1911 mods

[mushroom]

I've had 3 1911's before..all government models.. 2 colts and one w/ essex slide remington rand frame... had some mods done to the stainless colt.. After seeing that beautiful colt the Marines are going to get I'm missing having a 45 again. What mods are effective in ya'lls opinion? I like fixed sights.. like them to be night sights too.. I like houge 2 piece grips. I know lot's of people stay "mil-spec" and others port, throat, change beaver tail or hammers, put in guide rods, and do trigger work, use extended safeties,... I'm thinking IF it feeds everything good and has a good trigger the rest is just for cosmetics.. what do ya'll see as "need to have" mods? Also on a side note.. some of the smaller officers size or smaller use bell barrels and no bushings.. is this a good thing or just a necessity for the small size? Lastly, Is duracoat or clearcoat a paint? parkerizing? Thanks guys! And Thank you John Moses Browning!! HAHAHA!

[NAPOTS]

I've had 3 1911's before..all government models.. 2 colts and one w/ essex slide remington rand frame... had some mods done to the stainless colt.. After seeing that beautiful colt the Marines are going to get I'm missing having a 45 again. What mods are effective in ya'lls opinion? I like fixed sights.. like them to be night sights too.. I like houge 2 piece grips. I know lot's of people stay "mil-spec" and others port, throat, change beaver tail or hammers, put in guide rods, and do trigger work, use extended safeties,... I'm thinking IF it feeds everything good and has a good trigger the rest is just for cosmetics.. what do ya'll see as "need to have" mods? Also on a side note.. some of the smaller officers size or smaller use bell barrels and no bushings.. is this a good thing or just a necessity for the small size? Lastly, Is duracoat or clearcoat a paint? parkerizing? Thanks guys! And Thank you John Moses Browning!! HAHAHA!

You might want to look at buying one already done up. A Springfield loaded is pro ably not a bad option. For me I'd have to have decent sights give sights suck, trigger, hammer flat msh' beaver tail, polished fed ramp, lowered and flared ejection port, I really like g10 grips. I do prefer however a gi recoil spring plug over a full length guide rod.

[deth502]

the correct answer is:

a beavertail safety.

that is the only acceptable mod over the mil spec configuration.

duracoat is a paint. it is usually put on after parking to allow it a surface to "bite" from the factory, but is easy enough to do at home without much prep.

[Schuetzenman]

Definitely the beavertail grip safety to prevent hammer bite. I like Pachmyre wrap around rubber grips, they don't slip if your hands are seating. Flared barrels are done because of length limitations in super compact .45's. I personally like extended slide releases and safeties, but clearly these weapons work just fine without them. Duracoat as already mentioned is a paint on finish, it does not require baking to make it set up but it can be hurried by baking at low temperatures below 200 degrees F. Gun Kote and Cera Kote are KG industries products. They are a spray on finish that needs to be put on to parkerized finish or their propietary product K-Phos on a freshly sand blasted surface. These finishes are then baked at 320°F for 1 hour, or for longer time at lower temperatures. I do Gun Kote on my weapons and it is extremely durable, makes the weapon virtually rust proof. Never done a trigger job on one, never felt the need to. But then again I can tolerate a Glock trigger and those mentally break a lot of handgun shooters, especially ones that are used to the .45 1911 type triggers.

[Durangokid]

1911 pistols work better when you keep them simple. More you add to them the more problems you have.

[Krupski]

What mods are effective in ya'lls opinion?

The only mod a 1911 needs is to change the recoil spring from 16# to 20#. Anything else is blasphemy.

[Krupski]

1911 pistols work better when you keep them simple. More you add to them the more problems you have.

[Krupski]

the correct answer is:

a beavertail safety.

What's wrong with hammer bite? Chicks dig scars, and real 1911's bite. Live with it.

(besides, the 1911A1 has a larger grip safety and minimizes bite - don't need a beavertail).

[deth502]

What's wrong with hammer bite? Chicks dig scars, and real 1911's bite. Live with it.

(besides, the 1911A1 has a larger grip safety and minimizes bite - don't need a beavertail).

merely for the feel of the grip and nothing else. that thin top on the gi grip safety, i can feel dig into the web of my hand and is somewhat annoying. also, for the same reason, arched mainspring housing. i must be the minority in that too, as last time i was looking for one, they were very hard to find, while the straight ones were a dime a dozen.

[mushroom]

Sounds good guys... I had the beaver tail installed on the ss one I had because I wanted a commander hammer... I'm thinking my next will be "milspec" as long as it feeds and the trigger feels good.. only thing I might mess w/ is fixed night sights, grips, and that duracoat stuff... I am surprised nobody spoke up for the guide rod.. I don't think I'll do it on the next one.. I just want reliable and effective... don't plan on needing it to be more accurate than I am hahaha! Thanks!!