Aftermarket 1911 parts question...

[EddieCoyle]

I recently bought a RIA 1911 in .38 Super and the trigger leaves a lot to be desired.

I'm thinking about bringing it to my local smith for a trigger job, but before I do that, I wonder...

Rather than have the stock parts reworked, would it be worth it for me to get an aftermarket kit (sear, hammer, springs, etc) and do it myself? Has anyone ever done this? What are some of the good manufacturers?

 

[Dan S]

Koenig hammer, EGW sear, Nowlin sear spring, Wolff 17-19 lb mainspring. Don't waste money on a disconnector, use the origianal.

 

[GTOShootr]

EGW sells just about the exact parts for Dan's recipe as their Ultimate trigger kit for $119. I have three guns with that set up and they have nice triggers. I also had good luck with components right from SV and the trigger kits from Extreme Engineering (sold by Shooters Connection). They don't come with a hammer strut.

 

[Chuck Would]

I would suggest Wilson Combat for any 1911 parts, however, I think you'll find that almost all 1911 parts, reguardless of who makes them will require some hand fitting.

Sear angles are critial. One smith I know of uses a special gig with a microscope to get them adjusted correctly. While I might play with fitting some parts. Trigger pull and sear angles are best left to someone who really knows what he's doing.

 

[Scrivener]

If you want some fun, order the Tri-Glide trigger kit from SVI. You will then have a trigger w/a tiny ball bearing in the back of the trigger bow, another on the 3-finger (sear) spring, and the luxury of selecting the size, shape and color of your modular trigger.

You'll have several hammer designs to choose from, as well. Just make sure you order the single-stack trigger kit.

 

[EddieCoyle]

EGW sells just about the exact parts for Dan's recipe as their Ultimate trigger kit for $119. I have three guns with that set up and they have nice triggers. I also had good luck with components right from SV and the trigger kits from Extreme Engineering (sold by Shooters Connection). They don't come with a hammer strut.

Did the parts require fitting before installation? I'm not afraid to do this and I have stones, etc but not the jig to set the sear angle. I can square up, polish, and set the height of the hammer hooks, but the sear angle is not something I'm set up to mess with.

 

[Cross-X]

Eddie, Brownells sells the necessary jig to set the sear angle. Not too expensive, either.

 

[GTOShootr]

Did the parts require fitting before installation? I'm not afraid to do this and I have stones, etc but not the jig to set the sear angle. I can square up, polish, and set the height of the hammer hooks, but the sear angle is not something I'm set up to mess with.

I stuck the Extreme Engineering parts in as is and called it good. I think they are Cylinder and Slide parts. I just polished the sides of the hammer and sear so it moved freely. This was just replacing my GI Springfield .45 guts and it gave a crisp 3#ish pull, all I wanted. I don't like to mess with this stuff myself that much and have respect for what could go wrong and those that really know what they are doing, like Dan S. I've had some interesting moments experimenting. So with the expsensive stuff that I want to produce real light triggers, I leave it in the hands of a gunsmith.

There is a possibility the RIA would require more fitting since every frame is different, and no offense, but a RIA might be more out of spec than others.

 

[PistolPete]

I use Brazos components for everything as they are the best I can find. I used his drop in trigger kit for 2 of my guns and the triggers are 2nd to none.

www.1911parts.com

Pete

 

[Dan S]

I had forgotten about the Extreme Engineering parts. From a simple drop in standpoint, they work extremely well. There may be a little creep just dropping them in, but, unless you have a very sensitive trigger finger, you may not even notice it.

 

[EddieCoyle]

I stuck the Extreme Engineering parts in as is and called it good. I think they are Cylinder and Slide parts. I just polished the sides of the hammer and sear so it moved freely. This was just replacing my GI Springfield .45 guts and it gave a crisp 3#ish pull, all I wanted. I don't like to mess with this stuff myself that much and have respect for what could go wrong and those that really know what they are doing, like Dan S. I've had some interesting moments experimenting. So with the expsensive stuff that I want to produce real light triggers, I leave it in the hands of a gunsmith.

There is a possibility the RIA would require more fitting since every frame is different, and no offense, but a RIA might be more out of spec than others.

Thanks, this is the info I was looking for.

I'm not after a perfect 2# trigger or anything - I'd just like to make it better than it is now, and it's crappy now.

No offense taken on the RIA. I knew what I was buying when I bought it.