Best drop-in upgrades for a Springfield GI

[vtb11]

I took apart my 1911 for the first time and enjoying it a lot, so I want to take baby steps in learning how these parts work and how to modify it.

So far, planning to upgrade these parts, which I have been told are drop-in or near drop-in.

Wilson combat extended slide stop
Wilson combat tactical thumb safety
Ed Brown mainspring housing
and misc parts from a Ed Brown frame rebuild kit, which has all the springs/bolts/plungers

Looking for other suggestions of minimal work or full drop ins for my 1911
(Planning to give the trigger/hammer/beaver tail job to a gunsmith later down the road)

[sal1911A1]

Save your money keep it stock

or you could send it in to Wilsons, I would let a pro do those mods.

[vtb11]

i wont mind sending it to a shop or local gunsmith if that needs to be done, like for the trigger job because i dont want to mess up myself. the drop-ins are the ones i want to get done myself or do a little filing if i need to. i bought this GI primarily because i wanted to pick out my own parts rather than getting a fully loaded version. not as troublesome as building from scratch, but also not as simple as dropping a few hundred on one that ill never really get my hands dirty with besides cleaning

[Ping Ping]

Just get a good trigger group from C&S, or EGW and have it worked. Other than that, bullets are the best drop-ins.

[atomemphis]

The MSH upgrade (I chose a VZ Aluminum one) for my Kimber was a really easy drop in upgrade.

The safety requires filing for proper fit. Not a direct drop in part. I have an Ed Brown Tactical thumb safety on mine now, replacing the ambi unit that came with it. It was not something for me to do, you might be different. Learning could be fun.

[vtb11]

yep, ive heard the slide stop and thumb safety will require slight filing to get it to fit, but seems to be fairly simple enough for a newbie like myself to pick up and work at. plus its a fairly inexpensive part i won't mind repurchasing if needed

[sal1911A1]

Be careful

A safety thumb or grip safety should be done by a pro not a newbie

You have alot at stake here, you would hate to shoot yourself in the foot :nono:

[kcshooter]

On a GI, I'd start with magwell bevel, lowering the ejection port, and getting better sights. After that, a trigger to replace the short one, MSH, beavertail and hammer/sear/disconnector. That would be about it for me.
I like an extended thumb safety, but an extended slide stop can cause issues with locking prematurely, and it's kinda useless in my opinion. As you slam a mag home, your thumb is right on the slide stop anyway. You shouldn't be releasing it with your firing hand thumb because you have to alter your grip, even with the extended ones.

[vtb11]

i want better sights, but i would need a gunsmith for that job for sure since i want a novak set. thatll have to wait.

ill have to check out more info on the bevel and lowering the ejector port, thanks for those suggestions

i have a friend who works on guns himself quite a lot who offered to help me and walk me through all of the steps, so im not incredibly worried about the thumb safety part. the grip safety i will plan to go to a smith tho

the msh is straight forward and drop-in, so that i will do. hammer/sear/trigger job will be for the smitty

[kcshooter]

The bevel and port lowering can be done by hand with a file, but you will have to touch up the finish afterwards.
Thumb safety and grip safety fitting are also rather simple, as long as you go slow, are patient, and don't mind having to buy another part if you happen to go a little to far.
MSH is a breeze, just note you will need the MSH internals also, not just the housing itself.
Hammer, sear, disconnector, trigger job are something that is definitely not to be attempted lightheartedly by a novice, but then again, you gotta start somewhere!

Sight cuts will definitely have to be professionally machined.

[RickB]

If you are going to have a trigger job, change the thumb safety afterwards, as it's unlikely that the new or 'smithed trigger parts will match a safety fitted to the factory trigger parts.