I just can't leave well enough alone, haha! I've been watching this guy Jay Williams build a 1911 from the ground up and it's a pretty informative series. Before watching it, I barely knew how to detail strip my 1911, let alone mod it. Now I'm comfortable with the detail strip, and tinkering here and there, and even understanding some of the mechanisms. Some of the stuff that's still way beyond me is the contact points between the hammer and sear, and some other fitment issues like fitting a slide, fitting a barrel and bushing. I'll probably watch this series some more and use it as my 1911 bible. Here's the first vid in a series of 11 videos.
I didn't quite go that far, but I decided to at least start with baby steps and polish a few parts of my 1911, try to make it a bit smoother. I stripped it all apart and started and started polishing the trigger bow, but eventually I polished the trigger itself. All I had laying around was 320 grit sandpaper, Scotchbrite and Flitz:
Compare that to the original:
A lot of people polish the trigger bow track as well, but I didn't have the file or the smarts to do that so I just left it at this.
Next, i did the sear and disconnector. I didn;t have the courage to polish too much because I didn't want to start taking material off, just wanted to smooth out the surfaces a bit.
Here's the other side of the sear before polishing.
More shots of the disconnector.
I took some sandpaper to the track inside the grip safety for the hammer strut.
Again, I wasn't sure if my sanding would take off material so on the hammer strut, I sanded it for a bit, then quit when it felt a bit smooth enough. I may revisit it later to get it smoother.
Sanded down the side of the contact points of the hammer as well, but I didn't go anywhere near the contacts between the hammer and sear. No tools, no jig, no experience. Better leave that to a pro.
I tried polishing a bit of the barrel, but that was a lost cause. Frig that steel is hard, so all I was able to do was polish a bit of the chamber feed lip.
Anyway, I slapped it all together and the trigger did feel smoother, but was still a heavy pull to break. I've been reading about cutting a coil or two off the mainspring, but I'm not sure if that's a good idea. I'll do a bit more reading, maybe get a pro to take a look at it, but so far, it's a lot better than when I got the Norc.
I went to the range last night to try out a few new goodies. First was the new Competition Match Hammer & Sear kit that I installed in the 10/22 a while back, next was the Winchester Hollow Point 36 grain, 1280fps, copper plated .22lr 555pk I picked up (cheap at $23), and lastly my new Norinco 1911A1 Government with all my new goodies added on (should have tested it out stock before mods but too late now).
First up was the new Winchester ammo versus the Federal bulk stuff, also 36 grain, 1260 fps, also copper plated hollow points, but 525 for about $29 at Canadian Tire. I shot Federal out of my GSG 1911 Tactical first from a standing position, unsupported from about 5 meters (Yeah, I know, I'm a crap shot) and you can sort of get the idea that the Federal (right side target) held a tighter grouping than the Winchester (left side target).
I backed it off to 10 meters and my groupings got progressively worse, but still, the Federal (right side target) looked like it held together a bit better than Winchester (left side target). I'd also like to note that the Winchester had a few failure to feed, and I got one dud. The Federal loaded fine, and there were no duds.
So my pistol work needs more attention, so to get a little confidence, I switched over to my Ruger 10/22 (buried in the Archangel Marauder stock kit) and kept the target sheet out at 15I meters. Unfortunately, my red dot crapped out on me (after having the same battery in there for more than 7 years (got the red dot in Japan 7 years ago for my airsoft gun, never played, haha!). Anyway, I mucked around with the red dot for a bit, then ended up ripping it out and using the back up iron sights. 25 rounds for each target sheet and with the Federal (right side target), I ended up shooting through the same holes and with the Winchester (left side target) it was slightly sloppier.
In this test, I was also trying out the Competition Match Hammer & Sear kit that I installed in the 10/22 and I'm glad I got it. It made for a llighter and smoother trigger pull compared to stock (and I've only taken my 10/22 to the range once before this trip). The trigger reset was nice and crisp, which made for nice follow up shots as well. Before, the reset was a bit vague and it wasn't always a clean reset (or maybe I just needed to break it in), but with the new kit, there was no doubt and I was able to make those follow up shots without any doubt.
I tried a mag dump with the 10/22 from 15 meters, rapid rate of fire unsupported, and was able to get most rounds on the target sheet and though both sheets represent my sloppy marksmanship skills, you can sort of tell the Federal (right side targer) seemed to hang around the same area where the Winchester (left side sheet) walked all over the place.
