Improvements over the GI 1911

[7br]

Lets say you picked up a plain jane 1911 with GI style sights, hammer, etc, What customizations would you do?

Most obvious to me is the sights, any recommendation there? I do like the look of the novak sights.

Yeah, I read Psalm 1911, but I can't leave well enough alone..

[No_1]

Sights, trigger job, barrel and barrel bushing for starters.

Robert

[btroj]

I suppose it depends on what you want to do with it. If you want just a plinker you could leave it alone. For shootablity sights would be a great start. Can't hit if you can't see the darn sights.
After that, the sky is the limit. It also depends on how the stock barrel and trigger do. If they need work to meet your needs, do them too. If they meet your needs, leave em be.

[7br]

I do not have a CCW, but am thinking about it. If I go that route, a good holster and belt makes the most sense. It will probably go camping, traveling, etc with me. The most likely use is killling marauding pop cans. I want something that is fun to shoot.

[KYCaster]

Beaver tail grip safety.....disabled.

Jerry

[HeavyMetal]

I guess it depends on what your going to pay for this "G. I." 45.

Looking around at gun shows most of the military guns are priced in the Ozone Layer, add in what it wll cost just to add sights, about a buck and quarter, and I think you can find a clone with what you need on it for less money.

Check the Taurus 1911 and the Charles Daly for pricing and options, check anything you buy with a strong light and a magnifiying glass, but I have heard good things about both these guns.

Several others are out there just do some shopping and I think you can find a 45 with all the bells and whistles you could want and you won't pay extra or wait 2 years for somebody to get around to it.

Play it smart and do some shopping you'll find what you want.

[fecmech]

Sights, trigger job, barrel and barrel bushing for starters.

Robert

+1 on that except I'd leave the barrel out until I found out about accuracy with the stock barrel. I bought a Springfield Mil Spec (better sights than the G.I.) installed a fitted bushing and did a trigger job. It's a solid 1.5-2" 25 yd gun that is trouble free! I bought a Marvel trigger jig, ruined a couple sears but now have a good 3 lb. trigger(no hammer follow) and still came away quicker and cheaper than paying and waiting for a gunsmith. Also learned a lot about .45's and have been able to modify the jig to do the triggers on a couple lever guns and a single shot. That Marvel jig was some of the best money I ever spent!

[runfiverun]

i made a big mod when i changed from the h&g 68 to the lyman boolit.
the front sight on many of the gi clones is still the little blade [hah] but the rear are dovetailed in.
i wish the front sights were easier to change.
i would love a green dot on the front like i have on my 625.
i can use the rear fine.
just hate to mess with a perfectly good working gun, if it broke or sumthin then i would want to make some changes.

[arjacobson]

+1 on that except I'd leave the barrel out until I found out about accuracy with the stock barrel. I bought a Springfield Mil Spec (better sights than the G.I.) installed a fitted bushing and did a trigger job. It's a solid 1.5-2" 25 yd gun that is trouble free! I bought a Marvel trigger jig, ruined a couple sears but now have a good 3 lb. trigger(no hammer follow) and still came away quicker and cheaper than paying and waiting for a gunsmith. Also learned a lot about .45's and have been able to modify the jig to do the triggers on a couple lever guns and a single shot. That Marvel jig was some of the best money I ever spent!

Plus one on this.. Except I bought a cheaper wilson jig(?).. Get some good stones for the sear-learn how to strip the gun 100%. I have an elcheapo older auto ordnance that has been my project pistol for some time now. I have shot thousands of cast out of it..Still has the stock barrel(fitted aftermarket bushing) and will for some time yet!! Read all you can about the 1911 and get a good understanding on how things work... Have fun and enjoy your project!!

