol is a single spring not a dual

 

[saltydog452]

Round count..

Not real sure Tuner. Since I don''t cast my bullets anymore, I buy taylor made ammo from Wal-Mart or Hydra Shock. There was 200 rds sent downrange after the miniblaster made its way back from Rural Hall N.C..About 2-3 hundred rounds from the Walton family. Maybe another 2-3 hundred rounds from Hydra Shock.

For what its worth, I now have custody of #2 sons Detonics since he is off playing in Sadam's sandbox. I ordered a couple of sets of dual recoil springs for his Detonics and the OM. Just replaced them yesterday. Cliped a couple of coils off the smaller recoil spring.

He came home on leave about 4 months ago...just found out last week that I'm gonna be a grandfather again.

About the single recoil spring from Wilson or Wolff, my OM simply ate single recoil springs. The dual springs from Kings Gun Works works mucho longer than the single spring. Maybe Colt knew what they were doing when they installed the dual spring set on this short slide version of the 1911. I dunno, but dual springs works for me. I've been around the block a few times with this paticular OM and have tried just about every combination of aftermarket doo-dads out there. Three things that have worked out very well for me are;
1. Tunerized extractor and EGW firing pin stop...
2. Kings Gun Works dual recoil springs...and
3. Wolff extra power hammer spring.

Now its kinda like the old commercials regarding Timex watches..."It just keeps on ticking''

Of course Tuner also did a little bit of Tarheel Mo-Jo on the lower feet, soaked the barrel and slide assembly overnight in Turbo coffee, and maybe left it in the kennel for a couple of days.

salty.

 

[ken grant]

Salty,I bet Tuner had the very purty Kelie to kiss and bless the O.M.

 

[1911Tuner]

re:

Salty...I did many things to that little Colt, but I ain't tellin' Ken what part Kelie played in it. Lowered the barrel in the frame bed .003 inch...Took another .003 off the bottom radius of the barrel to get it out of the hard stem bind. Replaced the link, since the one in it was way too short, and causing part of your early unlock/gas out the breech problems...Had to cut the lower lug feet back about .010 inch to spec...AND install the FP stop to finally get the tadpole tails off the primers. The barrel was starting to unlock almost the instant it fired. It's a wonder that you didn't blow a few case heads.

I only left it in the room with the dogs for an hour. No sense in overkill. Used coffee to clean the bore fouling...Took two swipes and it looked like new.


One spring huh? Okay...Don't clip it. Bring the little demon with ya when ya'll come. Me fix chop-chop. FWIW...I've come to the conclusion that the King's recoil system goes a long way toward reliability in the shorties. It requires that the slide be cut for the reverse plug, but it's a good system that seems to work well in the half-dozen or so that I've seen.

One note, in case anyone decides to try it...Unlike a Commander, you can NOT cut a standard GM-length recoil spring down to work in Officer's Models or Defenders, regardless of the recoil system...but especially with the reverse-plug setup...even if you cut the spring to the same number of coils.
The spacing between coils in the short springs is different than the standard springs. Same number of coils will result in the spring going to free length before the gun gets to battery, or hard coil bind if you leave the spring long enough to go to battery. Coil bind has destroyed slides...

 

[Old Fuff]

The "Old Fuff cure" involves his custom extra-long reverse recoil spring plug combined with a regular 16 pound spring, but so far nobody's gone for it ...

Edited to add: And you can mount a flashlight on it too ...

 

[ken grant]

slipping in

When I go see Tuner,I am going to take several 1911's and also slip in a Glock

 

[Jim Watson]

My guy likes the ISMI recoil spring set for OACP.
It has a reverse plug, skinny FLGR, and a flat wire recoil spring similar to Glock. In fact my FLG was handmaking them and using Glock springs clipped to the maximum number of turns that would fit the space before ISMI came out with theirs. It puts a lot of spring steel into the space available without risk of coax springs clashing.

 

[1911Tuner]

GlockGlockGlockGLock

Sounds kinda like chicken cluckin'...Don't it?

Good tip from Jim Watson. Thanks Jim!

Ken, I gotta warn ya...If you bring a Glock into the house, I can't guarantee your safety. The dogs go bonkers when they smell tupperware, and they may attack.

Speakin' of which...One of my boys...brother to the other two, and son of Sassy and Galahad... is comin' home. The people who adopted him almost 5 years ago are in crisis and can't keep him any more...so I told'em to bring him back. His name is Elvis J. (for Jackson) Dawg. Haven't seen him in two years, since our last visit up there and I'm kinda anxious for him to get back.

 

[ken grant]

Problems

Dawgs have fleas,pool water is green and Sandra has a hurt back.
Between working on the pool,treating dawgs,spraying yard and her groaning, things are smooth here.

Tuner, Hook Boutin is to M-1's and M-14's as you are to 1911's. He really knows his stuff. There is a lot about him on the WWW.

 

[1911Tuner]

Hook

Now I remember!

Many moons ago, whilst on one of my frequent excursions to Virginia Beach...
(Some people claim that there's a woman to blame.) I met none other than the White Feather Sniper, Master Gunnery Sergeant, Carlos Hathcock...
in a grocery store, of all places. I recognized him, nodded and said:
"Mornin' Gunny." He grinned and just lit into talkin' like he'd known me for years. The talk went to rifles, and he tossed Boutin's name into the conversation at some point. He was starting to show the signs of the
disease that ultimately killed him, but hadn't gotten him too far down at that point. He mentioned that he was sick, and likely wouldn't get well. The next time I saw him, he was in a wheelchair, but he remembered our talk in the parking lot that day. He died less than a year later. Another one of America's best has gone home.

Semper Fi, Sergeant Hathcock...

 

[ajax]

Tuner i have to say your a lucky guy to have had a chance to talk to a Legend. I cant think of anyone who i would have liked to kill time with (no pun intended) talking about firearms. It would be Carlos Hathcock!! May he rest in peace.

 

[Delmar]

+1 on the Kings reverse plug conversion. Either take it to a gunsmith or have a lot of patience with a file and it will work out just fine. A hand fitted bushing doesn't hurt, either. I did have to file on the outside a bit in order to do away with the bushing wrench. I like the parts to be touching, but dang, was that tight!
I use the dual spring setup with the flgr and easily get a few thousand rounds between changes.