Accurizing a 1911

[ltorlo64]

OK, so Grump got me thinking about doing some modifications to my Srpingfield GI Issue 1911. A GI Issue is a barebones, Mil-Spec 1911. Grump recommended changing the bushing and/or tightening the slide.

For the bushing, is this just the barrel bushing? That should be easy to change out.

How do you tighten the slide? What is required to do this?

Is there anything else that is not too difficult or too expensive. My 1911 is not expensive, but I would like it to shoot just a little better.

[Krupski]

OK, so Grump got me thinking about doing some modifications to my Srpingfield GI Issue 1911. A GI Issue is a barebones, Mil-Spec 1911. Grump recommended changing the bushing and/or tightening the slide.

For the bushing, is this just the barrel bushing? That should be easy to change out.

How do you tighten the slide? What is required to do this?

Is there anything else that is not too difficult or too expensive. My 1911 is not expensive, but I would like it to shoot just a little better.

John Moses Browning will come to haunt you if you attempt to profane his design.

Do some bench rest shots and see how "bad" the pistol really is and then decide if you REALLY want to mess with perfection.

[ltorlo64]

John Moses Browning will come to haunt you if you attempt to profane his design.

Do some bench rest shots and see how "bad" the pistol really is and then decide if you REALLY want to mess with perfection.

Not looking to change much as I really like my pistol. I just don't shoot it as well as my other weapons and was looking for something that I could do to help. I have shot from a bench and it seem to have a larger spread than I would like.

[Penguin]

If it is a bare bones GI type 1911 the first thing I would do is put better sights on it. While it won't make the gun more acurate it will make it easier to shoot acuratly.

[deth502]

tightening the slide is not an "easy" job.

also, keep in mind, most anything you do to make the machine more accurate, will likely make it less reliable. that loose rattle of the slide helps assure that it will feed anything without jamming. trigger work is prob the only exception to this.

trigger work can be very dangerous if you dont know what your doing. if you dont, id study up on it first. teh easiest thing would be to buy a new oversized trigger with a over travel screw (or tap on in yourself) file it very slowly till you get a perfect sliding fit in your gun with no play. you can stone and polish all of the contact areas of the trigger group, making absolutely sure not to change any of teh angles on anything, if your comfortable with that, but going into trigger work any deeper than that requires a knowledge of what your doing, and the consequences of doing it, and i wouldnt recommend it to an amateur.

the flip side to that, of course, would be to buy some expensive high end drop in triggers, but they arent cheap.

[ltorlo64]

tightening the slide is not an "easy" job.

also, keep in mind, most anything you do to make the machine more accurate, will likely make it less reliable. that loose rattle of the slide helps assure that it will feed anything without jamming. trigger work is prob the only exception to this.

trigger work can be very dangerous if you dont know what your doing. if you dont, id study up on it first. teh easiest thing would be to buy a new oversized trigger with a over travel screw (or tap on in yourself) file it very slowly till you get a perfect sliding fit in your gun with no play. you can stone and polish all of the contact areas of the trigger group, making absolutely sure not to change any of teh angles on anything, if your comfortable with that, but going into trigger work any deeper than that requires a knowledge of what your doing, and the consequences of doing it, and i wouldnt recommend it to an amateur.

the flip side to that, of course, would be to buy some expensive high end drop in triggers, but they arent cheap.

Maybe I won't do anything. I have not noticed my slide being loose. Granted I don't have alot of experience, actually next to none with a high end 1911. All my experience is with this, the ones we used to qualify on in the 80s, and I got to fire two rounds out of an old Kimber Match Grade (I did really well with that one, at least for me). My weapon fires everything I put in it with no FTFs or fail to fires. I love the trigger. I can pull it back just a touch until I feel it engage, then a touch more and it fires. It is not light but definately not heavy. Someday I should measure the trigger pull. I guess I just keep practicing with it. It is very reliable, I just need to become more reliable with it.

[ready]

I'm doing the same thing right now and trust me, nothing 'drops in' and if it does, its a poor fit.