[bhn22]

Jeff Cooper once said something like "sights you can see, a trigger you can manage, and a good de-horning job". I can never find the blasted quote when I want it. My personal list is pretty much the same, although I avoid the GI configuration pistols like Springfields WWII model unless I'm buying it for the frame or something I'd have to modify anyway. My compact Springfield has Novaks, front & rear, a Wilson beavertail & ambi safety, a real old stock Videcki trigger & Wilson sear & Commander hammer. I have to have an ambi safety because I'm left-handed. You are far better off buying what you want in the first place and not planning on updating it to make it suit you. Modifying a base model pistol is the most expensive in the long run, and you're more likely than not to be unhappy with it all along because it's not what you want to begin with. Seriously, I have a WWII model I bought for parts and decided to update everything as fund permit to have components on had. I've already used the frame for something else, but modifying the slide is an exercise in frustration. The slides not ready to use, and I've already got too much in it. It would have been cheaper to buy a "loaded" model, do a trigger job, and add an ambi safety & a beavertail. I would be done now.

[btroj]

For what you are talking about I would look at sights and leave the rest alone. Am certainly no expert on CCW guns but extreme accuracy is not a big criteria. Reliability yes, but you are not likely to ever need to take out a bad guy at 50 yards.
Try it as is, you might be able to see the standard sights. A lot of this is also going to come down to how much you want to spend. I'm cheap.

[Von Dingo]

Personally, I have scars on the web of my hand from firing GI configeration 1911's. If it doesn't have a beavertail, it turns into a vampire in my hand. I like the straight 8 sights, rather than the triple dot as far as sights. My two cents.

[S.R.Custom]

Beyond a ramped, full supported chamber for the shooting of .45 Super loads, not much. ;)

[Ernest]

Boy am I going to start a storm with this comment. After spending lots of money on 1911's , buying, selling , trading, home gunsmithing on them and paying good money to have them modified my conclusions are this. The best thing to do with a mil-spec 1911 is to buy or load ammo and shoot it just like it is.

Once you start spending money on them you will be surprised at how fast the $$ mount up. If you aren't happy with the way it works and shoots you are a lot better off buying a SIG 220 which will run like a sewing machine right out of the box.

[btroj]

Can't fault that logic at all Ernest. Not at all. I think it is probably more economical to buy a better 1911 up front than to have one worked up from a gun you own. I am not talking a full blown competition gun here either. Get a Kimber or something similar and have at it. Maybe this is why I bought a Gold Cup this summer? Is it as nice as a well smithed 1911? No. But it meets my needs and is certainly nicer than a straight GI model.
After 1500 plus rounds I am still happy with the purchase.

[unclebill]

my S.A.1911A1 G.I.
has gotten nicely broken in and is a reliable resonably accurate pistol.
the only things i have done to it is
polish feed ramp.
paint backside of front sight blade orange.
total cost?
maybe 10 cents.

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l272/billhedges/27chevy636-6.jpg

[Rick Hodges]

High profile sights, ramp smoothed, trigger if needed, ambidextrous safety. (I'm a lefty)

[Lloyd Smale]

im with the keep it as it is logic. As long as its reliable im sure it will shoot well enough for anything but competition work. Theres just to many factory guns that you can buy specifically for what you want at prices that are going to be much cheaper in the long run then throwing alot of money at a stripper. Examples are guns like the kimbers and springfields loaded guns. Shoot it the way it is and put your money into load developement for now and if you find it is lacking in some aspect of what you want it for trade it off on what you want. Ive got a few 1911s and i myself will always have at least one GI stripper type gun as i just enjoy blasting beer cans with them.

