1911 upgrades

[Spots]

Ive got some upgrades planned in the coming months for my new Springfield Armory 1911 GI. Can a few of you 1911 aficionados take a look, let me know what you think, if there are better parts out there, even if prices are slightly higher than whats listed. Guns main purpose is a range and home defense pistol, plus a shtf pistol. Also I need a recommendation on a good manual that covers the complete tear down and assembly of the pistol in good detail. Also suggestions for a good 1911 gunsmith in this area for a few of the tougher things, and the final tuning. Thanks guys

Wilson Combat Adjustable Trigger
Titanium Strut
Wilson Value Hammer
Wilson Value Sear
Nowlin Recoil spring(16 or 18.5)
Nowlin HD firing pin spring
Nowlin Hammer Spring
Nowlin Match grade sear spring
Wilson combat Multi port bushing compensator
Custom grips

 

I know the compensator isn't needed, and while I do have some data that says it helps some, it is mainly because I like the look of it. So yes, it is my one concession to tacticool....

Edited January 14, 2013 by Spots

[itchytriggerfinger]

I should take a pic of mine for you.  I did the same thing.  I had a OD GI and had the slide done in a satin black blue finish, then added the Wilson hammer, sear, trigger, extended slide release, extended dovetail, Wilson sights, stainless guide rod with bushing, and then Hogue wraparound grips.  It shoots great and looks great to boot.

[Spots]

I should take a pic of mine for you.  I did the same thing.  I had a OD GI and had the slide done in a satin black blue finish, then added the Wilson hammer, sear, trigger, extended slide release, extended dovetail, Wilson sights, stainless guide rod with bushing, and then Hogue wraparound grips.  It shoots great and looks great to boot.

Please do. Id love to see it. How does it shoot compared to stock? How much did you do yourself, and did you farm any of it out?

[itchytriggerfinger]

I'll try to remember to do it tonight.  After the parts and a fluff 'n' buff, it's not the same gun.  What started as a "tackle box" gun is now a range weapon.  As for the work, I had it done when I lived in Louisville.  I have more experience with them now and would do most of it myself.  The one thing I can't do is machine work.  I had a dovetail cut in the front of the slide for the new Wilson sight.

[willis68]

I would use Ed Brown parts instead of Wilson combat

If this matters to you at all Ed Brown uses what they call Hard core parts, i personally think they are the best on the market where with WC unless you specify that you want them and spend more money, do not use as good of steel


I have owned several Ed Brown pistols and only 2 Wilson combat parts so I guess you could call me biased towards them

[willis68]

I would also add a beaver tail grip safety unless you are comfortable wit how the stock GI is

[Spots]

I would use Ed Brown parts instead of Wilson combat

If this matters to you at all Ed Brown uses what they call Hard core parts, i personally think they are the best on the market where with WC unless you specify that you want them and spend more money, do not use as good of steel


I have owned several Ed Brown pistols and only 2 Wilson combat parts so I guess you could call me biased towards them

 

Noted, I will look into the Ed brown equivalent on all of the above. As far as the beavertail, I had given that some thought, but the stock GI has never bitten me or otherwise given me trouble. Though I may still do it for aesthetics and to prevent any future problems.

[willis68]

When I had my Nighthawk custom 1911 built a few years ago, the man that built it was Ron Phillips Ron was one of the founders and the top smith for Wilson Combat forever. He actually agreed that I should use Ed Brown parts with my build, so I did

Having said that Ron is now back with Wilson from my understanding so his opinion may have since changed



If you are not bitten by the grip and are happy with the GI, may be worth your while to shoot the piss out of it first and see if anything does break before upgrading. I like your Idea of changing out the stock MIM parts though and I think with either Brown or Wilson you will be happier than the way it was built stock Edited January 17, 2013 by willis68

[manegarm]

+1 for Ed Brown parts. Also, stick with the GI guide rod setup, I know you didn't mention changing it out. IMO, a full length guide rod isn't really necessary. I don't buy into the added muzzle weight argument.

