The Firing Line Forums

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

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old February 6, 2000, 09:08 AM   #1
Big George
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 9, 1999
Location: Lynchburg, Va
Posts: 125
I pass this along as a disgruntled consumer/shooter.

I recently bought a new 1911A1. (mail order-internet) It appeared to have a commander style hammer and had the usual 3 holes drilled in the trigger. The gun was sadly lacking in quality and final inspection. I took the gun to one of the nation's leading 1911 pistolsmiths...He found that the barrel hood was way too short, the slide/frame was less than acceptable, and there was a general "roughness" about the action and files marks, and "swirls" all over the inside of the slide and frame. The trigger pull was rough and about 6 lbs.+ He advised me to return the gun to the manufacturer.

I shipped the gun to the factory ($32.10 out of my pocket) after telling them what I had found wrong, and also requested that they do a trigger job to 3.5 lbs.

I got a phone call a month later saying that the warranty work had been done and that the gun was in the custom shop for the trigger job. They said that in order to do any trigger less than 4 lbs, I would have to give them written permission. They also said that I would have to buy a new hammer and sear for the gun to do the 3.5 lb job. This surprised me because the gun had a "commander style" hammer. The trigger although equipped with the obligatory three holes, had no overtravel adjustment , so I asked them to replace that item also.

3 months and $240 later, I have my gun back...frankly, I wish I had asked a professional smith to do the job. The trigger pull has creep and lots of take up, and the rest of the work could have been done by a good smith for the same price.

My point is: Beware of these 191A1s that have fancy looking parts...Check out that 3 hole trigger to see if it has an overtravel adjustment. Check out that "commander style" hammer, it is match grade or just window dressing?

Perhaps the host of this board would care to comment...he's one of the best smiths in the biz.
Big George is offline  
Old February 6, 2000, 09:10 AM   #2
Rosco P. Coltrain
Junior member
 
Join Date: October 7, 1999
Posts: 267
Ahhhh, just get a glock and don't worry about gunsmithing bills.
Rosco P. Coltrain is offline  
Old February 6, 2000, 03:32 PM   #3
George Stringer
Staff Alumnus
 
Join Date: October 12, 1998
Location: Earlington KY
Posts: 2,299
Big George, I might have charged that much to do the same work. Weld up and re-fit the hood- $45, action job (polishing all the internal parts) $85, 3.5# trigger including a new Wilson A-6 Sear and oversize hammer and sear pins- $65. Removing the take-up would have been part of the trigger work but installing a overtravel adjustment screw in your trigger would have cost you $12. And I would have probably tried to talk you into a letting me fit a match grade bushing while I had it-$46 including the bushing. You might not have saved any money but you would have been satisfied with the work. George
George Stringer is offline  
Old February 6, 2000, 05:26 PM   #4
Big George
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 9, 1999
Location: Lynchburg, Va
Posts: 125
Thanks for the reply George...I'm certain that your work would have been better. The cleaning up and deburring of internal parts is something this manufacturer charges extra for...kinda like..."we didn't build it right the first time, but we'll let you, the owner, pay to complete the manufacturing process"

The barrel was replaced under warranty, and an Infinity trigger was installed at my request, so it wasn't a total loss.

My other point, George, was that these hammers and triggers are eye wash. The average buyer doesn't realize that they are junk. They aren't even light weight, but they look like the real McCoy. I gotta admit, I thought I was getting match stuff. They sent the old hammer, trigger, and sear back to me...they would make a good anchor for a Mike boat!

Semper Fi!
Big George is offline  
Old February 6, 2000, 06:27 PM   #5
faiello5
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Big George, who manufactured this gun so that we can all have a heads up?

Frank
 
Old February 7, 2000, 07:56 AM   #6
Big George
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 9, 1999
Location: Lynchburg, Va
Posts: 125
I'm gonna have to keep the gunsmith's and the manufacturer's name to myself. It may be obvious to most handgun folks. The mere mention of a name would serve no purpose but to start a pissin' contest.

My point is to check out every gun before you buy it. If it is at a dealer or gun show, ask to have it disassembled so you can check it over. Remember that should you want to have a trigger job done, some 1911A1s may require extensive parts replacement to achieve less than 4 lbs.

Check with a leading pistolsmith to see what he will charge to do the work...In my case, the factory custom shop job was not up to the standards that most pistolsmiths adhere to. Your smith will talk to you about take-up, overtravel and such...he will make it easy for you to understand what you are paying for.
Big George 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 05:57 PM.


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 0.06481 seconds with 10 queries