[unclebill]

put your money into load developement for now and if you find it is lacking in some aspect of what you want it for trade it off on what you want. Ive got a few 1911s and i myself will always have at least one GI stripper type gun as i just enjoy blasting beer cans with them.

i like how you think.
if i want to shoot for groups .
i have target revolvers and a contender.
but that 1911 is deadly on a beercan.;-)

[roysha]

I'm just dying to be a smart alec and tell to forget spending all that money needlessly and just go by a SIG P220, but I won't say it.[smilie=1:

[EMC45]

I have a Mil Spec S.A. 1911A1 I got used. I actually bought it off Wallacem who is a member here. He bought it used as well. There is no telling how many rounds have been through this gun. The only thing I changed was the MSH (I put a flat one on it), Wilson Combat trigger (not a short trigger fan) It also has aftermarket grips on it (they were on it when I got it). That is it. It does not have the tiny G.I. Spec sights, the sights are taller and easier to pick up. I also use Chip McCormick mags with it. I bought 2 Metalform mags from Hiram here and they work good too. It is pretty accurate with the Lee 230 TC. All my shooting is off hand, and mostly at printed off targets and paper plates. I have been asked why I haven't changed out the grip safety to a beavertail yet, well it fits my hand just fine and it never bit me. Also why do I only have a safety on one side? It works for me like it is. I have thought about a Kart barrel, but the factory one works well. I like it the way it is.

[markinalpine]

Invest in some good quality magazines.
My $0.02!

Happy New Year,
Mark :coffeecom

[derek45]

1. Ed Brown, CMC, or STI beavertail grip safety

this makes the 1911 handle SO MUCH better.

(1.5)it requires a commander style hammer, so you night as well do a mild trigger job at the very least while you're in there.

2. tune the extractor and polish feedramp, and bolt face.

3. sights.

4.lower and flare the ejection port.

5. hand fit bushing, or better yet, hand fit a KART barrel


Later on, you can....

checker the frontstrap
industrial matte hardchrome to make it last forever.

premium internals

S&A magwell, etc., etc., etc.,

Back in the early 1990's I started modifying a bone stock S.A. Mil-spec 1911 for IPSC
Lim. division.

this is what it turned into...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v488/derek45/1911/1911SpringfieldArmoryIPSC.jpg

In the late 1990's I did similar work on a standard blue fixed sight Kimber.

here's what it turned into.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v488/derek45/1911/IMGP4264.jpg

[unclebill]

I'm just dying to be a smart alec and tell to forget spending all that money needlessly and just go by a SIG P220, but I won't say it.[smilie=1:

whatever you do.
dont do that!

IMHO
they are good guns that are overpriced.

[35remington]

Leave the gol durned feed ramp alone unless you know exactly what you're doing.

More 1911's have been screwed up by "polishing the ramp" than any other single modification that individuals have felt competent to try. They were not, much to their regret.

The instances where the ramp needed "polishing" are truly very very few and far between.

The ramp angle, ramp to barrel throat distance and sharpness of surfaces are absolutely critical. One screwup and you've made the gun either less reliable or a downright jam-o-matic.

Any corrective action intended as an "improvement" should only be in response to any known deficiency after you've shot it. Otherwise you're making improvements that are not needed, and many are not.

Ejects fine? Leave the ejector, extractor and ejection port alone.

Feeds fine? Leave the ramp and barrel alone.

Shoots well enough? Leave the bushing and barrel fit alone.

You've got to know what you're lacking before you can assess the real need for any "improvement."

Trigger too rough? Sights too small?

Fix em. Sights and trigger get my vote. Anything else that is not related to fixing a problem fits in the category of "not needed."

[derek45]

you're right many a 1911 ruined by an over-zelous dremel.

I said "polish", not change the geometry :mrgreen:

Lowering and flaring the ejection port keeps the slide from dinging a D shaped dent into your case mouth.

Almost every new 1911 I see needs the extractor tuned and tensioned.

[35remington]

Most of the 1911's I see need neither "tuning" or "tensioning." Maybe it's related to the quality of 1911 purchased.

Don't mess with it unless you know it needs to be messed with.

Try it first.

This is Pistol 101.

Many of my 1911's have unflared, unlowered ports, eject just fine, and do not excessively dent the case mouth.

Try it first.

Fix it later. Save your money. The majority of quality pistols do NOT need a whole laundry list of things done......even BEFORE they are shot.....to function well. Why do what is unneeded? If your average GI 45 of WWII needed all this customization to even function, none of them would have ever been used or shot in battle!