Edited January 14, 2013 by manegarm

[Spiffy]

Ive got some upgrades planned in the coming months for my new Springfield Armory 1911 GI. Can a few of you 1911 aficionados take a look, let me know what you think, if there are better parts out there, even if prices are slightly higher than whats listed. Guns main purpose is a range and home defense pistol, plus a shtf pistol. Also I need a recommendation on a good manual that covers the complete tear down and assembly of the pistol in good detail. Also suggestions for a good 1911 gunsmith in this area for a few of the tougher things, and the final tuning. Thanks guys

Wilson Combat Adjustable Trigger
Titanium Strut
Wilson Value Hammer
Wilson Value Sear
Nowlin Recoil spring(16 or 18.5)
Nowlin HD firing pin spring
Nowlin Hammer Spring
Nowlin Match grade sear spring
Wilson combat Multi port bushing compensator
Custom grips

 

I know the compensator isn't needed, and while I do have some data that says it helps some, it is mainly because I like the look of it. So yes, it is my one concession to tacticool....

 

The 80s called.....they want their "race gun" back!  :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl:

 

Are you going to do the work yourself or get someone else to build it?

 

I don't see a beaver tail grip safety on the list. Does the GI have the spur hammer and tang safety or does it come with a beaver tail already?

[Spots]

Its a tang safety. We discussed the beavertail a few post up, I dont get hammer bite and the stock setup doesnt bother me, so Im not sure if Ill do the beavertail or not. I plan to do 90% of the work myself if possible, I like to tinker and I'm pretty handy and learn fast. I wouldn't know about 80's race guns, I wasn't alive till 88. And like I said, that is one concession to looks. I like how they look on the gun, and I figure with a bushing compensator I can always easily remove it with no other changes.

[TNFlyer]

I have a 1911 armorers video I can make a copy of if your interested in that in lieu of a manual.

[Spots]

I have a 1911 armorers video I can make a copy of if your interested in that in lieu of a manual.

Id really appreciate that. Just pm me and let me know what I owe you.

[itchytriggerfinger]

Here is what I did with mine.  Not a great pic, but a pic none the less.  I'm thinking of getting some VZ grips, but the Hogue grips are so comfortable when you want to thump some rounds downrange.

 

[Guest Bassman17SC]

I would use Ed Brown parts instead of Wilson combat

If this matters to you at all Ed Brown uses what they call Hard core parts, i personally think they are the best on the market where with WC unless you specify that you want them and spend more money, do not use as good of steel


I have owned several Ed Brown pistols and only 2 Wilson combat parts so I guess you could call me biased towards them

^^^THIS.^^^  Ed Brown parts all the way.

[UncleJak]

So what does that compensator do?  I googled it and it looks cool, but I have no idea what it would do for the 1911. 

[Spots]

So what does that compensator do?  I googled it and it looks cool, but I have no idea what it would do for the 1911. 

 

bushing compensators can work okay depending on their design (see below), but will not be as efficient as a traditional compensator. As noted, the exit hole for the bullet is larger with bushing compensators because they have to accommodate the outside diameter of the barrel. this allows much more gas to pass forward around the bullet. compensators work by deflecting gas. the more they deflect, the better they work.

pressure: it's not a pressure issue, it's about gas volume, which the 45 will provide with proper gunpowder selection (see article above).

The bushing compensator that you're looking at will have only a slight effect on taming recoil, at least with respect to how compensators function. it's disadvantage (i think) is that it does not have baffle plates to help trap and redirect gas, and its ports are small slits which don't vent much gas. It looks a bit like the Innovative Industries design that i've tested (see below).

in my experience, a better bushing type compensator is one that has baffles, like the Wilson Combat Multi-Comp design. the baffles trap more gas for deflection.

i've recently tested bushing compensators on a 45 ACP and compared the recoil with a traditional compensator and with no compensator to see how they perform. all were 3 port designs. here are the numbers:

Traditional EGW threaded compensator: exit hole diameter 0.465 inches, average 46% recoil reduction.

Wilson Combat Multi-Comp bushing compensator: exit hole diameter 0.627 inches. average 30% recoil reduction. by the way, this compensator works like a traditional compensator, showing a gas volume reversal as explained in the article above. so it's not just about the weight of the compensator. it reduces muzzle rise with gas.

