1991A1 improvements

[dproulx]

Hi. I'm new to this forum, so be gentle....Several years ago, I purchased a used 1991A1. I love to shoot pistols, and deer hunt with a Smith revolver. I know these are apples and oranges, but I just can't seem to do very well with my Colt. I shoot better with my Dad's Gold Cup, and the other day I picked up a buddies Kimber and shot it like I had been shooting it for years. I'm some of it must be me, but where would I even start with the Colt to see if I can make it shoot a little better. My Pop took a 50 yard bullseye competition with his gold cup a few years ago, even shooting against some open sighted rifles, so I know the pistol should be be capable. Where do I start? Thanks again! Den

[Hawkmoon]

What year is your 1991? What type of barrel bushing does it have, and how well does that fit?

Out of curiosity, of the three pistols you mentioned (yours, the Gold Cup and the Kimber), do they all have the same style mainspring housing, or perhaps are the others flat and yours arched, or maybe the others are acrced and yours is flat? That could affect point of impact by subtley affecting your hold on the pistol. I prefer flat mainspring housings. Other people feel they shoot better with arched.

[XavierBreath]

First, determine if it is you or the pistol. That is where you start. Have an experienced 1911 shooter (and one who is a good shot) have a go with the gun. If he punches bullseyes, then it's you, or at least your ability to perform with this particular gun. He may point to a couple of things he doesn't like. If he agrees it's the gun, then there are two ways to go.

Accuracy is governed by the inherent accuracy in a gun, and by the shooter's ability to harness that accuracy.

Inherent Accuracy
If your experienced shooter couldn't perform well with the gun, then chances are the barrel is not aligning with the sights in the same way with each recoil cycle. You can actually diagnose problems by looking at the patterns a good shot shoots with a pistol. The solution here is improving the fit of the barrel to the slide with a better fitted bushing and the barrel lugs. Sometimes an oversized slide stop will help if the frame and link hole is wallowed out. The main point here is IMHO accuracy is achieved by the barrel's fit to the slide in battery, not the slide's fit to the frame. A slide's fit to the frame can show overall quality of workmanship, but it really doesn't help accuracy (unless the slide is so loose it flaps in the breeze as you try to align the sights). A bad barrel can affect accuracy. Either through bad rifling or through a damaged muzzle, the condition of a barrel has a lasting effect.

Applied Accuracy
The shooter's ability to harness the gun's inherent accuracy can be enhanced by improvements below the slide. This involves trigger jobs, and for me, other things like a grip safety that will get my hand higher and prevent hammer bite. The type of MSH and length of trigger falls into this category, as does sights better suited to a particular shooter. Finally, so does your overall ability as a shooter.

Note that Applied Accuracy cannot overcome poor Inherent Accuracy. That is why you must determine which one is causing the problem before making changes. The first step is to know which way to go with the gun. That's where the experienced 1911 shooter comes in. He will be the litmus test of the gun's ability. Colts have a history of variable fitting quality over the years. If your gun has a good barrel, is fitted well, has the sights aligned and is tuned to your individual needs as a shooter, any bad shots then have to be blamed on your ability (of course, someone may have slipped that self repairing target onto your stand too............ ;) )

[mitchjoe]

dproulx:

Agreed w/ both! Having a pal or your Dad shoot the piece is a good idea; ditto on the barrel bushing. On a whole, I've observed that a GC & other semi-custom pistols will usually (all other thing equal) outshoot a stock Govt. model...but not by a huge margin.

Most Colt barrel's are pretty good stuff, but the single biggest improvement in my 1991A1 came from fitting a NM bushing...and nothing says I'm that great at fitting a bushing! I checked lock-up, etc. before and after (you can find the relevant info on this very site), all good. Went to that range & dang... :D

Provided there is no major problem & eveything fits the way it should (hence my replacing the bushing in the aforementioned pistol :D), another factor in good accuracy is the ammo. Most handguns will display a preference for a particular brand, bullet-weight or both. If your looking for the difference between 2 1/2" groups & 3", try a few different brands & bullet types.

Hey, and we need a pic or two...

mitchjoe