need tips on upgrading a mil-spec 1911
Greetings all,
I have a mil-spec 1911 .45 and have thought about tweaking it a bit. I am not much of a pistol guy so forgive me if this question is pretty basic. But i want to know what would be some of the first, and most important things, that you would recommend doing to a mil-spec to increase its accuracy and functioning if i were to use this as a carry gun. How could I begin to make it more dependable, not that i have ever had a problem with its dependability anyway. but I have heard they will not always cycle hot hollow point ammo well. I have not seen this yet but of course it is a concern.
Again, any tips are appreciated. I am open to any suggestions but only have about $200-300 I am willing to put into the gun. Thanks
I have a mil-spec 1911 .45 and have thought about tweaking it a bit. I am not much of a pistol guy so forgive me if this question is pretty basic. But i want to know what would be some of the first, and most important things, that you would recommend doing to a mil-spec to increase its accuracy and functioning if i were to use this as a carry gun. How could I begin to make it more dependable, not that i have ever had a problem with its dependability anyway. but I have heard they will not always cycle hot hollow point ammo well. I have not seen this yet but of course it is a concern.
Again, any tips are appreciated. I am open to any suggestions but only have about $200-300 I am willing to put into the gun. Thanks
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Hello and welcome to this forum. I am an older Match shooter NRA bulls-eye . I need a gun that will shoot great groups and 100% function so my opinions will most likely be different then many others . Modifying guns are like modifying CARS there are two schools. one is looks and the other is function. I am of the school of CHROME DON"T GET YOU HOME . do not belive in all the do dads that will make a 1911 look COOL I don't need or like extended slide stop and safety / one piece guide rod / beavertail grip safety / recoil buffers / laser grips / night sights / . I do install good Adjustable sights I also install or have a pistolsmith install and fit a match grade barrel this includes polish to the feed ramp "a job poorly done will cause an unsafe pistol and more function problems then you started with . However IMHO the most important thing you can do is a good TRIGGER JOB with a trigger with adjustable over- travel screw. again there are many parts in the fire control system of a 1911 that have to work together to make a good SAFE trigger pull. Hope this helps "PRAISE THE HARD-BALL GUN" 0 -
The first thing I would do is go out and buy a Kimber Pro Carry, lightweight frame, better sights, much easier to pack around and all the accuracy you could hope for. Carrying a full size, steel frame 1911 is not easy, especially in warm weather months. If you want a carry gun...buy a carry gun. 0 -
Spend $50 on extra mags, spend $100 on a few boxes of different defense oriented ammo. Shoot at least a box of each. If you like a particular round, and your gun can eat 100 rounds of it with no stoppages, you are done. 0 -
Jeff Cooper said a pistol needed sights you can see, a trigger you can control, and removal of any sharp corners that make handling it uncomfortable. He took reliability for granted, but these days that may not be a safe assumption. Shoot with what you will carry. If it is not fully reliable, shoot hardball or consult a specialist gunsmith.
I think the Springfield Mil-Spec has acceptable sights, a trigger adjustment to perhaps four pounds will not cost much, and a mild dehorning is not a huge project.0 -
quote:Originally posted by magyarorszag
Greetings all,
I have a mil-spec 1911 .45 and have thought about tweaking it a bit. I am not much of a pistol guy so forgive me if this question is pretty basic. But i want to know what would be some of the first, and most important things, that you would recommend doing to a mil-spec to increase its accuracy and functioning if i were to use this as a carry gun. How could I begin to make it more dependable, not that i have ever had a problem with its dependability anyway. but I have heard they will not always cycle hot hollow point ammo well. I have not seen this yet but of course it is a concern.
Again, any tips are appreciated. I am open to any suggestions but only have about $200-300 I am willing to put into the gun. Thanks
Have you ever actually tried to carry a full steel 1911 around with you concealed all day long? The thing literally weights 2.5 lbs. All the more power to you, if you can hide that half-a-brick on your person and carry it all day. . .I can't do it.
I say if you've got the $300 to spend, use it buy yourself a nice .38 snubnose revolver that you're actually going to carry!
If you want a direct answer, its a pretty complicated question, and good advice has been already given.
My bottom line is spend your $300 on (in this order):
-A *GOOD* CCW holster.
-Reliable "personal protection" ammunition, and
-Better sights. (Night sights are a viable option).
-*Maybe* fingergroove grips *IF* they improve your grip.
On other issues:
If you want to use it as a carry gun, its probably ALREADY accurate enough (eg out of the box). The problem with 1911s (as with most semi-autos) is that there is a compromise between reliability and accuracy. If you tighten the tolerances to get better accuracy, you are also going to make the gun more susceptible to dirt and jamming.
In a DEFENSE gun, reliability is *FAR* more important than accuracy. If your gun can shoot a 4-5" group at 25 yards (and they pretty much all can do that), then its MORE than accurate enough for any likely defensive scenario. Most self-defense shootings occur at distances under 20 feet. Remember, there is a name for a civilian "defensive" shooting that occurs at 25+ yards. . ."murder".
Next issue is dependability. You've already answered the question. You said your gun has never failed you. So why "fix" what ain't broke? All you have to do is make sure that your gun is 100% reliable WITH THE AMMO YOU INTEND TO CARRY (whatever it is) by firing a few boxes of it, and you're good to go. I haven't tried it and its pretty expensive, but supposedly the Corbon "Pow-r-ball" ammo runs though virtually any gun.
If your gun is NOT reliable with your chosen ammo, then either choose a different type of ammo (vastly preferred), or THEN maybe consider modifications to increase reliability.
