The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Skunkworks > The Smithy

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old March 28, 2011, 05:19 PM   #1
Cascade1911
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 27, 2011
Location: Dutchess County, NY
Posts: 450
Ed Brown or Wilson Combat for 1911

I'm interested in tuning my 1911 Mil-Spec (Springfield). I'm not looking to build a race gun, just want to smooth out a few rough edges while still having a very reliable firearm. Things I'm contemplating:

Replace the trigger with a long length solid. The Ed Brown is much cheaper but does not look like it has the tabs to adjust forward travel.

Polish, set angle on sear/ hammer. Adjust the factory parts or get new. If new, whose?

Purchase, install a lighter mainspring. Is it a good idea? If so, what spring?

Adjust trigger spring, adjust the factory spring or buy new? If new whose?

Are recoil buffers a good idea?

What's a good book for gun-smithing 1911's?

Thanks in advance for your helpful information.
Cascade1911 is offline  
Old March 28, 2011, 09:22 PM   #2
drail
Junior member
 
Join Date: February 2, 2008
Posts: 3,150
Buy some books and read up. Talk to others who shoot and build competition guns. Asking these questions on an internet forum is going to get you lots of really dumb uninformed opinions mixed in with the intelligent answers. The standard reference book is Jerry Kuhnhausen's 1911 A Shop Manual Vol. 1. Wilson Combat and Ed Brown both make very high quality parts and guns. But all of those parts will need to be precisely fitted together correctly. A 1911 is a system. Change one part and it affects the whole system. Anyone who tells you that their part will "drop in" is trying to get your money. It is very possible to build an excellent gun from a Springfield Mil Spec with the factory original parts and the first order of business would be a match grade bbl and bushing. (again, fitted to your gun). But I have worked on quite a few Mil Specs that shot very tight groups from the factory bbl. with only a new bushing fitted. Make the gun reliable first and then tweak its accuracy.

Last edited by drail; March 28, 2011 at 09:32 PM.
drail is offline  
Old March 28, 2011, 09:56 PM   #3
Unclenick
Staff
 
Join Date: March 4, 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 21,017
I just covered some of this and a book recommendation in my post, here a few minutes ago.
__________________
Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member
CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor
NRA Certified Rifle Instructor
NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle
Unclenick is offline  
Old March 29, 2011, 07:13 PM   #4
Cascade1911
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 27, 2011
Location: Dutchess County, NY
Posts: 450
Thanks all. Jerry Kuhnhausen's 1911 A Shop Manual Vol. 1 is on it's way. (It's amazing that Amazon, cheaper then most on most things online is way high on gun related books. Checkout their prices on Speer's reloading manual and this 1911 manual....)
Cascade1911 is offline  
Old March 30, 2011, 09:35 AM   #5
Unclenick
Staff
 
Join Date: March 4, 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 21,017
I haven't looked for that one on Amazon, but I don't recall seeing Amazon itself stocking gun books. They've always been from other sellers, who do. If you try to get an old or out-of-print book through Amazon, it's not uncommon for the third party sellers to be asking several times the original cover price. It's because they are able to get someone willing to pay it, so I can't really blame them. It's what the market will bear.

One day I looked up Bryan Litz's book, Applied Ballistics for Long Range Shooting on Amazon. It's still in print and available from Bryan directly through his site or through Berger's site for $40 + shipping of about $4, and comes with the CD for his point mass solver trajectory software in an envelope on the inside back cover. But on Amazon, a third party seller had a used copy listed for $66. It disappeared, so somebody bought it. The one place selling a new copy (Kkebooks) wants $54+$4 shipping. That's probably just a normal pass-through margin for the store if Litz is not discounting copies to book sellers. If he is discounting them the usual 40% off cover price, then it's excessive.
__________________
Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member
CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor
NRA Certified Rifle Instructor
NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle
Unclenick is offline  
Old April 13, 2011, 07:37 AM   #6
GURU1911
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 22, 2010
Location: SEALY, THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS
Posts: 501
1911 pistolsmiths recc:

1. Alex hamilton @ 10-ring precision, san antonio, texas
2. Teddy jacobson @ actions by "t", sugarland, texas
3. Wayne novak @ novak's guns, petersburg, wv.
__________________
NRA LIFE MEMBER (1984) & PRESIDENT: S.W. LA. R&P CLUB, LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA (1994-1999)
METALLIC CARTRIDGE RELOADER (1977) & GENTILE CHRISTIAN ZIONIST INFIDEL !!!

"THERE AIN'T TOO MANY THINGS THAT YOU CAN'T FIX, WITH $500 DOLLARS OR A .30-06"
GURU1911 is offline  
Old April 13, 2011, 04:11 PM   #7
GURU1911
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 22, 2010
Location: SEALY, THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS
Posts: 501
Incorrect shop location

Wayne novak's shop is located in parkersburg, w. Va. And not petersburg, as i had originally posted. My mistake !!!!!

Guru1911
__________________
NRA LIFE MEMBER (1984) & PRESIDENT: S.W. LA. R&P CLUB, LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA (1994-1999)
METALLIC CARTRIDGE RELOADER (1977) & GENTILE CHRISTIAN ZIONIST INFIDEL !!!

"THERE AIN'T TOO MANY THINGS THAT YOU CAN'T FIX, WITH $500 DOLLARS OR A .30-06"
GURU1911 is offline  
Old April 13, 2011, 07:41 PM   #8
oneoldsap
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 16, 2009
Location: I live in the foot of the Green Mountains of Vermont
Posts: 1,602
Les Baer !!
oneoldsap is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:48 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.07324 seconds with 8 queries