Posted: 10/28/2012 3:42:52 PM EDT
| What is normally the first thing you customize on your 1911 when bought? Does it have any purpose or just looks good? Please post pics. |
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Me personally:
Trigger length. Self explanatrory. I prefer short triggers Others: Beavertail - allows higher grip and eliminates hammer bite Sights - self explanatory, various combos Grips - looks as well as texture Bushings - choice between standard or thin ( to reduce grip thickness) Extended thumb safety - lets you have a place to rest your thumb Checkering - helps with grip on frontstrap I also prefer just to buy a pistol with most features on it as it will be cheaper than buying a base gun and going crazy with changing this and that |
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Quoted:
Me personally: Trigger length. Self explanatrory. I prefer short triggers Others: Beavertail - allows higher grip and eliminates hammer bite Sights - self explanatory, various combos Grips - looks as well as texture Bushings - choice between standard or thin ( to reduce grip thickness) Extended thumb safety - lets you have a place to rest your thumb Checkering - helps with grip on frontstrap I also prefer just to buy a pistol with most features on it as it will be cheaper than buying a base gun and going crazy with changing this and that Thanks for replying..... I just bought a Colt 1911 rail gun and just wanted to see the what the best options are for fine tuning the gun . |
| Shoot it.....shoot it more....and then shoot it some more......then determine if you need to do anything....you may be pleasantly surprised.......now with that being said a trigger job is where I would start.....just don't fall into the trap of swapping out a bunch of parts..... |
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Quoted:
Shoot it.....shoot it more....and then shoot it some more......then determine if you need to do anything....you may be pleasantly surprised.......now with that being said a trigger job is where I would start.....just don't fall into the trap of swapping out a bunch of parts..... Couldn't agree more. |
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A good rule of thumb is if you don't know why you're changing a part - don't change the part.
As you shoot it more and more, you may or may not find things that you want to change, at which point, you won't need to ask why you're changing a particular part. The Colt Rail Gun you mention in particular is pretty good out of the box, as it comes with most of the "bells and whistles" that most people try to change anyways. Most likely (and this is not meant as a slight to you, just a statistical statement) the gun already shoots better than you do, and is more reliable than you will push it. If there are problems, you'll identify them through the course of firing - and when shooting a new gun you're unfamiliar with, it's always best to test it before you trust it, no matter who made it. In the particular case of the Rail Gun, I would tell you that if I personally got a brand new one: I would change the grips, because I like much more aggressive grip surfaces than they offer from the factory. If it was a stainless model, I would have it refinished in a matte color, or at least bead blasted, because I hate shiny guns unless they're deeply blued, but the Rail Gun is a work horse gun, not a show gun. I would change the mainspring housing to a metal model with a lanyard loop - just personal preference. Many a Colt polymer MSH has worked perfectly fine for years. If I really wanted to "put a shine on it" I might consider night sights, a S&A magwell, and checkering the front strap. These are what I would change because I know what I like out of a 1911, though, because I've shot everything from stock USGI types to high end race guns. You'll do more to add to functionality of the pistol by investing in an X300 and a DG switch for it than any amount of swapping parts at random. ~Augee |
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Quoted:
A good rule of thumb is if you don't know why you're changing a part - don't change the part. As you shoot it more and more, you may or may not find things that you want to change, at which point, you won't need to ask why you're changing a particular part. The Colt Rail Gun you mention in particular is pretty good out of the box, as it comes with most of the "bells and whistles" that most people try to change anyways. Most likely (and this is not meant as a slight to you, just a statistical statement) the gun already shoots better than you do, and is more reliable than you will push it. If there are problems, you'll identify them through the course of firing - and when shooting a new gun you're unfamiliar with, it's always best to test it before you trust it, no matter who made it. In the particular case of the Rail Gun, I would tell you that if I personally got a brand new one: I would change the grips, because I like much more aggressive grip surfaces than they offer from the factory. If it was a stainless model, I would have it refinished in a matte color, or at least bead blasted, because I hate shiny guns unless they're deeply blued, but the Rail Gun is a work horse gun, not a show gun. I would change the mainspring housing to a metal model with a lanyard loop - just personal preference. Many a Colt polymer MSH has worked perfectly fine for years. If I really wanted to "put a shine on it" I might consider night sights, a S&A magwell, and checkering the front strap. These are what I would change because I know what I like out of a 1911, though, because I've shot everything from stock USGI types to high end race guns. You'll do more to add to functionality of the pistol by investing in an X300 and a DG switch for it than any amount of swapping parts at random. ~Augee Thanks guys!!! |
| Grips. I found the slim grips to fit my hand better than the normal size that comes on most. Have replaced the grips on my Champion Operator with the VZ slim grips. So to answer function then looks. Second since all my other firearms have some form of checkering on the front strap when I purchased the Springfield I didn't even think about it, but after shooting it became evident that I missed that texture on the front strap. A little under $200 later the gunsmith took care of it. Also changed the mainspring housing at the same time going to a S&A with attached magwell thin to fit the slim VZ grips. Now it's the way I want it and now I just shoot it. |
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When I first get a 1911, this is what I do. I look at the barrel throat and frame feedramp. I check to see they are the right profile, and then I ensure the proper gap is there. Next, I make sure the slide moves back and forth on the frame without binding. I check for barrel springing. I check all the gun's springs if it's a budget 1911, and I replace them with a Brownells Pro-Spring pack if it's something other than a semi-custom, a Colt, Kimber, DW, Sig, or S&W. That means Springfields get the spring pack as their springs suck. I also check extractor tension, profile, and lack of clocking, as well as making sure the ejector, plunger tube, and grip screw bushings are secure. Extractor tension is the biggie. Once all that is good to go, I address:
-Sights (I want usable, high profile sights, such as Novaks, Heinie's, 10-8s, etc.) -Trigger (I want a mediium length trigger without slop, a good quality hammer, sear, and disconnector that will last a long time, and I tunes it to 3.5 lbs on a fun gun, 5 lbs on a working gun) -I prefer a beavertail and an ambi safety |
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The first thing I do on any 1911 short of a semi-custom is lighten the trigger. Generally this is little more than sear spring adjustment, though occasionally I'll run across one that needs sear and hammer hook work. Dozens of internet trigger job tutorials to the contrary, I rarely go to the trouble of polishing every last surface on every part. As long as I can get the creep out and the pull down to about 4 pounds, that's good enough for me.
After that, it just depends. I try to correct any obvious deficiencies such as erratic or poor ejection, sharp edges on control surfaces, hesitant feeding, failure to lock back, etc. Usually I don't bother replacing the grips or sights anymore, unless the latter are completely unusable such as the tiny GI style. |
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Put a big idiot mark right on top of the slide. No doubt it is my gun anymore. ....
Seriously, shoot it. Change the grips. Shoot it some more. Then, now that I know how, lighten the trigger if I don't like it. Then sights. In that order. And never again will I buy my son one to shoot. (Not enough space for that story.) 
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