[Linstrum]

With rare exception, John Moses Browning was one of those guys who got things right on his guns before he turned them loose for general consumption.

My 2¢ is do to it whatever it takes to make it like my Citadel copy of the 1911A1. When I got my new-in-the-box Citadel to the range I took it out of the box, field stripped it, put some moly grease here and there where it could use some, checked it for function, checked it over again, loaded in 8 rounds of Russian Brown Bear ammo in the 8 round clip, and never looked back!

I started shooting at 40 feet from the target, kind of a long way for the first shot from an unfamiliar pistol. Each shot I backed up about ten feet. When I ran out of ammo I was still hitting within a few inches of the bullseye. I loaded another 8 rounds in and kept backing up until I ran out of ammo again. I was still hitting within a few inches of the bullseye and I was now at about 200 feet from the target! As I backed up I had to lift the muzzle higher and higher to keep my shots from going into the dirt. By the time I got out to 300 feet from the target I was still on paper with all 8 shots going into an 11" circle! This is not the most accurate .45 ACP, but a darned sight better than most. The only thing I did after that was to slightly ream out the chamber because I couldn't get the slide closed on one radius ogive boolits, and slightly lengthening the chamber did the trick and it does great with anything I feed it! I'm now using Lee's .452-230-TC truncated cone with 6.4 grains of Ramshot's True Blue powder and still getting 11 inches at 100 yards.

Good luck with yours, I hope you can get it to do what mine is doing and then some, with as little effort as I put into it. To get the 11-inch groups I had to use both hands and I rested them on the back corner of my dump truck bed, which is the perfect height for a steady rest for me.

My great grandmother (my dad's mother's mother) ran a boarding house in Ogden, Utah, and one of her boarders was John M Browning. They also dated for awhile and got to know each other quite well. My great grandma said Mr. Browning was a perfectionist and was obsessed with getting things right, and from what I can tell he did quite well for working with the technology that was available 85 to 130 years ago.


rl890

[btroj]

I have to agree with 35 Remington. Try it, then leave alone what works.
Some here want you to make it into something other than what you said you want. For a plinker why does it need all the add ons? Fix what doesnt work and then go shoot it. A lot.
Some people like to tinker and "fix" things. I like to shoot.

[mroliver77]

you're right many a 1911 ruined by an over-zelous dremel.

I said "polish", not change the geometry :mrgreen:

Lowering and flaring the ejection port keeps the slide from dinging a D shaped dent into your case mouth.

Almost every new 1911 I see needs the extractor tuned and tensioned.

I have whats left of a SA "loaded" 1911 that a fellow took a dremel to. He claimed it would not feed WC so he "polished" the ramp. I am not sure how it worked but my gun dealer ended up with it. He fit the parts to an Essex frame and used the old frame to build a .22rf gun. Gun was kinda tight for a while but 1000 rounds has loosened it up a smidge and it does not miss a lick with the GI mags I run.
This it now.
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo189/mroliver77/M1ANM019.jpg

[Mk42gunner]

Lets say you picked up a plain jane 1911 with GI style sights, hammer, etc, What customizations would you do?

Most obvious to me is the sights, any recommendation there? I do like the look of the novak sights.

Yeah, I read Psalm 1911, but I can't leave well enough alone..

Depends what you want out of the gun. Shoot it first. GI sights aren't that hard to see for plinking.

As someone who carried and shot quite a few G.I. 11911-A1s, here is what I would do:

Flat mainspring housing to cure hammer bite, if necessary (it is for me), Long trigger, good magazines and a recoil spring.

If you need bigger sights, King Hardball sights work well. Getting the tenon to swage correctly is a lot bigger job than most people think.

I never had any problems with the miniscule factory safety, but I'm not lefthanded either.

I wouldn't do anything to the barrel or slide to frame fit unless it needed it.

Robert

[That'll Do]

If I purchased a G.I. or Milspec 1911, I'd probably leave it as-is, aside from maybe a grip change or mainspring housing change.

