Pics of my new M1911A1

[gmajor]

Greetings everyone! It's late and I've already been bitten by some kind of timeout that caused me to lose my original attempt at this thread so I'll make this one short and sweet...

I'm new to the 1911 world as normally I'm a SA revolver and "cowboy" gun kind of guy, but I've been keeping my eye out for a 1911 for a while and when this one popped up for $400, I couldn't pass it up. She's in dire need of a detail strip and she's gonna have to lose that Aimpoint and get a nice set of wood grips, but the bore is clean and she passes every basic operational test.

I don't know much about 1911's, but here's what I know about this one:


Marked 'United States Property'
Serial number '16111XXX' (obscured for obvious reasons)
The front strap and trigger guard are completely smooth
The trigger has ridges
The hammer is knurled
The number '7267XXX' (obscured) with and 'N' below and to the left and an 'M' below and to the right are marked just below the crown
There is a very faint, circular mark at the top rear of the right side grip panel

Well, enough with all that. Here she is (in her "as purchased" form):

http://www.gregmajor.com/images/misc/guns/colt_1911A_left.JPG

http://www.gregmajor.com/images/misc/guns/colt_1911A_right.JPG

Anyway, I figured it might be fun to share. Remember, she's a bit self-conscious at the moment so don't laugh too loud. Thanks for looking!

-Greg

[gmajor]

...and now with a couple of questions. A field strip and closer inspection this afternoon revealed that this baby hasn't seen any action in quite a while. It seems that someone put the Bo-Mar Accu-rail on, replaced the barrel bushing, installed the Aimpoint, and did some other minor work in what would seem an effort focused on accuracy. Judging from the age of the parts, I'm guessing most of the work was done about 10 years ago.

An operation inspection revealed that we may have had some trigger work done as well. When the pistol is in condition 1, firm pressure applied to the trigger results in internal movement. Once this has happened, you must pull the hammer back again and disengage the thumb safety to fire. This is my first 1911, but it doesn't take an expert to know that something is wrong and the pistol will require repair before it should be fired. I haven't proceeded with the detail strip, but I'm wondering if someone wants to guess what I'll find when I do.

Last, but not least, since the slide has already been drilled and tapped to fit the Bo-Mar rail, I may simply leave it in place. Unfortunately, the rear sight is gone. I'm wondering if anyone has experience with this setup and knows if a replacement rear sight can be had or if there are other worthy options. I don't intend to carry this pistol so I have some flexibility in terms of sights. I'm happy to hear any suggestions.

Thanks!
-Greg

[bigredc]

Can you take some close up pictures without the laser. Is there a manufacturers name on the gun.

[gmajor]

Can you take some close up pictures without the laser. Is there a manufacturers name on the gun.
I just completed a detail strip and the only manufacturer's name that I encountered (aside from Bo-Mar and Aimpoint) was Colt.

-Greg

[bigredc]

Is it possible that you added an extra X on the end of your serial number.

[gmajor]

Is it possible that you added an extra X on the end of your serial number.
Oops! I actually had one too many ones in there. The S/N is 1611xxx. Good catch!

-Greg

[bigredc]

You had me scratching my head. I'm just learning myself. Try to work on close ups. Everyone like's looking at pictures.

[John]

Please clarify what you mean with "Condition 1". I am not sure I understand what the problem is.

[gmajor]

Please clarify what you mean with "Condition 1". I am not sure I understand what the problem is.
Sorry, I guess the more common term is 'cocked and locked'. I'm using the conditions of readiness as referenced here (http://www.sightm1911.com/Care/1911_conditions.htm).

-Greg

[John]

So what you mean is that :

- with the pistol in the cocked and locked position, you press the trigger and you can sense some internal movement.
- you then disengage the safety and the pistol can not fire, unless the hammer is pulled back all the way again.

Is that what's happening?

Disassemble the pistol and reassemble it omitting the grip safety. This will allow you to see inside the opening at the rear, to see what's going on.

[gmajor]

So what you mean is that :

- with the pistol in the cocked and locked position, you press the trigger and you can sense some internal movement.
- you then disengage the safety and the pistol can not fire, unless the hammer is pulled back all the way again.

Is that what's happening?

Disassemble the pistol and reassemble it omitting the grip safety. This will allow you to see inside the opening at the rear, to see what's going on.
Before I performed a detail strip and clean, when I full cocked the hammer and engaged the thumb safety I felt some movement and saw the hammer travel forward very slightly. While in that state, if I moved the thumb safety to the off position and applied firm pressure to the trigger, nothing would happen. At that point, I had to pull the hammer back (probably less than 2mm) before I could operate the trigger to release the hammer.

