put a 1911 in layaway. need opinions

[alloyguitar]

I'll check for cracks. I'd like to have a slide to match the frame, but for now i'm not going to worry about it until I see how it functions.

And I had just remembered seeing frames on the sarco site (I think) but hadn't looked them up in a bit.

What's your source for them?

 

[ghitch75]

I'll check for cracks. I'd like to have a slide to match the frame, but for now i'm not going to worry about it until I see how it functions.

And I had just remembered seeing frames on the sarco site (I think) but hadn't looked them up in a bit.

What's your source for them?

check GB for a slide...

 

[Double T]

Order an unmarked slide, or leave it be

Or send me a PM

 

[alloyguitar]

I just wonder how bad fitting an unmarked slide to it would be.

 

[xM3RC1L3SS1x]

I would jump on that in a heartbeat.

 

[Drail]

Definitely strip it down, clean the snot out of it and under a bright light look for the beginnings of any cracks in the frame. Do all of the safety checks. If it looks solid shoot it and see what you got. Don't worry about dry firing it, it will not hurt anything. Just DO NOT drop the slide closed when the gun is empty. Ease it shut. I built 1911s for IPSC/USPSA competition for 15 years and everybody dry fires them. When doing trigger jobs you have to dry fire them A LOT. I have NEVER seen any damage done from it. The only thing that can happen after years of dry firing is the rear end of the firing pin may mushroom out like a well used chisel. This takes a very long time to happen and the pin can be chucked in a drill or lathe and turned back down to original spec. If you want to tinker with 1911s buy the Jerry Kuhnhausen 1911 shop manual, just Vol 1. Everything you need to know about tuning a 1911 to the nth degree is in that book. It will pay for itself by keeping you from making mistakes. Keep us posted. Any questions you have feel free to send me a PM.

 

[45-70]

Why change out the slide? Inspect it from stem to stern and if everything checks out put it back together and shoot a few boxes through it. After you shoot it you'll better know what you want to change if anything. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one just like it. Good score, enjoy.

 

[alloyguitar]

I was just worried about auto ordinances, well, lack of quality, much less quality control, over the years, hence my pondering a slide swap.

Plus the comment earlier about the slide not having the proper heat treat also has me wondering.

I'll definitely plan on picking up that book, drail, and i'm sure you'll get a pm or two from me once I get it out of layaway.

I appreciate all the help, guys. Like I said, i'm a 1911 rookie, so I need all I can get.

 

[45fan]

Sounds like you found a good deal. As seems to be the overwhelming consensus, take it home, look it over carefully, and shoot the snot out of it. As far as anything that you might want to budget for, magazines come to mind. Even if it isnt in good running order, as long as the frame isnt cracked quality magazines will likely be a first step in troubleshooting a function issue.

 

[halfmileharry]

That's another beauty of a 1911. Parts galore for them.
I upgraded a few of my old 1911s and ended up with enough parts (less frame) to build two more guns. I kept swapping parts around until I got the best matching "Rat Guns" for accuracy. Not pretty but "different".
Good shooters.
Heck of a good price on a 1911.
It may be an excellent shooter. If it is..."Don't fix it IF it ain't broke"

 

[ghitch75]

Sounds like you found a good deal. As seems to be the overwhelming consensus, take it home, look it over carefully, and shoot the snot out of it. As far as anything that you might want to budget for, magazines come to mind. Even if it isnt in good running order, as long as the frame isnt cracked quality magazines will likely be a first step in troubleshooting a function issue.

i wouldn't worry about the frame......the slide is what will give trouble if any...

 

[alloyguitar]

What would be a good, reliable magazine for it? It came with one (didn't check for branding or anything), but nobody wants to spend an afternoon reloading a single magazine every few minutes.

 

[ghitch75]

Wilson Combat ETM'S......

 

[45fan]

Wilson mags are good, some people like Chip McCormicks, my 1911s seem to run pretty good on Kimber mags. I have a few Korean manufacture mags that my government model doesnt complain about either, but YMMV.

 

[Drail]

If cost is no object Wilson and Tripp are generally very good but I have seen more than a few Wilsons develop cracks at the rear of the feed lips over time. My wife had 8 of them and 5 of them cracked. They claim they have fixed the problem. I still think that everything Wilson makes is good stuff but overpriced. A lot. I have personally had very good performance with McCormick Shooting Stars for considerably less money. But my McCormicks are now twenty years old. They still function perfectly in all my 1911s. I don't know about the current ones.

 

[Tombs]

What would be a good, reliable magazine for it? It came with one (didn't check for branding or anything), but nobody wants to spend an afternoon reloading a single magazine every few minutes.

Checkmate hybrid 8rnd welded floor plate.
http://www.checkmatemagazines.com/cart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=12&idproduct=34

You're not going to find a better magazine on the market for less money. They're what I run, and I love them. I can't say enough for how good of a product they are.

If you only want to run ball, and don't mind 7 round capacity, the checkmate GI 7 rounders are a thing of beauty.
http://www.checkmatemagazines.com/cart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=11&idproduct=28

 

[sipowicz30]

My first 1911 was a great buy and the seller told me it was messed up and needed a lot of work. Bought two new magazines and carried that gun for 10 years without any problems. There was nothing wrong with the gun.

 

[Drail]

Maybe he just couldn't figure out why it wouldn't fire in double action mode.

 

[45-70]

Maybe he just couldn't figure out why it wouldn't fire in double action mode.

Good one! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[alloyguitar]

Bahahahaha. That had to have been it.

I've been researching 1911 ao slides cracking (because I can't leave anything well enough alone) and have convinced myself that I can see small hairline cracks behind the lock back notch in the slide, so I guess i'll be planning on replacing it immediately. If it is cracked there, is it safe to fire? I saw a drawing of the typical places they crack, and this wasn't one of them, and googling got me nowhere, so I thought I'd ask.

If they are there, I must have missed them when checking out the pistol in the shop, or something. Or they're just incredibly faint. Or i'm hallucinating.

I've also read that replacing the recoil spring every 5,000 (I think. Been a long day) rounds is necessary. Seeing as how I have no idea of round count, and a wilson spring kit is inexpensive enough, i'm going to go ahead and count on replacing those to make me feel better, if nothing else.

I also will be purchasing at least one of the checkmate mags, as well as an el cheapo mag or two to provide me with a baseline. It's hard to tell if a magazine's worth it if you have nothing to compare it to.