Modifying a 1911 (or any gun) can get expensive very quickly when the work is done by a competent gunsmith.

Besides, a G.I. or Milspec gun is a good gun in stock form. I feel that if you want an upgraded 1911, you're better off buying that comes factory-equipped with the bells and whistles (that's what I do). That way the stuff that usually costs big bucks to have done by a gunsmith (like checkering, adding beavertail safeties, etc.) is already taken care of.

That's what I love about the 1911, you can do anything and everything, or nothing at all to the gun, and it still runs like a champ.

[scrapcan]

I am with MK2gunner. Change to a flat main spring housing, put a good recoil spring in suited to the ammunition you are going to shoot (and remember one spring may not be the end all be all). I can get by with a flat MSH and use a GI grip safety, but the beavertail safety I can use with either MSH. I like to old Videcki trigger also as then it doesn't make t the finger as sore at the end of the day ( this is going to be a can chaser right, you will shoot it a lot I hope).

You may want some checkmate magazines or not.

Get a lyman or rcbs 230 gr round nose mould, this will help you with the next and most important recommendation.

Get a 1911a1 pattern and shoot it a lot. It will tell you what you may need to do to it after you have shot it. And don't immediately think there is something wrong with the pistol when you have issues. Revert back to some inner reflection and your technique, I have to do that frequently.

[Char-Gar]

Assuming the pistol is in top shape, I would do nothing. The more folks try to guild John Browning's lily, the more problems they create for themselves. There is nothing really wrong with the GI sights. They are just slow to acquire, but one you get on target they are as good as any. We are talking real USGI here right, and not some clone? If we are talking a clone, then read on.

Back in my salad days, 50 years ago, a stock Remington-Rand 1911A1 was the only center-fire handgun I owned. It started me casting bullets and reloading for hanguns. An Ace trigger shoe helped with the trigger pull and that was all I did. I killed deer, javelin, coyotes and other assorted critters with it. I also carried it for social purposes as well. It saved my bacon in a tight situation back in 1963.

Because it worked so well for me, flat mainspring housings and long triggers don't feel right. When shooting quick a flat housing makes me shoot low. That is why the Army went to the arch housing in the first place..to raise the barrel a tad.

I have a 2005 Colt GM. I swapped the flat housing for an arched on and the long plastic trigger for a short steel one. The sights are OK as is.

I have two Norinco 1911A1s. I added King Hardball sights and an Ace trigger shoes. I did throat the barrels to feed 452423 Keith SWCs. Here tis.. I ditched the Chinese spring in favor of Wolfe. One is my brush pistol and goes under my pillow at night. The other is a spare, just in case. They are worthy successor to the old Remington Rang. I probably have less than $300 dollars in it total. It doesn't take lots of bucks to have a good reliable 1911 pistol.

Oh yes, hammers and grip safetys are not all the same. If you get bit, just grind a tad of the hammer spur.

[35remington]

Uh......Mk42?

I'm pretty darn certain a flat mainspring housing doesn't have a thing to do with "hammer bite."

Methinks you mean an extended tang on the grip safety or a beavertail.

Hammer bite occurs above the grip safety, not below it where the mainspring housing is. Hard to imagine how the web of your hand can get caught between the hammer and the mainspring housing when they're three inches apart.

To OP:

In the GI 1911A1 variant, most people don't have trouble with hammer bite as the grip safety tang is extended and the hammer spur shortened over that found on the original 1911.

As always, shoot to see if hammer bite occurs. Only replace the grip safety or shorten the hammer spur if it is a problem. Generally people with fleshy hands suffer from this. For an A1 to bite, you've got to have really, really fleshy hands.

Shoot it first! Make needed changes later, not on someone else's say so before even trying it out.

[starnbar]

I agree with 35 remington on the above I have a series 70 colt that has had gallons of lead through it over the years the only parts i change on a regular basis every year or two are recoil springs and firing pin springs. It worked from the first day out of the box and with over 30 years of use I have had few jams most due to improper loads and defective magazines.