Now, this was *before* the detail strip and clean I performed yesterday. Now when I attempt the same steps, the hammer, trigger, and safety all seem to operate normally. However, a new problem has surfaced. If I pull the slide all the way back then engage the slide stop and finally release the slide via the slide stop (slamming the slide closed), the hammer will jump forward to a post-fire position. Naturally, I only attempted this test twice, but neither condition is safe and I'll have to address it before attempting live fire.

-Greg

[bigredc]

I found this sit very useful, good tips on disassembly and reassembly. If it's not working properly, I would follow this step by step, then when you are done see what happens. http://www.m1911.org/stripin1.htm

[gmajor]

Yep, that's a good site. In fact, I referenced it during the strip and I'm confident that I reassembled the the pistol correctly. I think the extra weight of the Bo-Mar rib may be causing the issue when the slide is allowed to slam forward.

Here are some updated pics!

http://www.gregmajor.com/images/misc/guns/colt_1911A1_right.jpg
http://www.gregmajor.com/images/misc/guns/colt_1911A1_left_detail.jpg
http://www.gregmajor.com/images/misc/guns/colt_1911a1_right_detail.jpg

She cleaned up pretty nice. I honestly can't decide if I want to hang on to this pistol or sell it. While it's tough determining the value of these pistols, I'm thinking this one is worth about what I paid for it (around $400). I could be wrong, but I figure any relatively clean, functioning Colt 1911 has to be worth around that much. Ah, I guess I'll see how long I can keep it before my wife finds out! :)

-Greg

[John]

Now when I attempt the same steps, the hammer, trigger, and safety all seem to operate normally. However, a new problem has surfaced. If I pull the slide all the way back then engage the slide stop and finally release the slide via the slide stop (slamming the slide closed), the hammer will jump forward to a post-fire position. Naturally, I only attempted this test twice, but neither condition is safe and I'll have to address it before attempting live fire.

Will the hammer fall all the way to the firing pin or is it captured at the half-cock notch? Try releasing the slide from lock, with the trigger held back. In other words, pull the slide back and lock it. Press the trigger in and with the trigger pressed release the slide. If the hammer does not follow, then you can add some more pressure in the middle and left leaves of your sear spring and be done with it. If the hammer follows with the trigger pressed, you probably need a new trigger job.

[gmajor]

FYI, I just spoke with a representative from Gil Hebard Guns and was informed that Bo-Mar's owner has passed away and that Bo-Mar has apparently closed their doors. :(

Anybody know of a clone or have an old rear sight they want to get rid of?

-Greg

[gmajor]

Will the hammer fall all the way to the firing pin or is it captured at the half-cock notch? Try releasing the slide from lock, with the trigger held back. In other words, pull the slide back and lock it. Press the trigger in and with the trigger pressed release the slide. If the hammer does not follow, then you can add some more pressure in the middle and left leaves of your sear spring and be done with it. If the hammer follows with the trigger pressed, you probably need a new trigger job.
Ah! I just tried this test. I pulled the slide back and locked it then applied moderate pressure to the trigger and released the slide. Sure enough, the hammer didn't budge. Nope, didn't even twitch. To be sure, I checked without applying pressure to the trigger and sure enough the hammer moved.

So, when I get some time I'll try adjusting the middle and left sear spring fingers to see if the problem goes away. Assuming that it does and the pistol passes another complete battery of functional tests, I think I'll slip it up to the range and put some 185 or 230 grain loads to see how she does.

-Greg

[John]

That's what happens when people try to get a better trigger by removing pressure from the sear spring.

[gmajor]

That's what happens when people try to get a better trigger by removing pressure from the sear spring.
I suspect the previous owner may have tweaked it with that very intention. I'm seriously considering simply ordering a replacement (along with a fresh, stock spring kit) which, as I understand, can be had in a bend that is very close to stock. When I did the detail strip, there was no obvious sear or hook damage so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that would get the gun into safe operating condition.

My next issue will be the sights. With Bo-Mar out of the game and replacement parts out of stock, I'm basically up the proverbial creek unless I pull the rib and have a smith fill the holes and install new front and rear sights. Hey, I'm not opposed to spending a little time and money to dial a gun in, but I'm starting to wonder if $410 was a good deal after all. :confused:

-Greg

[John]

I would definitely remove that rib on the top of the slide. I do not know if your gunsmith can fill the holes, in your shoes I would just get a new Colt slide and have it fit on the frame together with a good barrel.

[gmajor]

I would definitely remove that rib on the top of the slide. I do not know if your gunsmith can fill the holes, in your shoes I would just get a new Colt slide and have it fit on the frame together with a good barrel.
Surely an option, but that would throwing at least another $400 at it and then I'd have at least $800 in a gun worth no more than half of that. I suppose this is where I start learning the lesson about what what to buy and what not to buy in the world of old Colts.

-Greg