Arched vs flat mainspring housing

[pepperbelly]

What is the practical difference between the arched and flat mainspring housing? Does one have an advantage over the other, or is it just a question of which one feels better when gripped?
My Springfield Loaded has an arched housing. It also has a Videcki match trigger, but I don't knw if it is short or long.
I think I remember my old Colt MkIV series 70 as having a flat housing. With Pachmeyer presentation wraparound grips it fit my hand very well.
I plan on installing the Pachmeyer grips on the Springer in the near future. Would an arched housing cause problems with my grip?
Jim

[gottripletsNC]

depends on whether you want a good fit in the grip or if you want to stay authentic, personally I like the feel of the flat MSH, the arched puts my grip off...
so to answer your question yes the arched vs. the flat does make a difference

[pepperbelly]

I want a good grip. I use a modified weaver stance 2 handed grip when shooting.
I know just enough about 1911 pistols to sound really ignorant at times.
That Colt I carried in the mid '80s helped me to qualify at the master level. It was stock except for the ramp and throat being polished, the ejection port being angled and lowered and the Pachmeyer grips. I just don't remember whaich housing it had. It fit my hand very, very well. I do remember that.
I like this stainless Springfield. I would like it to fit my hand like the Colt did. I don't care about authentic. It has a beavertail grip safety, match trigger, adjustable sights, stainless steel, front serrations, etc. so it isn't authentic anyway as is.
Does the Smith and Alexander beveled mag well have a flat mainspring housing? Thta may solve it.
Jim

[theArmedRebel]

Come both flat and arched. Remember, John Moses Browning designed the 1911 with a flat MSH. And a long trigger, but no one's perfect. :rolleyes:

Robert

[adroitus]

My Rock Island Armory M1911 came with a flat mainspring housing. I have only started shooting pistols in the last few months. I took my RIA to the range with 300 rounds of ball ammo to break it in. The next day the joint at the base of my thumb was extremely sore. At first I thought it was just me not being accustomed to shooting and biting off more than I could chew the first time out. However, I took a good look at how the grip sits in my hand and noticed that the grip of my RIA put most of the pressure from the recoil in the crotch of my thumb.

I also have a Taurus Millennium Pro in .45, and it has a reputation for not having as much felt recoil as you might think given its size. (I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, so I can't say so from first-hand experience.) The rear of the grip has an arch similar to the arched MSH of a 1911-A1, and it sits more solidly in my hand than my RIA. I plan to put an arched MSH on my gun, because I think it will help distribute the pressure from the recoil over the palm and heel of my hand instead of directing it all into the crotch of my thumb. The arched MSH was one of the ergonomic improvements added to the 1911-A1. The grip of a Hi-Power also has an arch on its back. I think the arched mainspring housing was added for a reason, and you owe it to yourself to see if your hand is that reason.

[Hawkmoon]

I want a good grip. I use a modified weaver stance 2 handed grip when shooting.
I know just enough about 1911 pistols to sound really ignorant at times.

It isn't a question of a "good grip," it's a question of point of aim.

When the original M1911 was introduced, it had a flat mainspring housing. Some Army people who were transitioning from the 1873 Single Action Army revolver felt that the new pistol didn't fit the hand the same, and they were consistently shooting low. So the M1911A1 revision added a palm swell (arch) to the mainspring housing to make the barrel point a bit higher for those folks. (At least that's the story I have read.)

Personally, I find the flat MS housing shoots well for me and I don't like the arched, either aesthetically or functionally. It doesn't work for me.

[SAWBONES]

I can do with either, and have both types on different guns. I prefer a short trigger instead of the fashionable long type, however, so that may obviously be an important issue for you. (If you have or prefer long triggers, then you may well find that a flat MSH works better for you, due to the difference in trigger reach geometry.)

[John]

Do this test: try grabbing the pistol in your hand loosely at the beginning and start applying more and more pressure with your fingers until you have a solid firing grip. In all that time, watch the pistol in your hand. In my case, with an arched MSH, the pistol tends to move away from my palm, the grip getting away from the palm of the hand, as I squeeze. This does not happen with the flat one.

(A new Isaac Newton here, my own invention, a test to select the MSH!).