[unclebill]

I agree with 35 remington on the above I have a series 70 colt that has had gallons of lead through it over the years the only parts i change on a regular basis every year or two are recoil springs and firing pin springs. It worked from the first day out of the box and with over 30 years of use I have had few jams most due to improper loads and defective magazines.

defective mags gave me fits when i 1st got my pistol.
so i bought factory mags for the gun.
no hi-cap
no bells and whistles
just the mags the designer specified.

[goste]

Personally, I like the stock G.I type configuration. I have a couple I changed sight's on, and I don't really shoot them any better. I don't shoot them much past 15 yds or so..

That said, I'm a absolute sucker for nice custom grip's. My Fav., on a nickle Commander, are American Bison. They look a whole lot like black plastic.............

[KCSO]

#1 Don't do anything till you see how you can handle it and how it shoots. #2 Don't do anythng that will require any tool to field strip the gun #3 Don't do anything OVERSIZE to a carry pistol and ambi is just about as bad.

If it's GI YOu MAY need better sights and if you have small thumbs a COMBAT safety trimmed so it won't rub off in the holster. 90% of the **** they try and sell you is for TARGET and PLAY for combat you need reliability and eease of use. Oversize slide release is a no no they are too heavy and will sometimes go on by them selves. Ambi grip safetys are almost impossible to keep on safe in ((% of the holsters available. If you get bit you might need a oversize grip safety, but ONLY if it bites you otherwise JMB had it right from the git go and there have been VERY few real improvments.

I found this out the hard way carrying a 1911 for over 30 years and finding the faults with each new acessory that was going to make me shoot all X's of make me the hottest gun on the block. My primary carry gun is a STOCK 1911- 70 Commander with good fixed sights just slightly larger than the stock sights. Had a Bomar sight on one time and it broke on duty. Fixed sights only! NO plastic cushions in the gun, they go bad, no finger bushings, no guide rod. Trigger set to #4 crisp is OK for a rookie 4.5 is better but crisp.

[Mk42gunner]

Uh......Mk42?

I'm pretty darn certain a flat mainspring housing doesn't have a thing to do with "hammer bite."

Methinks you mean an extended tang on the grip safety or a beavertail.

Hammer bite occurs above the grip safety, not below it where the mainspring housing is. Hard to imagine how the web of your hand can get caught between the hammer and the mainspring housing when they're three inches apart.

To OP:

In the GI 1911A1 variant, most people don't have trouble with hammer bite as the grip safety tang is extended and the hammer spur shortened over that found on the original 1911.

As always, shoot to see if hammer bite occurs. Only replace the grip safety or shorten the hammer spur if it is a problem. Generally people with fleshy hands suffer from this. For an A1 to bite, you've got to have really, really fleshy hands.

Shoot it first! Make needed changes later, not on someone else's say so before even trying it out.

35 Remington,

My hands aren't that fleshy, I wear a size 10 or 11 glove, (if I remembered how to measure right).

An arched mainspring housing pitches my hand just right to get pinched between the hammer and grip safety. This will produce some awesome blood blisters and small cuts. After about three strings of fire on the second day at the range, my hand and wrist looked like I had been helping out at a slaughter house.

With a flat mainspring housing, I can shoot a 1911 all week long without getting bit.

When Uncle Sam was furnishing my guns and ammo, I couldn't put a beavertail grip safety adn commander hammer on, but I could put a flat mainspring housing on the one that was issued to me, (funny how being the armorer lets you do things like that).


Maybe I'm weird, but it works for me.

