New to 1911's and need help

[jeremy stanke]

i just bought my dad his first 1911 and i have never owned one either, so we are both oblivious. it is a custom built one on a Caspian Frame. here the specs. that the seller provided.

Foster (Caspian) Stainless Steel Frame
(series 70. It is a full size frame that takes standard mags.)
- trigger job
- lowered ejection port
- polished internals
- full length guide rod
- checkered mainspring housing
- ODI (Essex) – Viking Combat Commander SS slide

my question/s are, what parts could i upgrade? i would like to get a magwell, skeleton hammer, and maybe a new barrel. i have also heard that the Essex slides are junk, so if i wanted to swap slides what kind of work would that entail? also what do the different recoil springs and guide rods do? should i keep mine or are there better ones? thanks, jeremy

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t175/cougar8040/IMG_0359.jpg
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t175/cougar8040/IMG_0357.jpg

[sprice1973]

Nice looking pistol.Well the sky is the limit on what you can do with the gun,i would shoot it ,see what you like and dislike,and go from there.

[Hawkmoon]

Do you know whose barrel is in it? Is there a problem with the barrel? If not, why do you think you need a new one?

The ODI slide is junk, but it isn't an Essex slide. When ODI Viking went out of business, Essex bought their left-over parts and blew them out at fire sale prices. I had one, and it was fine for a beater/shooter. I then gave it to a fellow forum member who didn't like it, and as far as I know he threw it away.

Wish I still had it. Not becaise I think it's a great slide, but because I enjoy tinkering and it was very tinkerable because it wasn't a great slide.

[jeremy stanke]

Do you know whose barrel is in it? Is there a problem with the barrel? If not, why do you think you need a new one?

The ODI slide is junk, but it isn't an Essex slide. When ODI Viking went out of business, Essex bought their left-over parts and blew them out at fire sale prices. I had one, and it was fine for a beater/shooter. I then gave it to a fellow forum member who didn't like it, and as far as I know he threw it away.

Wish I still had it. Not becaise I think it's a great slide, but because I enjoy tinkering and it was very tinkerable because it wasn't a great slide.
so the slide that i have is no good right? havent been able to shoot it yet but wouldnt a match grade barrel be better? thanks for the help

[Hawkmoon]

so the slide that i have is no good right? havent been able to shoot it yet but wouldnt a match grade barrel be better? thanks for the help
Calm down, youngster. My Lord, you just bought a gun, you haven't even shot it yet, and you already want to start changing things before you have any idea what might want or need to be changed. Cool your jets.

The ODI Viking slide isn't the best slide in the known universe. It was built to loose tolerances, and on a standard frame it'll usually go right on and perhaps leave a bit of slop. So what? The gun goes BANG when you pull the trigger. Isn't that the name of the game?

Would a match grade barrel be "better"? Sure, probably ... unless what you have in there is a match grade barrel. A match grade barrel will set you back around $200 to $300 ... and then you pay a gunsmith to fit it to the gun. How much did you say you paid for this pistol? How much money do you want to spend before you even try shooting it? Besides, it's a Commander. It's not intended to be a bullseye target pistol, so don't waste a lot of time and money trying to make it into something it wasn't intended to be.

There's something else you might not be aware of. Based on your photos, your frame is NOT a Commander frame, it's a Government frame. I know, because I also had my Viking slide on a government frame, and the front scallop cuts line up perfectly. Apparently the folks at ODI didn't want to be bothered making a different frame for their Commanders. Put a true Commander slide on that frame, and the scallop cuts will extend about 1/8" back of the end of the frame dustcover. It'll look like someone cheated -- because they did. The way it's set up now, it looks like it was designed to be that way -- because it was.

You've got a decent little pistol there, IMHO. That hammer does look a mite funky, so I'd certainly be on board for swapping that out. I'd recommend Wilson Combat value line hammer and sear. I wouldn't pay twice as much for their tool steel parts in that pistol, it doesn't need it. Not unless you plan to shoot tens of thousands of rounds every year.

Beyond that, just go out and shoot it. Put a couple of thousand rounds through it, and THEN decide what else needs to be up-graded. Don't worry, there will always be someone happy to take your money when you decide to spend it.

[jeremy stanke]

Calm down, youngster. My Lord, you just bought a gun, you haven't even shot it yet, and you already want to start changing things before you have any idea what might want or need to be changed. Cool your jets.

The ODI Viking slide isn't the best slide in the known universe. It was built to loose tolerances, and on a standard frame it'll usually go right on and perhaps leave a bit of slop. So what? The gun goes BANG when you pull the trigger. Isn't that the name of the game?

Would a match grade barrel be "better"? Sure, probably ... unless what you have in there is a match grade barrel. A match grade barrel will set you back around $200 to $300 ... and then you pay a gunsmith to fit it to the gun. How much did you say you paid for this pistol? How much money do you want to spend before you even try shooting it? Besides, it's a Commander. It's not intended to be a bullseye target pistol, so don't waste a lot of time and money trying to make it into something it wasn't intended to be.

There's something else you might not be aware of. Based on your photos, your frame is NOT a Commander frame, it's a Government frame. I know, because I also had my Viking slide on a government frame, and the front scallop cuts line up perfectly. Apparently the folks at ODI didn't want to be bothered making a different frame for their Commanders. Put a true Commander slide on that frame, and the scallop cuts will extend about 1/8" back of the end of the frame dustcover. It'll look like someone cheated -- because they did. The way it's set up now, it looks like it was designed to be that way -- because it was.

You've got a decent little pistol there, IMHO. That hammer does look a mite funky, so I'd certainly be on board for swapping that out. I'd recommend Wilson Combat value line hammer and sear. I wouldn't pay twice as much for their tool steel parts in that pistol, it doesn't need it. Not unless you plan to shoot tens of thousands of rounds every year.

Beyond that, just go out and shoot it. Put a couple of thousand rounds through it, and THEN decide what else needs to be up-graded. Don't worry, there will always be someone happy to take your money when you decide to spend it.
yea you are right, its just that i love to upgrade things to the max that is whats fun to me. anyways i paid close to 600 including transfer fee's. the slide on this one is very tight, it doesnt wobble or have any slop. i have no clue about the barrel the guy didnt say but i guess it does make sense to shoot it first. would i need to take it to a gunsmith for a hammer swap? also would i need a gunsmith for a extended safety, slide release, and mag. release? thanks

[Ericthenorse]

If you do decide to get rid of the slide, let me know.... I don't care if it is junk or not... I just want it because it says Viking on the side.... :)

[John]

I don't care if it is junk or not... I just want it because it says Viking on the side....

Some people have weird tastes! :p