[Asylum Keeper]

So I just got this 1911 and I want to change a few things, mainly the grip safety, hammer, and trigger. My question for you guys is , blue or stainless parts? Would stainless look funny? oh yea, and question number 2. Whats the difference between 70 series and 80 series??

 

[Fuelburns2]

Personally I would leave it all blue but a stainless trigger and hammer might look good. Try to edit your picture and replace the color to get an idea of how it would look.

 

[Asylum Keeper]

Personally I would leave it all blue but a stainless trigger and hammer might look good. Try to edit your picture and replace the color to get an idea of how it would look.

I dont have the skills to edit the photo that much. I have decided on some parts. grip safety will stay blue, trigger will the alum, and hammer will be "two tone" (sides silver, rest blue)

so yea, I dont know what my pistol is, 70 or 80 series and dont know the radius? .220 or .250 (dont even know what they are talking about) pin size? what?

 

[TheRedScare]

80 series has a firing pin block operated by the trigger; 70 does not. The block is a little plunger that is indexed with the trigger to sear engagement. This makes the 80 have an inherently longer and heavier trigger pull but if either is tuned I doubt it is noticeable. I have all series 80 and 1 of them is tuned real light and short.

Guess when they changed the design............

 

[Asylum Keeper]

1980's ? So I guess my gun is an 80 series, is there a way to tell without taking the gun apart? the trigger does have a lot of pre-travel and kinda heavy break.

 

[TMats]

Small point perhaps, but I believe your pistol is not blued, but parkerized, a more durable milspec finish. The after-market parts, as you correctly stated, are typically available in either blued or stainless steel. I guess what I'm saying is you will probably need to have your gunsmith refinish after the upgrades. I think you'll enjoy the project...good luck.

 

[TheRedScare]

1980's ? So I guess my gun is an 80 series, is there a way to tell without taking the gun apart? the trigger does have a lot of pre-travel and kinda heavy break.

Feild stripp your gun. Then look in the slide around the bottom of the firing pin. You will see the circular plunger bottom towards the rear of the slide.

 

[Asylum Keeper]

Um, I dont see what you are talking about. Does this photo help?

Small point perhaps, but I believe your pistol is not blued, but parkerized, a more durable milspec finish. The after-market parts, as you correctly stated, are typically available in either blued or stainless steel. I guess what I'm saying is you will probably need to have your gunsmith refinish after the upgrades. I think you'll enjoy the project...good luck.

Thats why I am thinking of using stainless parts and go for the "two-tone" look.

 

[Rev.]

Your gun does not have the firing pin block. Im not sure but I dont think SA followed Colt on the firing pin block. The new guns may have it but I know Colt used it first.

 

[Rev.]

In addition, if you replace the trigger yourself be prepaired to do some hand fitting. Some replacement triggers will fit right out of the package, some will not. The grip safety should be a drop-in fit along with the hammer, should you change it.

 

[Asylum Keeper]

so then whats this thing?

 

[thumper723]

Thats the disconnector. Disconnects the trigger until you release it to fire another round.

Springfield basically stayed with the series 70 design. The series 80 and its complexity was to meet the PRK and Assachusetts mandated drop tests.

Colt (and others) use a mechanical block. Springfield uses a Titanium firing pin. Idea is that the lighter firing pin has less mass, impacts the primer with less force if the gun is dropped.

These were government mandated solutions to non-existent problems IMHO.

I read somewhere that the springfields use a "non-standard" firing pin size. Not 100% sure on that, don't have a non-SA gun to compare.

SA customer service is fantstic. I bought mine used, and when I had small parts break, sent new ones FedEx, no questions asked other than Serial Number and what do I need.

 

[Asylum Keeper]

well, now I have a plan. I am gonna get all stainless parts, then refinish the gun with matte black gun-kote to have a two-tone look, if I dont like it I will gun-kote the stainless parts to match.

 

[TMats]

AK, stainless hammer--absolutely. Aluminum trigger--of course, but if the only other stainless is the beavertail grip safety you won't really have a two tone pistol. You'll have a black pistol with a mismatched grip safety. I think you're on the right track now that you've made the decision to refinish in Gun Kote. Take a look at the finishes on those Wilson and Kimber pistols that are two-tone with OD green and black or desert tan and brown.

I guess what I'm saying is that two tone is achieved by contrast between the frame and the slide, not the grip safety and the rest of the pistol.

Respectfully, T

 

[Asylum Keeper]

ah yes, very good point

 

[Asylum Keeper]

well, as normal, I have changed my mind again. I have already changed out the MSH for a pacmyre rubberized flat one and like it alot. I will be getting Wilson Combat slide stop and thumb safety in "blue" , read some reviews and seems wilsons "blue" looks like parkerized so they with match. gonna wait on doing the beaver tail for a while and get chip mccormick hammer, sear, disconector and spring.

 

[Asylum Keeper]

well, project "Evil 45" is underway! changed a few things, rubberized MSH, wilson combat extended thumb safety,slide release and mag release, and different grips. my to-do list is a mile long, but some day it will be pure :twisted:

 

[Fuelburns2]

What's not to like?