I pushed the target sheets to the back of the range (about 17 meters) and did a comparison of the Winchester ammo in my 10/22 (right side target) and the same ammo in my GSG 1911. I guess it's a no brainer to say that the rifle was far more accurate than the pistol, but both are equally fun to shoot.
Next was my Norinco 1911A1 Government. Again, I should have shot the thing stock, but I hastily installed a bunch of stuff that I ordered before my gun even arrived. Thankfully it all worked (some parts needed some serious massaging) out in the end and I didn't have the gun explode on me (Guess that's what the function test is for). Anyway, at 10 meters out, the my first mag was a bit sloppy, but it didn't take long to get used to shooting it. My second mag on the left (with the exception of the one flyer) is almost respectable. My groupings improved throughout the night, and I was fairly happy with the Norc.
I'm kind of curious how it would perform without the "upgrades" I installed. The trigger doesn't break as nice as it did when it was stock, and maybe it's because I'm using a straight out of the box Smith and Wesson hammer/strut assembly with the stock Norinco sear? Also, I noticed that it takes more energy to rack the slide, and I wonder if this has to do with using the Springfield Armoury msh....it was definitely harder to put it back on......maybe I should have changed out some of the springs as well? I guess it will need further tuning. I might end up returning the gun to stock, or just get another one and keep it stock, and keep fiddling around with this one, haha!
The Norinco mags I got were crap. One of them would not feed properly if loaded with 7 rounds. It fed fine with only 6 rounds, but that's kind silly. The other mag did this intermittantly, but my Wilson Combat stainless steel mags fed flawlessly every single time.
I wonder if it's worth going back to Canada Ammo and exchanging the mag, or not bother with it and get a few more Wilson Combat mags.
At the end of the day, I was really happy, almost giddy with my new Norinco 1911A1 Government that I got from the Canada Ammo deal - 1000 rounds and the pistol for $499. It was definitely worth the price, because even though I sort of butchered the gun with my hokey install of after martet parts, it still performed well. But I might return the gun to stock since I didn't do anything permanent.
People say the ammo is loaded hot, and comes out hard, but most of my shooting experience has been with the Norinco ammo and I think I've only shot a few boxes of Blazer and Federal so I really can't compare the two.
And as I menttioned before, I'm almost tempted to get another one since the stock appearance of the 1911A1 Government started to really grow on me. I like the modernized look of my Remington R1 Enhanced, with all the bells and whistles, but at the same time I like the classic look as well.....yeah, I'll probably end up getting another one, haha!
Regarding the Winchester ammo, well, it's okay to plink with, but I would say it isn't very reliable, or at least I wouldn't depend on it. It's cheap enough, but after about 300 rounds in both the 10/22 and the GSG 1911, I was willing to cough up the extra $5 or whatever for the reliability and consistancy of the Federal.
And lastly, I'm more than satisfied with the Competition Match Hammer & Sear kit for my 10/22. The stock one wasn't bad, and probably needed to be just broken in, but this kit provided a straight drop-in, buttery smooth trigger pull that's just light years ahead of the stock one. Well worth the $$$.
Up until recently, I had no idea what the difference was between a muzzle brake, flash hider and compensator were. I’m still scratching my head over it sometimes. I found this on the AR15.com forum, pretty basic stuff:
Flash Suppressor - reduces flash at the muzzle
Muzzle Brake - Reduces recoil (gas pushes forward) and may reduce muzzle flip
Compensator - Reduce muzzle flip ( redirects gas usually upwards.)
I don't shoot competitvely or anything, and the reason I got interested in these things is because I went out to the range with a pal of mine a few months back, and I was shooting my AR (standard 14.5 in barrel with the A2 Birdcage, happily throwing rounds down range, and occasionally hitting the target sheet. Then my pal told me to try his new build. It was a shorter barrel (10.5 in I think) and he said he was using a Battlecomp 1.0 (but he recommended I get the PWS FSC556). I was watching the dot through his Micro T1 on the target sheet and it barely moved when I let off a round. I watched holes materialize pretty much where the dot was, and each subsequent trigger squeeze didn't make holes where I didn't want them to be. I was pretty impressed and wanted my rifle to perform the same so I started searching around.
I made the mistake of rushing off to get one that sort of resembled his device, but didn't have the $$ handy to get one. I settled for and made the msitake of getting this one:
It was the same thread pattern (1/2 x 28), it was way cheaper than anything else out there. but would it work? It was designed for the 10/22 chamberd in .22lr, as opposed to my 223/5.56, but I couldn't find anything online saying this was a bad idea. However, something in the back of my mind was telling me don't try it, so I did a little more researching and all I could find was that alluminum muzzle devices have a tendancy to get loose on steel barrels when heated up, or that the alluminum threads strip easily against steel threads.
