1911... now what?

Geerubb

Geerubb

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So I finally got my hands on a 5" 9mm Springfield 1911. I bought this mainly to do Steel Challenge in Single Stack. So now that I have this thing - what are the "must have" upgrades for a competition 1911? This is a whole new world for me, so I'm looking for someone who knows what they are doing with these things. So far I can tell I want to do some trigger work (kit, gunsmith, or other?), smooth out the action, magwell, etc.

Looking forward to your advice
 
8lb recoil spring. 135 or 147 gr bullets pushing 100-120ish pf.
Dawson .060 front fiber sight, bomar rear sight with narrow notch, elevation and windage adjustments.
Gunsmith trigger job. EGW fire control parts. SVI Flat face trigger with 2lb break and very short reset.

And destroy the field with this hotrod set up
 
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Ok.
Here’s the thing.
It’s a 1911, not a glock.
Just grabbing a bunch of parts and throwing them in might work, but for best results you are going to need a gunsmith to hand fit everything.
Even if you go with high end parts from Wilson, Hatfield, or whomever, they still might need to be fit.

A flat face trigger is always great- allows you to have the same leverage regardless of finger placement.

A match grade bushing and oversized barrel (DEFINITELY needs to be custom hand fit) for more perfect lockup.
 
Are there any local smiths that would be recommended for this type of work?

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk
 
Mike Overlay said:
8lb recoil spring. 135 or 147 gr bullets pushing 100-120ish pf.
Dawson .060 front fiber sight, bomar rear sight with narrow notch, elevation and windage adjustments.
Gunsmith trigger job. EGW fire control parts. SVI Flat face trigger with 2lb break and very short reset.

And destroy the field with this hotrod set up
Click to expand...
This!

I run a 9lb recoil spring but hotter ammo than what was suggested. Don’t know if Dawson does .060’s any more so something like a Brazos lightning rod may fit the bill better as I agree the .060 fiber would be better for steel challenge. May also look at having the grip safety pinned when you have a smith do the trigger. Do it the right way with a roll pin.

Just got a 9mm 1911 rig myself. I’m going to play around in USPSA SS minor division. Practice some stage planning and some reloads then hop back in the limited seat.

F85F83C2-FE4C-4F69-9F1A-E3BCA3FC8865.jpeg

Geerubb said:
Are there any local smiths that would be recommended for this type of work?

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Pendergraft Gun Works. Joel did my edge trigger and I’ve been really pleased. Lot of folks use Jeff Abernathy at Tommy Guns.
 
I use Joel for everything. Good to know he does 1911 work also.
Slappy McTrigger said:
This!

I run a 9lb recoil spring but hotter ammo than what was suggested. Don’t know if Dawson does .060’s any more so something like a Brazos lightning rod may fit the bill better as I agree the .060 fiber would be better for steel challenge. May also look at having the grip safety pinned when you have a smith do the trigger. Do it the right way with a roll pin.

Just got a 9mm 1911 rig myself. I’m going to play around in USPSA SS minor division. Practice some stage planning and some reloads then hop back in the limited seat.

View attachment 81000



Pendergraft Gun Works. Joel did my edge trigger and I’ve been really pleased. Lot of folks use Jeff Abernathy at Tommy Guns.
Click to expand...
 
Geerubb said:
I use Joel for everything. Good to know he does 1911 work also.
Click to expand...
I have not been able to get Joel to do some routine 1911 stuff in the past, but for a match type gun he might be interested.

And this might not suit you for steel challenge, but here's what I did to one of my IDPA match blasters. Springfield RO

-Tweaked the two left legs of the sear spring to get the trigger to 4lbs (my preference).
-Smith and Alexander mag guide
-VZ Operator grips
-Harrison extreme duty rear U-Notch sight to replace the clunky, sharp-dged LPA adjustable rear sight.
-Wilson Bullet-Proof wide lever thumb safety (sooo much more comfortable to ride the thumb safety than the stock Springer safety) and this part dropped in. Yes, dropped in with no fitting. Not true on my other 1911's, but it did on this Springer.
-Dawson grip tape on the front strap.

The best part is you can do this all yourself if you are so inclined.

fullsizeoutput_aac.jpeg
 
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A master gunsmith I know was once asked to do a trigger job on a brand new gun. He told the guy to run 2000 rounds through it, then come talk if he still felt he needed a trigger job.

I’m not at all discounting the years of combined competition experience represented in this thread, but there is also great value in spending some time shooting the gun as it is to see what you think needs to be changed, if anything.
 
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