Just got my 1911! Now what?

Him

Him

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So since I was wee and knew anything about guns, I've always wanted a .45 for no particular reason. Since I never could really afford a 1911, I always settled for my gun purchases. You know, got a gun that is cool and that I could afford, but it wasn't REALLY what I wanted. Well, I finally got what I wanted and I'm so happy with it. I haven't shot it yet, nor do I have pictures (yet) but it feels just do damn cool. Now I ask, what are some neat things I can do to it? It already has a match trigger, extended slide release, nice black grips, Novak sights and the things that makes the mags go in easier (that's a technical term :p). Any nice performance upgrades I can do, or mere aesthetic upgrades I can make?

I forgot to mention it's an S&W 1911, I'm not sure of anything beyond that. 4 digit number I think, if that makes any difference.

 
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What I like is irrelevant. shoot it. Shoot it again. shoot it again. Clean. repeat. If you want to change anything do it AFTER you know what you want to change...if anything.

ETA. congrats on your first 1911.
 
Get ammo!
[smile]
Now, the 1911 is a gun that really lends itself to tinkering. Arguably, I like tinkering with them more than I like shooting them. With that in mind, on the SW 1911s, there's usually not all that much that I'd do. There's really nothing that they need. But, because I can always find something to tinker with, I would consider:

  • Replace Trigger - Smith triggers tend to be undersized, and while they work well, I don't care for the rattle.
  • Replace Sights - Personally, I don't care for the sights SW1911 ship with.
  • Switch Manual Safety - I take off any ambidextrous thumb safeties. This is certainly a matter of preference.

Note none of these are necessary, and all require a certain amount of knowledge to do yourself (although not too much). I recommend not doing them until you have this knowledge because by then, you likely know what you like and what you don't (which is really the key).
 
Learn how to take it apart and clean it. Mine shoots mostly lead and leaves virtually none to clean, but if it not stainless keep it oiled. Enjoy many years of happiness Start casting and reloading. That's all.
 
So since I was wee and new anything about guns, I've always wanted a .45 for no particular reason. Since I never could really afford a 1911, I always settled for my gun purchases. You know, got a gun that is cool and that I could afford, but it wasn't REALLY what I wanted. Well, I finally got what I wanted and I'm so happy with it. I haven't shot it yet, nor do I have pictures (yet) but it feels just do damn cool. Now I ask, what are some neat things I can do to it? It already has a match trigger, extended slide release, nice black grips, Novak sights and the things that makes the mags go in easier (that's a technical term :p). Any nice performance upgrades I can do, or mere aesthetic upgrades I can make?

I forgot to mention it's an S&W 1911, I'm not sure of anything beyond that. 4 digit number I think, if that makes any difference.
Click to expand...
take it in the shower with you..[laugh]
 
I posted a pic of it in the OP.

It already has the match tigger (Is that ever factory installed? I really don't know) Novak sights, and a few other thing. No ambi safety, I wouldn't have been a fan of that either. As TheRoland said, it is a gun that lends itself to tinkering. While I know very little about the inner workings of said firearm, it just screams "Mod me! Do something crazy! Spend money on me!" The 1911 feels like a trophy wife that is actually useful.

I'm on the way to collecting obscene amounts of ammo for it, cannot wait to shoot it (that might come this weekend, I sincerely hope so).

Thanks for the good words on my 1911! I love the thing.
 
Him said:
I posted a pic of it in the OP.

It already has the match tigger (Is that ever factory installed? I really don't know) Novak sights, and a few other thing. No ambi safety, I wouldn't have been a fan of that either. As TheRoland said, it is a gun that lends itself to tinkering. While I know very little about the inner workings of said firearm, it just screams "Mod me! Do something crazy! Spend money on me!" The 1911 feels like a trophy wife that is actually useful.

I'm on the way to collecting obscene amounts of ammo for it, cannot wait to shoot it (that might come this weekend, I sincerely hope so).

