1911Tuner
Moderator Emeritus
As promised...FInally!
Parts magnaflux tested were:
Slidestop Recoil guide rod Hammer Hammer strut Sear Disconnect Firing pin stop Hammer and sear pins Mainspring housing pin Magazine catch
Slide Frame Grip safety Thumb safety Barrel.
The slide showed light stress risers in sharply machined corners at the
junction of the rails and plug housing. No fracturing was iminent. The breechface showed light, spiderwebbed stress risers in the corners. No fracturing was iminent
The frame showed light stress risers at the junction of the dust cover and
frame rail on the right side. No fracturing was iminent.
The firing pin stop showed stress risers in sharp corners and possibly the
beginning of a light fracture in the edge of the firing pin hole at 8 O'Clock.
Light, spiderwebbed stress risers were noted in various areas, due to hammer impact. No other fracturing was noted.
The Hammer showed light spiderwebbed stress risers at the radiused
underside of the spur. No fracturing was iminent
The sear showed a stress riser that ran diagonally from the top to the
left side. The riser was contained without running to either edge. Fracturing possible within 2500-5000 additional rounds, and probable
within 10,000 additional rounds.
The disconnect showed no signs of iminent fracturing or wear. Light
stress risers were noted in the corners at the top of the paddle at the
junction of the stem.
The recoil spring guide rod head showed spiderwebbed stress risers
throughout. Fracturing not iminent within 10,000 rounds.
The hammer strut showed light stress risers that ran longitudinally
from the pin hole to the middle, and from the tip to a point just below the
flat.. Fracturing probable within an additional 5000-10,000 rounds
The slidestop pin showed longitudinal stress risers and a light fracture that didn't terminate. No fracturing was indicated at the junction of pin and arm. Light stress risers were noted in the backside of the engagement lug, likely due to impact during the slidelock function. No fracturing was
iminent.
Light stress risers were apparent at the front and rear of the lower lug and barrel junction. No fracturing was iminent. Upper lugs showed light
stress risers in the corners at the junction of lug and barrel on the
number 2 and 3 lugs. No fracturing iminent.
The grip safety showed light stress risers in sharp corners. No others
were noted and no fracturing was indicated.
The thumb safety showed light stress risers in the corners. No fracturing
was indicated.
Hammer and sear pins showed light stress risers on the flared ends. No
fracturing indicated
Mainspring housing pin showed light stress risers in the groove. No
fracturing indicated.
The magazine catch showed light stress risers throughout with no fracturing iminent anywhere.
Note:
The presence of stress risers in corners and sharp terminal points are normal and present in all sharp corners after stress loads are appled to
steel. If a crack is going to appear, these are the areas that they will
show up first.
The longitudinal stress risers and light fracturing of the slidestop crosspin
is indication of a void or flaw in the casting. A longitudinal fracture here isn't likely to cause a problem by itself, but it the fracturing begins to
travel perpendicularly to the original crack, failure can occur.
The diagonal stress riser in the sear would likely result in a failure. This
was likely due to a void or flaw in the part during the injection molding
process.
The titanium firing pin was not tested due to being non-ferrous and not
responsive to the magnaflux process.
The barrel bushing was not tested due to early replacement. Looseness in the slide dictated that it be replaced to prevent possible damage to the lug recess in the slide. The replacement bushing was an MGW drop-in.
The slide's bore diameter was close enough to require light lapping of the
bushing. A slight improvement in accuracy was noted due to the bushing's
fit in the slide and to the barrel's OD.
Final assessment:
The GI Mil-Spec is a very good bargain, and shows much promise...but
still not quite up to snuff on the small parts issue. There are good steel
parts available on the aftermarket at reasonable and competitive prices, especially when ordered in bulk. Springfield could upgrade this pistol and keep the costs low enough to make it attractive to the buying public. For about 500 dollars, the gun could challenge the Norinco for durability. I'd guess that if the Norinco was still available, the price would be very close to that figure today. (The overall first impression of this pistol was that it was a much more nicely fitted and finished gun than the average Norinco.) For that matter...so could Colt, and the boys in Connecticut could take a lesson from Springfield on fitting the slide and frame to acceptable specs.
