More realistic recoil spring plug for TM 1911A1

[benjamin_savitz]

Good evening, been a while since I last posted here.

I have a TM 1911 with a guarder alu slide / frame installed and so far other than the rear sight (still plastic as couldnt fit the guarder metal rear sight replacement) I'm very happy with it, cycles, accurate, feels good for an airsoft 1911.

There's just one part that's bugging me, because of the way TM designed the barrel / hop and outer barrel a stronger recoil spring can push the hop out of alignment with the outer barrel making it very fiddly to reinstall the slide. This wouldn't be an issue if the take down was the same as the real 1911, e.g, remove the barrel bushing, plug, recoil spring. But the recoil spring plug has a flange so cannot be removed this way.

Is it possible to get a replacement recoil spring plug that doesn't have the flange making it possible to install the barrel and slide onto the frame without the spring causing problems? Will a real recoil spring plug fit ? (oddly enough Midway UK list one for sale in the UK, no idea how many they sell over here however...).

On that topic, would real slide stops work as well? As far as I know this should be legal in the UK as neither parts are pressure bearing parts and cannot be used to reactivate / build a functional firearm.

Regards

[Spyros]

I discussed the recoil spring plug issue with Mike Cripps of Elite (in Bury), some time ago.

Basically the answer is 'yes', you can swap the part for one that isn't flanged (i.e. is not a 'reverse plug', as is the term for real 1911s). There is a catch, though. The TM 1911 has a barrel bushing that is either plastic or aluminium. With the stock plug in place, the composition of the bushing is irrelevant, but once you move to a non-flanged plug, the barrel bushing has to do the same job that it does in a real 1911: hold the recoil spring in place!

The stock TM part isn't really designed for this, and obviously, that's why the plug is flanged. Mike told me that someone who shoots their TM occasionally will likely have no problems, but bushings have been known to break in skirmishing matches, when people have done this. I think he told me then that there are such plugs available, but don't quote me, this was a couple of years ago at least! I was thinking of getting a steel full-length guide rod (and a suitable, open plug) at the time, to add some front-end weight to a WE pistol, which has the same recoil spring setup as your TM.

As for the slide stop, I haven't put one next to the real thing, but the protrusion in the magazine well ought to be quite different. if you want it to live up to its name and stop the slide to the rear when the magazine is empty, you will have to do some very careful machining to pull it off.

[benjamin_savitz]

Thanks Spyros, the bushing is a guarder steel bushing so hopefully that shouldn't be a concern.

Only gripe with the slide lock is that if left in the leather holster sometimes it gets a whitish patina on it, that and I just dont trust the metal TM uses. Then again, steel is likely to cause more wear on the alu slide.

[Spyros]

Leaving REAL pistols stored in leather holsters for extended periods is a really bad idea... leather absorbs oil from the pistol's surface, and traps moisture in. Of course airsofts are lubricated with silicon oil, but the same principle applies.

About the slide stop... you're right about the wear on the slide. Rimfire conversions for 1911s typically don't hold the slide open, to save the aluminium slide from being peened to destruction. Some have a tiny replaceable steel insert for this purpose. Of course airsofts cycle slower, and the magazine spring is weaker, but the alloy used for the slide is probably softer, too.

[benjamin_savitz]

Slide stop wise, the slide seems to be polishing the slide stop, I assume that means the alu slide is harder than the metal used for the slide stop ..

Anyway, elite shooting center only has MEU style recoil spring plugs. Do you know if a real recoil spring plug would fit?

If not, may have to take a hack saw to the plug and cut the flange off.

As for the holster, erm, it needed shaping anyway :S (replica US holster, vietnam era). Shall keep them seperate from now on.