emilio
22nd September 2007, 19:38
all the parts for my RIA 5" upgrade are in, sans new grip screws (VZ "SLEX", mmm). this has included a Berryhill trigger, Wilson sear, firing pin, and mag catch, EGW disconnector, Fusion hammer, CMC grip safety, and a fun evening in a machine shop to cut the safety radius. the last things added have been an EGW FPS, ISMI 23lbs mainspring, and the stainless steel mainspring parts from a new Ed Brown rebuild kit.
http://neurostyle.net/misc/ria/take3/ria-take-3-mods-begin.jpg
still need to blend the grip safety and coat some parts with matte black Gun Kote (especially the trigger!).
i installed just the FPS one night and the main spring the next. after installing the FPS, yep, it was a little harder to rack the slide with some snap caps. no problem. when i installed the main spring, i decided to follow a tip i'd read and polish the inside of the MSH, the outside of the main spring cap, and i also did the outside of the spring a bit.
after trying to get down in there with a punch and some rolled up sandpaper or crocus cloth, i turned to ye olde Dremel. i cut down a small barrel felt tip to fit in the MSH and slowly worked it with some polishing compound on a low speed. i didn't try to get anywhere near a mirror shine, but just smoothed out the finish and some of the high spots. the crocus cloth polished the outside of the main spring cap pretty quickly, and i wrapped it around the outside of the spring to smooth it as well. i also verified that the 23lb spring was quite stiffer than the stock one in my RIA, and it all installed easily.
now it actually feels just as easy to work the slide as before the FPS and spring, and certainly smoother. like, pleasantly, butter, Michael Jordan-to-the-rim smooth. the hammer alone is much easier to cock, and that's a good thing considering the shape of the hammer. i still haven't shot it - that'll come tomorrow, and i've got the ammo to run it through its paces!
my question is: could this have defeated some of the advantages of the small-radius stop? if one of the functions of the stop is to slow unlock and change the recoil system, would it be bad to reduce the spring system's friction, or does it not really matter after the stop "breaks" over the hammer?
- emilio
http://neurostyle.net/misc/ria/take3/ria-take-3-mods-begin.jpg
still need to blend the grip safety and coat some parts with matte black Gun Kote (especially the trigger!).
i installed just the FPS one night and the main spring the next. after installing the FPS, yep, it was a little harder to rack the slide with some snap caps. no problem. when i installed the main spring, i decided to follow a tip i'd read and polish the inside of the MSH, the outside of the main spring cap, and i also did the outside of the spring a bit.
after trying to get down in there with a punch and some rolled up sandpaper or crocus cloth, i turned to ye olde Dremel. i cut down a small barrel felt tip to fit in the MSH and slowly worked it with some polishing compound on a low speed. i didn't try to get anywhere near a mirror shine, but just smoothed out the finish and some of the high spots. the crocus cloth polished the outside of the main spring cap pretty quickly, and i wrapped it around the outside of the spring to smooth it as well. i also verified that the 23lb spring was quite stiffer than the stock one in my RIA, and it all installed easily.
now it actually feels just as easy to work the slide as before the FPS and spring, and certainly smoother. like, pleasantly, butter, Michael Jordan-to-the-rim smooth. the hammer alone is much easier to cock, and that's a good thing considering the shape of the hammer. i still haven't shot it - that'll come tomorrow, and i've got the ammo to run it through its paces!
my question is: could this have defeated some of the advantages of the small-radius stop? if one of the functions of the stop is to slow unlock and change the recoil system, would it be bad to reduce the spring system's friction, or does it not really matter after the stop "breaks" over the hammer?
- emilio