Luck!
Tuner
Parts magnaflux tested were:
Slidestop Recoil guide rod Hammer Hammer strut Sear Disconnect Firing pin stop Hammer and sear pins Mainspring housing pin Magazine catch
Slide Frame Grip safety Thumb safety Barrel.
The slide showed light stress risers in sharply machined corners at the
junction of the rails and plug housing. No fracturing was iminent. The breechface showed light, spiderwebbed stress risers in the corners. No fracturing was iminent
The frame showed light stress risers at the junction of the dust cover and
frame rail on the right side. No fracturing was iminent.
The firing pin stop showed stress risers in sharp corners and possibly the
beginning of a light fracture in the edge of the firing pin hole at 8 O'Clock.
Light, spiderwebbed stress risers were noted in various areas, due to hammer impact. No other fracturing was noted.
The Hammer showed light spiderwebbed stress risers at the radiused
underside of the spur. No fracturing was iminent
The sear showed a stress riser that ran diagonally from the top to the
left side. The riser was contained without running to either edge. Fracturing possible within 2500-5000 additional rounds, and probable
within 10,000 additional rounds.
The disconnect showed no signs of iminent fracturing or wear. Light
stress risers were noted in the corners at the top of the paddle at the
junction of the stem.
The recoil spring guide rod head showed spiderwebbed stress risers
throughout. Fracturing not iminent within 10,000 rounds.
The hammer strut showed light stress risers that ran longitudinally
from the pin hole to the middle, and from the tip to a point just below the
flat.. Fracturing probable within an additional 5000-10,000 rounds
The slidestop pin showed longitudinal stress risers and a light fracture that didn't terminate. No fracturing was indicated at the junction of pin and arm. Light stress risers were noted in the backside of the engagement lug, likely due to impact during the slidelock function. No fracturing was
iminent.
Light stress risers were apparent at the front and rear of the lower lug and barrel junction. No fracturing was iminent. Upper lugs showed light
stress risers in the corners at the junction of lug and barrel on the
number 2 and 3 lugs. No fracturing iminent.
The grip safety showed light stress risers in sharp corners. No others
were noted and no fracturing was indicated.
The thumb safety showed light stress risers in the corners. No fracturing
was indicated.
Hammer and sear pins showed light stress risers on the flared ends. No
fracturing indicated
Mainspring housing pin showed light stress risers in the groove. No
fracturing indicated.
The magazine catch showed light stress risers throughout with no fracturing iminent anywhere.
Note:
The presence of stress risers in corners and sharp terminal points are normal and present in all sharp corners after stress loads are appled to
steel. If a crack is going to appear, these are the areas that they will
show up first.
The longitudinal stress risers and light fracturing of the slidestop crosspin
is indication of a void or flaw in the casting. A longitudinal fracture here isn't likely to cause a problem by itself, but it the fracturing begins to
travel perpendicularly to the original crack, failure can occur.
The diagonal stress riser in the sear would likely result in a failure. This
was likely due to a void or flaw in the part during the injection molding
process.
The titanium firing pin was not tested due to being non-ferrous and not
responsive to the magnaflux process.
The barrel bushing was not tested due to early replacement. Looseness in the slide dictated that it be replaced to prevent possible damage to the lug recess in the slide. The replacement bushing was an MGW drop-in.
The slide's bore diameter was close enough to require light lapping of the
bushing. A slight improvement in accuracy was noted due to the bushing's
fit in the slide and to the barrel's OD.
Final assessment:
The GI Mil-Spec is a very good bargain, and shows much promise...but
still not quite up to snuff on the small parts issue. There are good steel
parts available on the aftermarket at reasonable and competitive prices, especially when ordered in bulk. Springfield could upgrade this pistol and keep the costs low enough to make it attractive to the buying public. For about 500 dollars, the gun could challenge the Norinco for durability. I'd guess that if the Norinco was still available, the price would be very close to that figure today. (The overall first impression of this pistol was that it was a much more nicely fitted and finished gun than the average Norinco.) For that matter...so could Colt, and the boys in Connecticut could take a lesson from Springfield on fitting the slide and frame to acceptable specs.
Luck!
Tuner