Innovative Industries bushing compensator: exit hole diameter 0.581 inches. average 13% recoil reduction. this compensator showed only a marginal gas volume effect. this design would not be my first choice, but it might (and i mean might, maybe, maybe not) qualify as better than nothing.

Keep in mind how compensators work: they are dumb hunks of steel. they don't have pressure values or gauges, and require the gas to achieve a specified pressure level before they start to work. they simply divert gas. physics tells us that for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction (via Sir Isaac Newton). therefore ANY gas they deflect upward will produce a downward force. the more gas they deflect upward the more force they produce downward. compensator design/function depends on how much gas they can redirect upward. the more gas they deflect upward the more force they produce downward. (I think i just said that.) the Wilson Multi-Comp, and any other bushing types that have baffle plates (however small they might be) are most likely going to deflect more upward gas than a mere tube with slits (like the Innovative Industries design). (i think that is a reasonable interpretation.) and just because the Wilson Multi-Comp is a bushing type design and lets more gas out the front than a traditional comp does not mean that it does not work. It still traps and redirects gas. my tests support that interpretation. by the way, i didn't run the test to prove that the Wilson Multi-Comp works. I ran the test to determine if it did work. i didn't care one way or the other, and didn't buy it to have one because i already had a compensated 45. I only bought it to test it. (all this was done at my expense, unfortunately.) the data show it did work. sorry if that flies in the face of people's long-cherished beliefs about bushing compensators. but the data is what it is.

fitting/function: i've had good luck with the compensators i've used on the 45 still allowing gun function without tinkering (the same cannot be said with my 38 Super), but i have only limited experience. One thing i think benefits the 45 in this respect is that it generates enough recoil that it has a wider margin of function when adding the weight of a compensator. some raceguns in 38 Super (and 9mm) require one to lighten the slide to get them to run, which is what i did to get mine to run properly. but this is not my field of expertise. and i can't guarantee that your luck will be the same as mine.

 

 

Thats the info I've found on a 1911 forum. While its less effective on .45 acp, it does still have some benefit to combat muzzle rise. And I like it cause I think it looks cool lol

[Spots]

Ed Brown 1911 National Match Trigger
Ed Brown 1911 Hammer Strut
Ed Brown 1911 Perfection Sear
Ed Brown 1911 Barstock Hardcore Hammer with Chamfered Edges

Ed Brown 1911 Perfection Disconnector

Ed Brown 1911 Flat Mainspring Housing Chainlink

Ed Brown 1911 Tactical Extended Thumb Safety

EGW - 1911 ANGLE BORED BUSHING

Nowlin Recoil spring(18.5)
Nowlin HD firing pin spring
Nowlin Hammer Spring
Nowlin Match grade sear spring

SKINGRIPZ Operator grips

 

I took the compensator off the list for now, and after a lot of reading, studying and suggestions I decided to go with Ed Brown parts instead of Wilson combat stuff. I added a few things. I'm hoping to turn the gun into a real tack driver, and considered a match grade barrel, but decided to try the bushing and put a lot more rounds down range before that decision.

[Spiffy]

Its a tang safety. We discussed the beavertail a few post up, I dont get hammer bite and the stock setup doesnt bother me, so Im not sure if Ill do the beavertail or not. I plan to do 90% of the work myself if possible, I like to tinker and I'm pretty handy and learn fast. I wouldn't know about 80's race guns, I wasn't alive till 88. And like I said, that is one concession to looks. I like how they look on the gun, and I figure with a bushing compensator I can always easily remove it with no other changes.

 

You need to go back and look at some of the ISPC guns from the 70s and 80s. They are basically what your talking about. You'd love to look at em. I think they got a thread with pics somewhere on Benos.com. 

 

I remember the 45 single stacks with comps in Ernie Hill leather race holsters.  If you saw Scott Glen's rid in Silverado how it was a gunfighter rig, same concept.

[Monkeyman2500]

Don't forget a good firing pin stop, makes a big difference. I like the EGW.

[RWF]

+1 on EGW, talk to tim calhoun, he is a sponsor here, 1911/2011 work