There was this one link that talks a bit about exploding muzzle devices and rust:
Maybe it was just the common sense that I didn't have, and that everyone else did, and that's why the question was never asked? I still don't know if there is any danger in using a muzzle device designed for .22lr on a rifle that's .223. I know the difference is only .003 of an inch, and I even fit a .223 round through the device with a decent amount of clearance, but I decided not to chance it and I took it off my AR, saving it for my 10/22 one day when I get a barrel for it.
What I've learned so far is that it's better to be patient, take your time and do a lot of research before buying. And as far as getting things on the cheap is concerned, yeah, somes you can make it work, but sometimes it doesn't always pay off and you may end up spending more money later. I still don't think I'll cough up $100 or more for a Battlecomp or a PWS, but I did find the AR Stoner Competition muzzle brake in a comfortable price range, and it's a similar design to the more expensive SJC Titan muzzle brake.
I've had this 1911 for less than a week, haven't even shot it yet, and here I am messing with it. I started off with a decent 1911A1 from Norinco actually. This particular pistol had a decent finish (the exterior anyway), the slide to frame fit was nice and tight, and the barrel, barrel bushing and slide almost seemed perfectly matched. I actually ordered all the parts below before I even got my 1911, but if I'd known that the one I would get would be in such good shape, I probably would have left it alone.
Wilson Combat High-Ride Beaver Tail grip safety that was labelled as semi-drop in. It was definitely semi, haha, as it was a right pain in the arse to install and make fit.
I originally ordered just the hammer, but the more I read, the more I thought that I would probably have to order a hammer strut and hammer strut pin because the Norinco unit was all staked in and I would probably wreck it taking it all apart so I ordered the Smith and Wesson hammer strut and hammer strut pin to go with the Smith and Wesson hammer.
Of course, I also read about matching hammers to sears so i figured I couldn't go wrong by ordering the Smith and Wesson sear and disconnector, but in the end, I couldn't make it work and ended up using the Norinco sear and disconnecter with the Smith and Wesson hammer.
The top is the Smith and Wesson hammer/strut assembly, the one below is the Norinco 1911A1 Government unit.
The Springfield Armory flat main spring housing, below is the Norinco unit.
The Springfield Armory unit fit right into the Norc without any modifications. I just had to strip the parts from the Norc one and trasnsfer them over to the SA one.
Here's another shot of the Smith and Wesson Hammer/Strut assembly with the Norc one.
And another shot. Something I notinced, and I don;t know if it's important or not is, the S&W one had more play and wobble in it than the Norc one.
Comparison of the Smith and Wesson sear and disconnector and the Norc units. The ones to the left are the Norc ones. It's a shame I didn't have the skills to make the Smith and Wesson parts work, since I bought them already.
The Norinco 1911A1 Government trigger and the Wilson Combat Match trigger, long pull. It was not quite a drop in, but needed only a little massaging to fit. When I finally got it installed, it had less wobble than the trigger on my Remington R1E.
I ended up getting this file set, right after buying a single file that didn't quite work out...why? Well, the Wilson Combat Drop-in Beavertail grip safety wasn't exactly a drop-in unit, but I've read that nothing ever is.
Anyway, after essentially butchering it, I managed to make it fit. I'm sure in the hands of a real gunsmith, it wouldn't have been so messed up.
I ended up filing the $hit out of it, being the expert gunsmith that I am. Anyway, it was a nightmare trying to make this thing work, but somehow I managed. It doesn't look pretty, but it functions, and it was sort of a fun learning process.
The new look of my Norinco 1911A1.
Wilson Combat Match trigger.
Smith and Wesson Skeleton hammer.
My butchered Beavertail grip safety.
The Springfield Armory flat main spring housing, which was the only thing that actually dropped right in without any fitting.
I think I probably should have left my 1911 alone, but I couldn't resist. In retrospect, this particular Norc 1911 was a such a good example, and it had a classic look, I really should have kept it stock, and in the original 1911A1 Government look, especially since it didn't have any Norinco or Made in China markings. The finish was decent as well, but I didn't really thing about it until I started taking it apart. Well, I've kept all the original parts and didn't modify the pistol itself so it's not impossible to return it to the stock appearance.
Haha, maybe I'll get another one from Canada Ammo if they still have the deal in a month or so :)
