What have you replaced on your *NEW* 1911-series pistol?

[Richard H Brown Jr]

Ok Folks:

Time for tell and maybe show. If you've bought a N.I.B. 1911, what have you replaced on it?

I'm talking parts that you don't like, not obvious failed items.

I'll go first.


RIA GI 1911a1 in .45acp

a. Replaced the smooth grips with GI plastic ones.

b. After a close look at the hammer and hammer strut assembly. I was moved to replace the complete assembly with N.O.S. GI parts because RIA uses MIM (Metal Injection Moulding) on some parts, and I didn't like the rounded over hammer area down by where the sear engages the half-cock and full cock engagement points.

c. To be done. Replace the 1911 flat mainspring housing with a GI 1911A1 curved housing. Procrastination is in play.


OK, now your turn....


RHB

[p246]

I bought a Para Black Ops a while back. Didn't like the MIM disconnector or the sloppy trigger. The crappy ambi safety broke at the center joint. Replaced all the internals with EGW except trigger. It was a videki type but can't remember brand. The EGW ambi safeties were out of stock I went with a NXT and if was well made. Made a nice gun after that.

[Major Tom]

With my ATI government 1911 I replaced the mainspring housing with a flat style, installed an extended slide release, put in a long one piece recoil spring rod, stipled the front and back grip frame, new checkered wood grip panels with gold colored hex grip screws. I carry it in a Blackhawk Serpa holster along with a Desanti double mag pouch.

[Art]

I have always been amused that M1911 owners will on the one hand tell you its the greatest one hand weapon ever devised and on the other almost invariably modify them (at least the base models), sometimes extensively. I am not a huge fan of the pistols but I have owned a few in the past and have recently bought another, an RIA M1911A1 clone in .38 Super Automatic for a bit under $500.00.

I knew I was going to at least replace the sorry smooth grips and I bought a set of really nice cocobolo diamond checkered ones for $50.00. I then found the "dime" sights were absolutely useless for me. Shooting with those sights I found a new appreciation for Alvin York. Anyone who could kill 7 charging Germans with a service pistol equipped with those sights without absorbing some Imperial German Bayonets is truly the man (there is some evidence that he might have shot one or two of them with his rifle, but even five still is pretty darn good.) So...I decided to get some better sights, I got a wild hair and had a set of Trijicon night sights installed - just under $250.00. I've always wondered how a pistol like this RIA 1911A1 can be a 1911A1 with a flat mainspring housing. Well I don't like flat mainspring housings. I've got a buddy who is an M1911 guru who donated me a USGI knurled (checkered) arched mainspring housing with a lanyard ring so that was free. Drive out cost; right at $800.00.

I have a new respect for the old .38 Super Automatic. I tend get a bit nostalgic about obsolescent cartridges that should not be consigned to the dust heap. I've put over 1,000 rounds through the pistol in the last six months, including some of the "Boutique" ammo loaded to the original specs for the cartridge. I prefer the Buffalo Bore which sends a 125 gr. JHP down range at about 1,325 fps. It kicks just a bit more than a 9mm +P though it is a lot louder. Second shot recovery is very quick, a lot quicker than a K frame S&W .357 Magnum with the hot loads or an M1911 .45 ACP. That's mid range .357 Magnum performance with just a 'skosh more than 9mm recoil, and I can live with that. It's also a tack driver now that I can actually see my front sight.

I have carried it one time, in a Galco Combat Master holster I borrowed from our son. This was for a semi formal fund raiser breakfast that I was driving my wife and a lady who is the mom of one of the young ladies who works for the non profit the benefit was for. Well I'm not going unarmed into any parking lot in the dark, especially escorting two ladies so I strapped on the RIA. I'd forgotten what nice concealed carry guns M1911s and their clones are. Nary a bulge in my suit jacket and no discomfort at all. I certainly didn't feel under gunned with 11 hot .38 Super jacketed hollow points in the RIA either.

[blackhawknj]

JMB had the concept of a "modular design" long before anyone else. In my case on my Colt Mark IV Series, when I was shooting IPSC I had high fixed sights installed-and then found a spare factory slide. It has the flat mainspring housing, that suits me better. On my AMT Hardballer, Pachmayr grips and a white outline rear sight blade. On my satin nickel Colt Combat Commander MMC sights because the factory ones were just too hard to see. Dean Grenell wrote that he had a well worn M1911 with a well worn barrel that shot patterns, a new barrel and it was shooting groups. The factory slide stop and safety are fine for me. One shooter had a very nice nickeled Government Model, a spare slide made it easier to shoot on bright sunny days. A 38 Super can fire 9MMP merely by changing the barrel and magazine. A 22 Conversion Unit allows for low cost practice and makes it easier to train new shooters.