I'm shopping for a 1911, any advice?

[Paladin]

Find an old Colt series 70 government & build it. Go slow & increase your budget gradually over time.

[ready]

How about extractors. External vs. Internal. I know JMB designed it with an internal but he also put an external on the HP. I see some of the high end custom makers are also offering external extractors. External seems low maintenance and easier to replace. Why go traditional?

[Krupski]

How about extractors. External vs. Internal. I know JMB designed it with an internal but he also put an external on the HP. I see some of the high end custom makers are also offering external extractors. External seems low maintenance and easier to replace. Why go traditional?

The internal extractor of a 1911 works just fine. As far as "easier to replace", the internal one is easier. You just remove the firing pin retainer and it slides out the back. An external extractor usually requires that a pin be driven out with a punch.

As long as you have a good extractor (good edge on it and tensioned properly), it will work 100%.

[Krupski]

Find an old Colt series 70 government & build it. Go slow & increase your budget gradually over time.

+! yes get a Series 70, NOT a Series 80.

[ready]

Don't internal extractors have to be bent a certain way to apply the appropriate force to extract? If I had to buy a replacement, is it drop in or would I have to bend it myself?

[NAPOTS]

Don't internal extractors have to be bent a certain way to apply the appropriate force to extract? If I had to buy a replacement, is it drop in or would I have to bend it myself?

I was under this impression as well. If I remember right the extractor generally has a high round count before failure, most of us probably won't shoot that much.

[crlovel]

I recently purchased a Smith & Wesson 1911. Great pistol, absolutely love it, and very accurate.

[Krupski]

Don't internal extractors have to be bent a certain way to apply the appropriate force to extract? If I had to buy a replacement, is it drop in or would I have to bend it myself?

USUALLY, when you buy a replacement (internal) extractor, they are pre-bent to the right tension.

If you DO need to bend one, it's very easy to do.. and it's not all that critical.

What you should know about a 1911 extractor is that it does not ride up and then snap over the rim of the cartridge... the cartridge slides up the breechface and under the extractor.

That's why you're supposed to chamber a 1911 from the magazine and NOT by placing a round in the chamber and closing the slide.

I adjust my extractors on the tight side. You can check the tension by using a regular round (or safer.... a dummy round). Chamber it, then pull the slide back slowly so that the round hits the ejector. If it hangs up on the extractor and is fairly difficult to pull off by hand, it's adjusted properly.

The "violence" of the slide coming back after a real firing is more than enough to flip the spent casing out.

[ready]

Roger that. I just looked at a Springfield Loaded "Champion" Looks like a decent carry piece...

[shadow65]

My father has a couple of S&W 1911's that are around the same price range and they are well build guns and shoot well. The only problem with the Kimber, Colt and the S&W is the firing pin safety. At least its easy to get rid of the springfield ILS.

I'll give you that. ILS is easily replaced.
I wish other manufacturers would have taken the same road Springfield di as far as lawyer induced modifications to JMB's design.

[crlovel]

Ready, what part of Bucks County are you in? We have a wealth of gun shops around here. Tanner's has a good suppply of 1911's, probably the best supply in the area. Surplus City always has some, too. Quinby's usually has a few, too.

[ready]

I'm in Bristol. I've never been in Quinby's, that's a little far north for me but I'm in Tanner's all the time and Rob and Surplus City knows me well. Bought my first gun from him. There's a few others I check out occasionally but those are my 2 favorites.

[Krupski]

I'll give you that. ILS is easily replaced.
I wish other manufacturers would have taken the same road Springfield di as far as lawyer induced modifications to JMB's design.

My Springfield GI 45 came in a 1911A1 configuration and I wanted it to look like an older 1911, so I replaced the appropriate parts (one of them being the curved mainspring housing). I installed a new-old stock arsenal spare flat housing on my Springer which of course gets rid of the stupid ILS. Thankfully, the ILS part is a standard size and a genuine 1911 part drops right in place of it.

[itchyfinger]

Buy the one I just posted in the market place. Save yourself some money. I'd put it up against a TRP, Wilson, EB, any of them. Best shooting 1911 I've ever owned and I've owned all the afore mentioned.

[TEN-32]

Can one of you elaborate a bit on the Springfield ILS mainspring housing? I'm trying to decide whether or not to replace it. What are the benefits, and what is the process to remove/replace?

Thanks.

[ready]

I don't know anything about the ILS mainspring housing but there are some videos on youtube for complete disassembly and reassembly of 1911's.

[Gunreference1]

Can one of you elaborate a bit on the Springfield ILS mainspring housing? I'm trying to decide whether or not to replace it. What are the benefits, and what is the process to remove/replace?

Thanks.

TEN-32, visit the link below. It shold give you the information you need to remove & replace the Springfield ILS system.

http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=135279

Hope this helps!

Steve

[aliceinchains]

Roger that. I just looked at a Springfield Loaded "Champion" Looks like a decent carry piece...

Seems like your leaning to Springfield. I have a champion and love it.

[Arnulf]

So, I had a Sig GSR 1911 a few years ago. It's the only 1911 I've ever owned. I sold it and I've regretted it ever since. I'm looking at buying another one but haven't decided on which one to get. I have about a $1500 budget. I was thinking Springfield TRP but I thought I'd ask you guys, first. It will be an occasional carry gun so reliablity is important.

Thanks in advance!

I seen a Thompson 1911 .45 on the falfiles for $375?

[TEN-32]

TEN-32, visit the link below. It shold give you the information you need to remove & replace the Springfield ILS system.

http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=135279

Hope this helps!

Steve

Thank you Steven. I don't see what benefit I will derive from replacing this assembly. I think I'll leave it stock.