Rgds

[OD*]

I have both arched and flat mainspring housings, long and short triggers. My preference is for the short trigger and arched housing. Don't let what others think is best influence you though, only you can decide which feels and works best for you.

[GCT00427]

Flat housing and a long trigger are my preference. I have had both, but prefer the flat, long combination.

Chuck

[pepperbelly]

What did an '80s era Colt MkIV series 70 government model .45acp have- arched or flat?
Jim

[OD*]

What did an '80s era Colt MkIV series 70 government model .45acp have- arched or flat?
Jim


They were arched.

[pepperbelly]

Thanks OD. That makes the decision much easier.
It wasn't a matter of this feeling wrong. My old Colt worked very well for me. It pointd naturally and was very easy to keep on target.
I just got this Springer. I haven't fired a 1911 pistol since about '89 so I have forgotten many things I took for granted.
I do remember my pet load though.
Jim

[SAWBONES]

All true standard 1911A1 1911s have arched MSHs, whether they're Colt Series 70s or SA "WWII Milspec", or whatever.

[pepperbelly]

Thanks Sawbones.
My Springfield is a Stainless Custom Loaded .45. I didn't kow if the MSH was changed along with the grip safety etc. from Springfield.
Jim

[shuwtist]

When trying to decide what MSH to purchase to change on my Loaded, I practiced picking it up with my eyes closed and bringing it to natural point of aim (NPA). Then I'd set it down, and do the same thing with my old stand by, my series 80 Colt Combat Commander, which has an arched housing. I don't know if it was famliarity with the old Colt, or what, but I would consistently be on target or very close when I opened my eyes with it in my hand. I'd be a tad bit low with the flat MSH on the Loaded. That eased my decision to replace the ILS flat MSH on my Loaded with an Arched one, which is on it's way to me now.

[pepperbelly]

Shuwtist, your Loaded came with a flat MSH? Mine has the arched. I wonder if mine isn't standard?
Looking at the pics on the SA site the loadeds have flat MSH.

Jim

[OD*]

Thanks OD. That makes the decision much easier.
It wasn't a matter of this feeling wrong. My old Colt worked very well for me. It pointd naturally and was very easy to keep on target.
I just got this Springer. I haven't fired a 1911 pistol since about '89 so I have forgotten many things I took for granted.
I do remember my pet load though.
Jim

You're welcome sir.

[shuwtist]

Yes, it came from the factory with a flat MSH. I'm changing it to arched. I prefer the arched one.

[pepperbelly]

I guess mine was changed sometime too.
Dad sent it in to have a problem fixed. They may have replaced it then while doing upgrades and other work.
Thanks,
Jim

[SAWBONES]

The "post-modern" 1911 seems to have a flat MSH, a long (typically a 3-hole type) trigger, front slide grasping grooves, a magwell funnel, and a two-tone color scheme. (Usually the color scheme is backwards, with the slide light-colored and the frame dark, whereas the fashion of two-tone 1911s derived from the IPSC custom of using guns with hard-chromed frames for better wear resistance and dark slides for minimizing reflection.)

Don't let "fashion" dictate what you choose! Try different combinations of short and long triggers with flat and arched MSHs to see what works best for you.
For years I shot 1911s with long triggers and flat MSHs, just because that's the way most 1911s were! When I did some mix-and-match testing, I found that I most prefer a short trigger with an arched MSH, though I can easily use a flat MSH too.

[papashah41]

Don't let "fashion" dictate what you choose! Try different combinations of short and long triggers with flat and arched MSHs to see what works best for you.

Exactly. Everyone's hands are a different size/shape, therefore...what "fits" my hand may not work for someone else.
Like others here....I've used pretty much every conceivable combo of trigger legnths and MSH-ings. The combo that works best for me (and is currently on my 70 Series "repro") is an arched MSH and a long trigger. The pistol points perfectly for me. Your results may differ...... :p

[Sifu]

As you can tell from the many responses, It boils down to personal preference. I prefer an arched MSH and a long trigger because I have big hands and long fingers. It's all personal pref. Go to the gun store and try em both in your hand. Shoot em both if you can and you be the judge. Just my 2 cts.

Regards