random_alias
13th February 2007, 22:17
Hi guys. First, I’d like to thank everyone for the wonderful information on this forum. A lot of my questions were answered simply by searching. Also, thanks to everyone that responded to my threads and PMs.
Here’s the story behind the gun. My dad bought it new at a local shop for around $300 years ago. It sat in his safe for I don’t know how many years and he said he had never even fired it! Just bought it and put in the safe!
This started out as a factory stock RIA GI Model. It shot just fine but I wanted to make it better. Understand, none of these modifications were necessary; I’m just the kind of guy that puts a Cold Air Intake on the engine of his 4-door car. I love improving things but I’m always very tasteful in how I do it. I care about function, not flash.
Anyway, here are some pictures of the gun:
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u59/random_alias/IMG_1834.jpg
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u59/random_alias/IMG_1820.jpg
Changes: (Almost all these prices include the shipping charges.)
Alumagrips – slimline, full checkering, selected the magwell option with no lower bevel so it would come down flat and cover the MSH Pin. Much cleaner look IMO. Installed the thin bushings and blued screws, used the bushing bit and blue locktite on the bushings. Chris was very helpful with this order. Nice guy. [$77.50]
Put black stateboard tape over the frontstrap. [$7]
2 Colt Factory 7 round magazines, Wolff springs added. [$75.21]
Added a 16# Wolff recoil spring. [$4]
Added a Greider Medium LOP trigger and fitted. Polished internal guiderails and trigger rails. I also polished the trigger to give it a smoother and more metallic appearance to match the barrel. Set overtravel screw. [$16.50]
Added a Cylinder & Slide 4.5 lb 5-piece matched trigger assembly. Disconnector, sear, hammer, sear spring, main spring. Didn’t need to touch any of this stuff, all came mirror polished. I had to polish my factory sear/disconnector PIN a little with 2000 grit wet/dry paper to get the sear to rotate freely, just basically knocked the black off the center of the factory pin where it was too big for the sear hole. [$125.75]
Added a Cylinder & Slide hammer strut and hammer strut pin because the RIA strut/hammer/pin were staked together and the pin couldn’t simply be punched out to reuse the strut. [$22.95]
Filed down the grip safety to accommodate the new hammer. Cold Blued the top.
Fitted an EMG oversized firing pin stop and cold blued it. [$15 + $6]
Installed an EMG recoil spring plug (guiderod hole model). [$15]
Filed down a corner of the inside of the thumb safety so that it would engage with the new internals.
Polished barrel, inside of slide, rails, contact points, etc with 2000 grit wet/dry paper, not enough to knock off the finish, just enough the feel smooth to the touch. Inside of slide is still black.
Polished the frame ramp and throat of barrel with 2000 grit wet/dry paper. Again, not to a mirror finish, just smooth to the touch.
Removed extractor and radiused/polished it using 2000 grit wet/dry paper.
Cold blued the tips of the pins, etc where the finish had worn off due to lots of disassembly. Also cold blued the plunger tips where they were getting shiny.
Did a complete safety test and everything passed. Did the hammer follow test with 2 rounds in the mag, passed fine. No hammer follow. 150 hardball rounds, no failures.
Gun feels and shoots great. I haven’t measured the trigger pull yet.
Total comes to about $660 with all individual shipping included, give or take $10. Wonder what a gunsmith would have charged for labor? Any comments welcomed.
Here’s the story behind the gun. My dad bought it new at a local shop for around $300 years ago. It sat in his safe for I don’t know how many years and he said he had never even fired it! Just bought it and put in the safe!
This started out as a factory stock RIA GI Model. It shot just fine but I wanted to make it better. Understand, none of these modifications were necessary; I’m just the kind of guy that puts a Cold Air Intake on the engine of his 4-door car. I love improving things but I’m always very tasteful in how I do it. I care about function, not flash.
Anyway, here are some pictures of the gun:
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u59/random_alias/IMG_1834.jpg
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u59/random_alias/IMG_1820.jpg
Changes: (Almost all these prices include the shipping charges.)
Alumagrips – slimline, full checkering, selected the magwell option with no lower bevel so it would come down flat and cover the MSH Pin. Much cleaner look IMO. Installed the thin bushings and blued screws, used the bushing bit and blue locktite on the bushings. Chris was very helpful with this order. Nice guy. [$77.50]
Put black stateboard tape over the frontstrap. [$7]
2 Colt Factory 7 round magazines, Wolff springs added. [$75.21]
Added a 16# Wolff recoil spring. [$4]
Added a Greider Medium LOP trigger and fitted. Polished internal guiderails and trigger rails. I also polished the trigger to give it a smoother and more metallic appearance to match the barrel. Set overtravel screw. [$16.50]
Added a Cylinder & Slide 4.5 lb 5-piece matched trigger assembly. Disconnector, sear, hammer, sear spring, main spring. Didn’t need to touch any of this stuff, all came mirror polished. I had to polish my factory sear/disconnector PIN a little with 2000 grit wet/dry paper to get the sear to rotate freely, just basically knocked the black off the center of the factory pin where it was too big for the sear hole. [$125.75]
Added a Cylinder & Slide hammer strut and hammer strut pin because the RIA strut/hammer/pin were staked together and the pin couldn’t simply be punched out to reuse the strut. [$22.95]
Filed down the grip safety to accommodate the new hammer. Cold Blued the top.
Fitted an EMG oversized firing pin stop and cold blued it. [$15 + $6]
Installed an EMG recoil spring plug (guiderod hole model). [$15]
Filed down a corner of the inside of the thumb safety so that it would engage with the new internals.
Polished barrel, inside of slide, rails, contact points, etc with 2000 grit wet/dry paper, not enough to knock off the finish, just enough the feel smooth to the touch. Inside of slide is still black.
Polished the frame ramp and throat of barrel with 2000 grit wet/dry paper. Again, not to a mirror finish, just smooth to the touch.
Removed extractor and radiused/polished it using 2000 grit wet/dry paper.
Cold blued the tips of the pins, etc where the finish had worn off due to lots of disassembly. Also cold blued the plunger tips where they were getting shiny.
Did a complete safety test and everything passed. Did the hammer follow test with 2 rounds in the mag, passed fine. No hammer follow. 150 hardball rounds, no failures.
Gun feels and shoots great. I haven’t measured the trigger pull yet.
Total comes to about $660 with all individual shipping included, give or take $10. Wonder what a gunsmith would have charged for labor? Any comments welcomed.