Robert

[wv109323]

If I had a stock basic GI I would do the following for a CCW gun. Add Novak style sights to eliminate sharp corners on the rear sight. (Night sights if needed) I would polish feed ramp with Dremel and jewelers rouge , not removing any material. IF not done I would throat the barrel for improved feeding with SWC.
Put a fitted trigger with over-travel adjustment. (long or short) I would have a crisp trigger 4-5 lbs . I would polish extractor groove if needed.
So many of the later guns (by various manufacturers)have many of these mods already done. Later guns have tighter tolerances on the barrel/slide/frame fits which makes fitted barrels unnecessary unless used in competition.
I would buy ammo and shoot it.
John Browning was a smart man but I don't believe he knew much about sights especially considering the 1911 sights. I don't know why he didn't come up with the overtravel adjustment and throating the barrel is not necessary with ball ammo. The polishing would have been done on the parts I mentioned above in the year 1911.

[wv109323]

If I had a stock basic GI I would do the following for a CCW gun. Add Novak style sights to eliminate sharp corners on the rear sight. (Night sights if needed) I would polish feed ramp with Dremel and jewelers rouge , not removing any material. IF not done I would throat the barrel for improved feeding with SWC.
Put a fitted trigger with over-travel adjustment. (long or short) I would have a crisp trigger 4-5 lbs . I would polish extractor groove if needed.
So many of the later guns (by various manufacturers)have many of these mods already done. Later guns have tighter tolerances on the barrel/slide/frame fits which makes fitted barrels unnecessary unless used in competition.
I would buy ammo and shoot it.
John Browning was a smart man but I don't believe he knew much about sights especially considering the 1911 sights. I don't know why he didn't come up with the overtravel adjustment and throating the barrel is not necessary with ball ammo. The polishing would have been done on the parts I mentioned above in the year 1911.

[KYCaster]

In the GI 1911A1 variant, most people don't have trouble with hammer bite as the grip safety tang is extended and the hammer spur shortened over that found on the original 1911.




My problem with the GI grip safety is not hammer bite, it's abrasion on the knuckle of my thumb where it lays against the sharp edge on the side of the safety. The beaver tail is much better, but even most of those require a bit of work to be comfortable for me. Life is way too short to deal with a gun that hurts every time you pull the trigger.

I can't really disagree with most of what has been said here, but everyone is built a little different and I see no reason not to alter a gun that you intend to shoot a lot. If you don't want to destroy any collector value, then you probably shouldn't be shooting that gun a lot anyway.

What KCSO says about carry vs. competition makes a lot of sense, but there's no reason why a gun suitable for action pistol games can't make a good carry gun or vice versa. The demands on the gun are the same....they have to be reasonably accurate, they have to be user friendly and they have to be dead-nuts reliable.

Here's my primary competition gun....

28269


It's a Springfield 1911 A1("slightly" modified)...the cheapest thing I could find at the time. I use it for USPSA Single Stack and Limited 10 divisions. It also stays very handy at home. If I were going to carry it daily I'd lose the mag well. That's the only thing I'd change. I'm fairly competitive at the local matches...if I don't win my division, it's certainly not the fault of the gun. I use Wilson 8 round mags and McCormick 10 round mags and don't have any problems with any of them....some of them stay loaded for extended periods with no ill effects. The gun feeds ball, SWC, Silver Tips, Gold Dots, Hydra-shock, Black Talon....and anything else I care to feed it without a hitch...and I haven't touched the feed ramp, barrel throat or breach face.

My point is...you don't have to spend a lot to get a good 1911...but neither do you have to accept something that doesn't suit your particular needs (or wants). Whether you're focus is competition or self defense, you need practice to stay proficient and if you're bleeding after you've fired 100 rounds, you're not going to get the best results.

Do what you have to do.

Jerry

[35remington]

Mk42:

Can't say I've ever heard of such a thing happening due to the arched housing, but to each his own. I'd warrant most don't have such a complaint against the arched housing based on the people I've seen shoot a military 1911A1, which I saw a fair amount of in the NG armory as well as in private life. Hammer bite for most is a long hammer spur/short safety tang issue and addressing that cures it for the vast majority.

Anyway, for "minimal mods" of the type in the OP's query the advice still applies, which is shoot it first! What's great and needed for these guys or me might not be for you.

