1911 guys... help

[360 Notch]

I got a .45 full size and want to fix it up.

It was a present from a gf and would like to carry it for my ccw when I can fit it on me.


Got any pics and or ideas on what to do to the gun....


Its all black/blued with a beaver tail and std everything else.

[That_Is_My_El_Camino]

Uh...buy a $15 Uncle Mike's Inside the Pants holster, and carry it. :confused:

*Assuming you have a CHL.

[GT98SVO]

Get some good magazines: Chip McCormick or Wilson Combat. I think MetalForm makes the stock Springfield magazine.

These guys sell high dollar guns, you can just upgrade with some of their parts.

NightHawk
Caspian Arms. <- awesome looking pieces.
Les Baer.
Wilson Combat.
Ed Brown.

Brownells. <- Catalog has lots of goodies. Catalog is free I think. Helps to have it when ordering.

Getting a nice coating in 2-tone is pretty trendy right now. I like the Springfield EMP or Sig Sauer.

You can turn it into a race gun with compensator, mag well, holographic sight with deflector and 10rnd extended mags. See STI in Georgetown, TX.

Bull Barrels look cool, but bushing barreled guns can be the most accurate.

Custom trigger, sear, hammer and springs can really improve on accuracy.

Most, if not all, the manuf's have custom parts and center to install them for ya.

Novak Extreme Duty night sights if it has the Novak cut.

Heinie Straight 8 sights are pretty awesome as well.

Some Cocobolo grips are nice. Lots of different designs and materials: wood, plastic, aluminum, rubber. Several good brands.

If you want to go hard core. Try a 45 Super or a 460 Rowland conversion. Both are very stout and push the limits of a 1911. if the gun is in excellent condition and of high quality, the 45 Super can be done with proper brass and recoil spring. The 460 Rowland requires a new barrel, plus items needed to be upgraded with 45 Super.

Some parts are drop in, others require a lot of 'smith work. Fitting a bull barrel is not cheap to get it right.

[FatassLX]

Upgrading, Ed Brown, Cylinder & Slide. C&S for trigger parts.

[360 Notch]

triggers intrest me...

I know from my AR that a good or bad trigger can make or break a gun.

The stuff from Kimber and Les Baer has always caught my eye.

The damascus steel look is pretty cool with my mostly black gun.


thanks guys

[Strychnine]

Some Cocobolo grips are nice.


That's the first thing I did to mine... and the last :o

[Cmarsh93z]

Trigger, sites, grips...and get a nice holster. I have an upgraded trigger on my Kimber, and thats the first thing people notice when they shoot it. Then they always comment on how accurate it is :D

[Jason94Cobra]

Get a set of these... provided it is a full size and not compact , although Chief Hasty may make these in compact, you just won't get initials like mine. He also makes them in a textured tactical finish which I have also. I just don't have pictures of the textured ones at the moment.

http://members.aol.com/killerbtlr/myhomepage/cobragrips.jpg

[JESmith]

Welcome to the sickness we call 1911. A few pointers..

If you are going to carry it, reliability comes first. Get good mags. These are the Achiles heel of a 1911. I prefer Wilson Combat myself. Don't bet your life on $10 mag. Buy ammo the feeds reliably in your gun. If it won't feed - Forget IT - no matter how wonderful it is supposed to be.

Don't go crazy with the mods. Most tricked out 1911's don't make good carry guns. Tight guns are picky about ammo, dirt, grime, etc. With a 1911 you really can't have both. I have a competition gun and a carry gun. They are set up for their functions and do their intended jobs very well. I would not want to swap them though.

Get good comfortable grips that fit your hand. you will shoot better.

Don't let your buddy hack on your gun because he "knows 1911s" Especially gunsmiths. Most of them will do more harm than good. I know most of the gunsmiths in the DFW area and there are only a couple I would let touch my stuff.

When modifying your gun think about the whole picture. Everything has to work together. More expensive parts don't alway make your gun shoot any better. I can't tell you how may 1911's I have handled that were a Heinz 57 of uber expensive parts and the gun shot like crap. Then the owner would shoot one of my Colts and go "Wow what did you do to this?" Nothing, just a factory gun with a little polishing.

There was a guy on this board that built a really classy 1911 fairly inexpensively about two months ago. See if you can find his posts. I haven't built a 1911 in a few years. He used some newer manufactures I don't know anything about. Anyway, he did his homework and it came out nice.