recommended 1911 upgrades

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I had some time to think over the last week - I was stuck in harrisburg, pa for work when a vendor friend invited myself and one of my sales reps over to his family farm for lunch.

After a particularly damned good plate of brisket and potatoes - he gave us the tour of the grounds....and the backyard range. yeah, i really am living in the wrong state.

he had a multitude of guns to play with, including a sten, some FAL copies and of and course a 1911. As usual, of all the handguns he had, I shot that thing the best - turns out it was an auto ordnance he picked up for 200 bucks. he tells me of all the guns he owns, which include glocks, sigs etc, this beat to hell thing is his favorite and his EDC in the winter.

whoulda thunk? eh.

So it got me to thinking about my own RIA....I think Im going to keep her. She does make me look the best when I shoot and because it was quite literally the first firearm platform Ive ever shot, I have a lot of emotional investments in it.

so besides cerakoting the rather terrible parkerized finish she has, what upgrades do you suggest? I already plan on getting some more HP reliable chip mccormack/wilson combat mags when I get a chance , but what else? I don't mind the GI hammer -- is the bobbed hammer really worth the money? skeletonized triggers? night sites?

I know, its a 400-500 dollar gun, why bother with upgrades? what I can't escape though is that I think this is my gun, the one I should be relying on.

anyone else have a similar experience?
 
I did all new wolf springs and my SW1911 shoots like a dream ... Wilson Combat bullet proof firing pin and WC mags too

Did you have a problem with your SW1911 firing pin or did you just get it to replace yours? I am waiting for my SR1911 and love the fact that it has a titanium firing pin, so I would like to know more about 1911's firing pins.
 
I prefer better sights (10-8 or Heinie), extended thumb safety, beavertail grip safety, and a good trigger job.

The thing is, by the time you've put that much money into it (along with the $400-500 you've already spent), you've spent as much as a Ruger SR1911. I'm not sure I'd want to put that kind of money into an RIA.
 
I have an AO 1911 that I picked up from a member here. It's the "WWII" edition so it's got the original stock sites, tiny safety, ugly park finish and, frankly, I won't change a thing. After testing other 1911s, I've found that I shoot better with the MILSPEC than with anything too fancy. It's all personal preference.

And no, it's not my edc. That's my S&W Mdl 36.

Aloha
 
I have an AO 1911 that I picked up from a member here. It's the "WWII" edition so it's got the original stock sites, tiny safety, ugly park finish and, frankly, I won't change a thing. After testing other 1911s, I've found that I shoot better with the MILSPEC than with anything too fancy. It's all personal preference.

And no, it's not my edc. That's my S&W Mdl 36.

Aloha

I'm in the same boat. I prefer milspec but the 1911 I usually carry has dovetailed front and rear 3 white dot sights. The tiny milspec sights are fine for target shooting (for me at least, my eyes still serve me well at 32 yrs old.) but larger 3 dot sights help immensely in quicker target acquisition.
 
talk to one of the local smiths. Check out thier work, tell them what you want out of your 1911, what you'd like to spend, and go from there.
 
Put better sights on it, clean up the trigger, maybe change the safety if it sucks... done. I wouldn't blow money on refinishing a RIA.

-Mike
 
Tightening the slide/frame fit isn't going to do anything noticeable. You would be better off making sure the barrel and bushing were properly fit

Truth. But I don't particularly care for a super rattle-y mill spec 1911. I prefer a nice tight, slick action. More form than actual function.
 
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I'm in the same boat. I prefer milspec but the 1911 I usually carry has dovetailed front and rear 3 white dot sights. The tiny milspec sights are fine for target shooting (for me at least, my eyes still serve me well at 32 yrs old.) but larger 3 dot sights help immensely in quicker target acquisition.

That's funny. For me, I'm the opposite. I'm faster and more accurate in target acquisition with the MILSPEC sights. To each their own, I guess.

Aloha
 
If it is going to be a carry gun, and primarily holstered.. I would not refinish it until the holster wear just drives you nuts.

If you shoot it well and it's 100% reliable I would not change anything.

There is a cause and effect on everything.
If it currently feeds everything, you shoot it well and goes bang every time. I would not accurize/ tighten anything. Tighter almost always means more fussy or potentially be less reliable.
 
If it is going to be a carry gun, and primarily holstered.. I would not refinish it until the holster wear just drives you nuts.

If you shoot it well and it's 100% reliable I would not change anything.

There is a cause and effect on everything.
If it currently feeds everything, you shoot it well and goes bang every time. I would not accurize/ tighten anything. Tighter almost always means more fussy or potentially be less reliable.



This makes the most sense to me. If you consistently put rounds where you want them, and are comfortable with the weapon, why change it?
 
Besides a more durable finish like the cerakote, I would say polish the barrel throat & breech face.
Three or four top quality magazines chip mccormack/wilson combat are a must have.
If funds will let you, from there you might want to think of some better sights (10-8 or Heinie) and some Wolf gunsprings.

Just don't screw with it too much or else it won't be the same pistol you have now & shoot so well with.
smitty
 
That's funny. For me, I'm the opposite. I'm faster and more accurate in target acquisition with the MILSPEC sights. To each their own, I guess.

I'd argue that you are unusual in that regard. Guys in USPSA would wear a pink tutu if it made them faster (in IDPA, we're already wearing a costume [wink]). I haven't see one of them use MILSPEC sights on a 1911. More typical is a black rear sight blade (either adjustable, like a Dawson, or fixed like a Heinie) and either a black front sight post or a thin fiber optic front sight post.
 
I built a 1911A1 a few months ago using mostly vintage MilSpec parts including the 1943 Ithaca slide. I built it as a '43 Ithaca would have been delivered. I did clean up the action and fit the slide to the new frame. Of my half dozen or so other hand guns, including a Sig GSR 1911, I prefer it the best.
 
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