Next issue, trigger. If your trigger is 6 pounds or less, and has any kind of reasonable break (ie its not super gritty, or "catchy") I say LEAVE IT ALONE. 6 lbs may be heavy for shooting bulleyes. . .but are you shooting bulleyes? In a service-type gun, a 6-lb trigger is actually mil-spec and its a reasonable compromise between a light break and a "too light" break that can promote negligent or "startle" discharge. (Yes, you're not supposed to put your finger on the trigger until you're about to shoot, but the reality is that people don't always follow all the safety rules, especially when under life-threatening stress).
Extended safety? FORGET IT. Its only going to cause you to be more likely to accidentally engage the safety when you need it (or disengage it when you don't).
Extended mag release? FORGET IT (see above).
Extended slide stop? FORGET IT (see above).
Recoil buffer? FORGET IT. Just another part to break and jam up your gun in a crisis.
Guide rod? Gun runs fine without it. . .forget it.
Match barrel? Are you shooting matches? No? FORGET IT (eg see bit about accuracy above).
Extended beavertail/grip safety? **ONLY** if your particular grip doesn't reliably engage the grip safety. Otherwise forget it.
Combat hammer? Only if you have problems with snagging.
Dehorning? (IE getting rid of sharp edges). This is reasonable, but only to the extent that the edges are irritating or catch on things. If you have a good holster, that may eliminate the need for this.0 -
"I am not much of a pistol guy"
Background info helps us a lot. Reads like you are a low-time shooter. Also reads you are tight-budgeted (who isn't?)
Don't touch the gun. As a beginner, the pistol will be more accurate than you are, at least for a long, long time.
Simply buy a complete box of as many major brands of full-weight (230gr) defense loads you can get your hands on. Discard the brands that cause feeding problems, and concentrate on the brands that ran at least one boxful through with no jams/cycling problems.
I'm stressing full-weighted bullets, because you don't want to have a malfunction caused by a lightweight bullet, when the gun itself is not at fault. The gun came from the factory with a spring tuned for the 230gr bullet.
Oh, I almost forgot..are you a tinkerer? Did you take your car and install alterations, add-ons, mods whatever? When it comes to your newly purchased gun, best to stifle the urge to mess with it. (Assuming you are a tinkerer)[:D] Best, Joe0 -
Hello Mag,
I'd say, given your stated desires, purpose, and budget for now, that reliability/functioning would come first. More so with the hollow-points mentioned. Nothing destroys confidence when busy wondering, "Is this thing gonna go bang?"
Then address the accuracy secondly, especially if the pistol shoots truer than the shooter. I say that as your mentioning of not being much a pistol guy, for practice, practice, practice may surprize you and show that the accuracy already is good-to-go for a defense tool as you develope your skill. Then add quality sights for faster alignment/target acqusition/site picture. (Too many variables to start which sights are "best"... but come back when you get to that point).
That said, only two items to add to the already posted sound advice... a top-notch set of springs,(Wolff comes to mind, though there may be others to recommend), which will also aid in the accuracy department. And magazines. I've had "Name brand" ones not be 100% and new-in-the-wrapper GI surplus work without a hitch. Experiment is the word for what your .45 likes to feed through.
While not knowing your abilities to do the work yourself, Mag, and as your .45 will be for life defense as opposed to a do-it-yourself plinker project, have a high qualified gunsmith do the changes.
Lastly, "mil-spec 1911" description opens the flood gates! Lots a difference between a shot-out barrel-rattling military plain-jane .45 that would need major overhauling, (read: $$$), and a newer, good name-brand copy, as the Springfield Armory Mil-Spec Model mentioned by Hawk. So, make a list of priorites, talk to a qualified 'smith--- get prices, search/study to know which parts you want, proceed. Questions arise, you know where to come to!
Hope this helps,
45er0 -
Thanks all for the sound advice. Seems to pretty much go along with what i was thinking. i dont want to fix what doesnt need it but I think i will at least shoot for adding some decent sights. Any suggestions as to brand? What could i install myself or would that not be a good idea? I have heard the name Novak bandied around a bit.
I am a gun builder myself, but black powder rifles, not auto-pistols. I am sure a lot I can do but I will definitely look for a good gunsmith around here.0 -
quote:Originally posted by magyarorszag
Thanks all for the sound advice. Seems to pretty much go along with what i was thinking. i dont want to fix what doesnt need it but I think i will at least shoot for adding some decent sights. Any suggestions as to brand? What could i install myself or would that not be a good idea? I have heard the name Novak bandied around a bit.
The true "milspec" (ie original) 1911 sights are pretty lousy, so if yours has those, swapping them is a good idea.
Novak sights are quite good, and they'd certainly do the trick if you like them. They come standard (or used to) on the Smith and Wesson combat auto pistols, for example.
There are a number of good sights on the market; like many things a lot of this comes down to personal preference.
What kind of sight picture do you like? Do you like dots? (Some love them. . .some hate them). Do you like something else (eg the "straight eight", "express" type sights, etc). Want tritium/night sights?
I'd suggest that you stay away from adjustable or target sights on a defensive gun. Those can get knocked out of alignment a little more easily than fixed sights, but more relevant, are often more prone to snagging than dedicated combat sights and tend to be designed for a more precise sight picture at the expense of speed.
Whether or not you can install them yourself depends on your skill level, and the particular gun that you have. Some of the 1911s have staked in front sights, and removing those isn't trivial. But if the sights on the gun you have are dove-tailed in, this is do-able.
Most gunsmiths only charge a nominal amount for installing sights, so that may be more pragmatic.0
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