1911Tuner
Moderator Emeritus
The upgrading of the GI Mil-Spec Springfield was something that I wanted to do in order to enhance the reliability of the pistol over the long-term. Some of it was probably not necesary, because the parts that I've replaced were durable enough to stand up to my attempt to cause them to fail, but I wanted to do it anyway because...well...ya usually can't tell when a MIM or investment cast part will fail until it does.
The parts in the upgrade are:
A steel grip safety and hammer from a 1966-era Colt (Thanks Tamara!) A recent-production Colt hammer strut and pin, along with Colt hammer
and sear pins were installed. (Still anxiously awaiting the GI thumb safety.
It should be here any day now. Thanks again Tamara!)
A Cylinder & Slide spring steel extractor, generously donated by andrew 17.(Thanks Andy!) The extractor required a little tweakin' and tunin' to set it right...which voided the warranty
but so be it. It's there, and it works. I installed a GI firing pin stop, an Ed Brown Firing Pin, and a Nowlin firing pin spring.
A Wilson Bulletproof slide stop with a slight recontouring of the small shelf on the backside...which is there to prevent premature slidelock, but works a little too well, and I had to tune it to allow the stop to lock the slide reliably. The Brown Hardcore slidestop is a casting, and although it's a very good casting...I wanted machined barstock. The difference in price was small...so why not? I opted for the Wilson over the machined Colt
stop mainly because the Wilson's pin diameter is at the high end of the
spec tolerance at .199 inch as opposed to Colt's diameter of .195 and provides a little better vertical lockup.
A GI recoil spring guide was installed, and the link pin was replaced with a Wilson part. I wasn't able to determine what the material was in the OEM pin, and wasn't willing to risk it.
Recoil and mainsprings springs were replaced with Wolff ...14 pound rating for the recoil spring, and 23 pounds on the mainspring. I used a new Colt sear spring and plunger springs and pins. I also used a Colt recoil spring plug
The bushing is an MGW drop-in that is a MUCH better fit to the slide, and closed up the bushing to barrel clearance by .002 inch.
I installed a Brown ejector and lowered the port a little more. Again, I couldn't tell what the OEM ejector was made of, so it went to the spare parts drawer.
A Smith & Alexander flat, checkered mainspring housing without a lanyard loop...which may be swapped out for one WITH a loop...Not decided just yet.
I installed a long King's trigger in the gun early on....Just can't live with a short trigger with these Orangutan hands. I'll install a long steel Colt pre-1911A1 trigger as soon as I CAN FIND ONE...Fuff...FUFF?
Still hoping to arrange for a magnaflux check of the original parts to see if there's any indication of impending failure(s)
I still have about 800 rounds to go in the slated 5,000 round marathon, and I'll likely finish it up with various insundry ammunition brands and lots. There's probably no real point, since I'm pretty well convinced that the gun is a solid performer and promises to give Colt a run for its money in this particular segment of the market, but I like to shoot it...Soooo
Cheers all!
Tuner
The parts in the upgrade are:
A steel grip safety and hammer from a 1966-era Colt (Thanks Tamara!) A recent-production Colt hammer strut and pin, along with Colt hammer
and sear pins were installed. (Still anxiously awaiting the GI thumb safety.
It should be here any day now. Thanks again Tamara!)
A Cylinder & Slide spring steel extractor, generously donated by andrew 17.(Thanks Andy!) The extractor required a little tweakin' and tunin' to set it right...which voided the warranty
but so be it. It's there, and it works. I installed a GI firing pin stop, an Ed Brown Firing Pin, and a Nowlin firing pin spring.A Wilson Bulletproof slide stop with a slight recontouring of the small shelf on the backside...which is there to prevent premature slidelock, but works a little too well, and I had to tune it to allow the stop to lock the slide reliably. The Brown Hardcore slidestop is a casting, and although it's a very good casting...I wanted machined barstock. The difference in price was small...so why not? I opted for the Wilson over the machined Colt
stop mainly because the Wilson's pin diameter is at the high end of the
spec tolerance at .199 inch as opposed to Colt's diameter of .195 and provides a little better vertical lockup.
A GI recoil spring guide was installed, and the link pin was replaced with a Wilson part. I wasn't able to determine what the material was in the OEM pin, and wasn't willing to risk it.
Recoil and mainsprings springs were replaced with Wolff ...14 pound rating for the recoil spring, and 23 pounds on the mainspring. I used a new Colt sear spring and plunger springs and pins. I also used a Colt recoil spring plug
The bushing is an MGW drop-in that is a MUCH better fit to the slide, and closed up the bushing to barrel clearance by .002 inch.
I installed a Brown ejector and lowered the port a little more. Again, I couldn't tell what the OEM ejector was made of, so it went to the spare parts drawer.
A Smith & Alexander flat, checkered mainspring housing without a lanyard loop...which may be swapped out for one WITH a loop...Not decided just yet.
I installed a long King's trigger in the gun early on....Just can't live with a short trigger with these Orangutan hands. I'll install a long steel Colt pre-1911A1 trigger as soon as I CAN FIND ONE...Fuff...FUFF?
Still hoping to arrange for a magnaflux check of the original parts to see if there's any indication of impending failure(s)
I still have about 800 rounds to go in the slated 5,000 round marathon, and I'll likely finish it up with various insundry ammunition brands and lots. There's probably no real point, since I'm pretty well convinced that the gun is a solid performer and promises to give Colt a run for its money in this particular segment of the market, but I like to shoot it...Soooo
Cheers all!
Tuner
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