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Standard improvements to my new (used) 1911?
I'm an experienced shooter, but I have never owned a 1911.
I finally purchased my first 1911. I bought a used 1911 Charles Daly with Hogue combat grips today at a gun show for $300 cash out the door tax included. It came with 2 mags. The dealer was very honest. He told me the slide hangs up a bit and their gunsmith had used a drimmel tool to correct this and the gun fired fine on their test range. The slide still hangs on occassion when cocking the pistol (maybe every 20th time). If I have trouble with it, he'll allow me to trade it in for a another gun and get credit for what I paid. I also picked up a shooting star mag at his recommendation.
Anyway, here's my question. Is there anything I should do to customize the gun with drop in replacements to make it shoot more reliable. However, I wonder if I should replace the recoil spring or other parts (again, my first 1911 and I'm no a gun smith). I am only interested in inexpensive drop-in improvements at this point
Bound's hubby here:
Personally, if I were you, I would not invest any money in accessories for your 1911 until you go and work on the reliable functioning.
You say the slide hangs up... I'm not really certain what this involves. I am a bit concerned that a gunsmith took a dremel to the slide. When you say "hang up", I will presume that you mean the slide starts to close, but will not close completely. This would suggest to me one of two things. Either the barrel is not properly fitted to the slide, or the recoil spring is too weak. What I would do is pick up 3-4 boxes of hardball. (You could get 4 boxes of Remington-UMC 230 grain hardball for about $15 a box.) I would go to the range and shoot up the 200 rounds of ammo, noting the following:
1. how frequently it jams
2. when the pistol jams measure how far the slide is out of battery
3. if you have a camera, photograph the pistol, focusing on the ejection port, everytime it jams.
Then take all this information to your pistol/gunsmith. I am making the dangerous presumption that when you fire your pistol the slide cycles completely rearward, properly extracting and ejecting your empty.
What does disturb me is that someone took a dremel tool to the slide. This action alone may have damaged the accuracy your pistol may have had. A 1911 is really a very simple handgun that should be reliable. If the pistol functions properly, with FMJ roundnose bullets, you are on the road to a reliable pistol. If and when the slide hangs up, extract the cartridge that did not load completely. Inspect the bullet for any cuts or case deformity. It may be that the barrel or the throat were not properly fitted. But back to the slide... it bothers me that someone took a dremel to it.
You may find that all you need is a $10 recoil spring, but you may also find that you do not have accessable accuracy because someone ground down parts of the slide. A 1911 that does not function reliably and is not accurate will always make a great paperweight or conversation piece, but chances are very good you will not trust it to defend your life. Personally, if I were you, I would get my money back and get a new .45 such as a Springfield Armory, a Rock River, Kimber, etc. Often, when you are buying a used semi-auto, you are buyiung someone else's headaches. Too many times, people that don't know what they are doing "accurize" their pistols, making them candidates for the scrap heap.
Just a point to remember... Uncle Sam used the .45 and beyond the changes that made the M1911 the M1911A1, he never saw the need to add enhancement accessories.
Should you have any questions, feel free to e-mail.
Good luck.
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