And some of us regard the other's advice as superfluous (including argumentative me) and that's why this thread is getting so gol darn long.

We're talking about the majority versus individual preference, which is why you've got to form some preferences of your own.

Did I mention you need to shoot it first to do this?

[pbraceguns]

Leave the gol durned feed ramp alone unless you know exactly what you're doing.

More 1911's have been screwed up by "polishing the ramp" than any other single modification that individuals have felt competent to try. They were not, much to their regret.

The instances where the ramp needed "polishing" are truly very very few and far between.

The ramp angle, ramp to barrel throat distance and sharpness of surfaces are absolutely critical. One screwup and you've made the gun either less reliable or a downright jam-o-matic.

Any corrective action intended as an "improvement" should only be in response to any known deficiency after you've shot it. Otherwise you're making improvements that are not needed, and many are not.

Ejects fine? Leave the ejector, extractor and ejection port alone.

Feeds fine? Leave the ramp and barrel alone.

Shoots well enough? Leave the bushing and barrel fit alone.

You've got to know what you're lacking before you can assess the real need for any "improvement."

Trigger too rough? Sights too small?

Fix em. Sights and trigger get my vote. Anything else that is not related to fixing a problem fits in the category of "not needed."

As a Pistolsmith, I concur on every single point here. Feed ramp mods are dangerous unless properly done. I've fixed more than one 1911 with ramps done so poorly that they would blow out cases.Had to either tig up the area and redo the feedramps, or cut them for a fully supported barrel (not a cheap mod). A light polish with a Cratex wheel without modifying the angles cut from the factory is all that is needed, and then ONLY if cast slugs are hanging up on the ramp. I have seen VERY few 1911's that won't feed correctly with Good quality magazines.( the main source of poor feeding 1911 pistols)
I will add that a beavertail safety with the pad on them does take away bite, while insuring the safety gets deactivated when gripped. Pining or otherwise deactivating ANY safety is foolish at best, and can make you liable for wreckless endangerment charges in the case of a AD that causes someone injury or worse.

[MtGun44]

If it is a real GI gun, not modern production, you'd be crazy to muck with it. The darned
things are up over $2000 or more if original, bubba'd up they will be a $450 shooter,
after spending a bunch on it.

There are 20 companies building custom grade 1911s, much better than anything you will
make out of a stock milsurp 1911.

Bill

[unclebill]

i never heard of getting pinched by a 1911 until i got online.
i have average sized hands and it isnt an issue.
that said i have met a kid that is 6.6 tall and has giant hands .
when he gripped my S.A.1911A1 G.I.
i could easily see how it could happen.

[Von Dingo]

i never heard of getting pinched by a 1911 until i got online.
i have average sized hands and it isnt an issue.
that said i have met a kid that is 6.6 tall and has giant hands .
when he gripped my S.A.1911A1 G.I.
i could easily see how it could happen.

He's got an inch on me. It really is an issue that is dependant on individual needs. I'm just glad my scars faded...

[casterofboolits]

Modifications to 1911's are personal to what fits your hand and your shooting style. The advice about shooting the 1911 before deciding on any modifications is valid. Otherwise, you won't know what needs to be altered to fit you. Poor ammo or magizines cause 99% of malfunctions in 1911's.

Myself, I still have a scar in the web of my hand from shooting a pair of unmodified Colt Combat Commanders for years in IPSC. I finished every match with blood running down my hand. I started applying a bandaid on my hand to before a match to prevent this.

Then purhased the Colt after market wide beaver tail as soon as they came out. I didn't like the feel of the Colt downswept beaver tail as it was hard for me to get a good grip when drawing. Both Commanders were fitted with Wilson beaver tails which completly eliminated the problem. I like a 4 to 5 pound crisp trigger on my carry guns. I changed the sights to a bit higher set. MMC if I recall correctly.

Anyway, shoot first with the ammo you intend to use and then decide if any changes need to be made.