Thanks for the good words on my 1911! I love the thing.
Click to expand...

Very nice gun. I sold one almost exactly like that a few years go, and immediately regretted it.

That looks like the factory installed trigger, which often rattles in the horizontal and vertical planes. It works fine, but is annoying if you're used to triggers that don't. If it already doesn't rattle, you win!

The other thing I forgot to mention: Grips. Changing out grips is super-easy compared to almost anything else, and there's a huge selection. See, especially, wooden grips (the two best are probably woodgrips.com and Esmeralda), and VZGrips. I run Crimson Trace grips on my go-to Government, and it's a bit of a bummer that I can't swap grips (because I want to keep said laser capability).
 
M1911 said:
Clean it. Shoot. Lather, rinse, and repeat.
Click to expand...

WARNING ! the above operations can and often do lead to 1911 syndrome. ie The need to own as many 1911s as one can't afford. It starts innocently with a S&W or a Para then before you know it there will be Kimbers and Colts begging to come home with you. Really unfortunate souls become afficted by Les Baers and Wilson Combat models
 
I recommend you shoot it immediately. I bought the same model, used, and it had problems feeding. I sent it back to
Smith and Wesson and they did something that fixed it. They do a good job backing up what they sell with a lifetime warranty, regardless of whether you're the original owner. So make sure it's operating the way you like.
 
Shoot it, shoot it some more. Shoot other people's guns with (or without) mods. What "deficiencies" do you see in your gun? What parts of other people's guns do you like? The best part of a 1911 is that there is no right way - you get to pick and choose the bits that fit you, best.

Watch out for magazines, different 1911s like different mags, and a lot of the ones out there are pure crap. My springfield has issues with a factory magazine, I traded them out for CMC mags and it works fine. Wilson Combat seems to be the favorite. I've heard that 10 round mags can cause problems, but I've never tried this, so I have no first hand experience.

Whatever you do with it, enjoy it! Watch out, they tend to multiply...
 
I second the comment about trying it out and checking for potential magazine troubles. My brand new S&W 1911 Compact ES tended to FTF the last cartridge in both of the factory magazines every single time. I sent them back to S&W for replacement and they ended up shipping me back completely wrong magazines. (What's this I hear about good S&W customer service?)

But in the meantime, I bought some Wilson Combat mags and the gun feeds PERFECTLY from them. I highly recommend the Wilson Combats.
 
Him said:
I posted a pic of it in the OP.

It already has the match tigger (Is that ever factory installed? I really don't know) Novak sights, and a few other thing. No ambi safety, I wouldn't have been a fan of that either. As TheRoland said, it is a gun that lends itself to tinkering. While I know very little about the inner workings of said firearm, it just screams "Mod me! Do something crazy! Spend money on me!" The 1911 feels like a trophy wife that is actually useful.

I'm on the way to collecting obscene amounts of ammo for it, cannot wait to shoot it (that might come this weekend, I sincerely hope so).

Thanks for the good words on my 1911! I love the thing.
Click to expand...

The only things I'd change immediately are...

Crimson Trace grips if it's a defense gun

New Wilson Combat mags (as many as you can afford)
 
Learn how to take it apart and clean it. Mine shoots mostly lead and leaves virtually none to clean, but if it not stainless keep it oiled. Enjoy many years of happiness Start casting and reloading. That's all.
Click to expand...

I'd suggest you learn how to detail strip the gun (despite the fact the instruction book probably tells you not to), and the differences between your extractor and a standard 1911 extractor (to round out your body of knowledge). It will allow you to do the occasional detailed cleaning, and give you a much more complete understanding of the operation of your gun.
 
for what I was going to spend on my off the shelf S&W1911 with mods and up grades, I found a S&W 1911 Performance Center NIB for a touch less. I had a performance center just after they came out in 2004 ish I loved it traded it for my current trap gun ? I still have not fired the PC 1911. One problem with the PC model the custom case is crap.
 

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