Brownells Gunsmith Tech Corner - February 2007
By Brownells Staff
Question: I recently acquired a 1974-vintage "loaded" custom Springfield 1911-A1 in a trade and as I wish to use it as a carry weapon in addition to range plinking, I'm making a few modifications to its combat competition configuration to better serve me as a carry weapon--tritium sights, lower-profile safety and slide release, extended ejector, Gun Kote refinishing over the polished SS and removing the magazine well extension.
It currently has a two-piece guide rod on which the previous owner had installed a Wilson Shok-Buff. This causes a problem: by long habit I'm accustomed to chambering the first round after emptying a magazine by pulling back the slide to disengage the slide lock rather than manually depressing the slide release. Currently, the added width of the Shok-Buff makes this impossible, as there's not enough backwards play on the slide to disengage the release. Removing the buffer pad adds a bit more slack and I'm admittedly not very familiar with the 1911. Perhaps I should be using the slide lock instead, but unless there's an accuracy disadvantage I prefer the option of drawing back the slide to disengage the lock. This is how I've done it with other autos for years, and the method I use by reflex.
It's a 2-piece guide rod and I know I could easily shorten it a few millimeters, but I'm thinking of replacing the guide rod instead. I do, however, want some sort of frame buffer.
In your catalog I spotted the Wilson Combat "Group Gripper," said to improve lockup through more positive engagement of the recoil lugs in standard or factory barreled guns. My "loaded" Springfield has a conventional barrel bushing, it's not a bull barrel, but is a bit different from standard barrels--the final 3/4" of the muzzle is slightly belled and larger diameter than the rest of the barrel, and the barrel bushing is closely fitted.
What guide rod assembly do you recommend--the Group Gripper, a standard Wilson Shok-Buff recoil system, or another such as Springco or Cominolli? Or, of course, I could just stay with what I've got if another guide rod is unlikely to make a difference.
Finally, I want to install a heavier-duty hardened extractor and I don't know if the Springfield a Series 70 or Series 80 type (or how to tell the difference). Which extractor in your catalog do you recommend for best reliability? I'll be using heavy +P loads for carry, as well as lighter loads for plinking--I'll be ordering both heavy and light recoil springs for different loads. I doubt that this will affect my choice of extractor, I'm just telling everything that might apply. Reliability is more important to me than match accuracy, though ideally, of course, I'd like to have both (or at least the best possible compromise).
Which extractor is best for tactical use? I've gone with Ed Brown "Hard Core" components for my other after-market parts but see a variety of others in your catalog (including Brownells own).
To sum up, I need your recommendations on the best guide rod and extractor for a factory "custom-loaded" 1974 Springfield 1911 Govt. competition pistol I'm re-configuring for tactical carry. I also need to know whether this is a Series 70 or Series 80 frame type, or if you can tell me how to make that determination.
Answer: Standard 1911 guide rods, not the Cominolli buffered type, have pretty uniform head thickness. Buffers do vary, with the Wilson (#965-002-004), being the thinnest at .103" average. You may be able to file or sand a buffer thinner than that if needed. It may not last as many shots, but it will cushion the opening stroke. Personally, I feel that any pistol used in a self-defense role should not have added recoil buffers. Buffers can break up near the end of their service life of 700 to 1,000 rounds, and you sure don't want to jam a pistol with buffer material!
If the guide rod is not binding during the operating cycle, I wouldn't worry about changing it. The Group Gripper is one way to make a poorly fitted barrel lock up a bit tighter, but it's not a substitute for proper fitting.
You'll need a Series 70 type extractor for your slide. Series 80 refers to the system used by Colt and Para Ordnance where the slide has a firing pin block plunger that's cammed out of the way when the trigger is pulled. I would go with either the Ed Brown extractor or the Brownells unit.
Question: What is the shotgun bead size thread for Beretta shotguns? Specifically, the different shotguns I’m interested in are the autoloaders, 303, 390, 391. I’m also looking for the specs on the 680 series. Can you give me part numbers for beads, taps & drills to do the job?
Answer: It seems that the Beretta shotguns used metric threads and are known as 2.5mm threads or 2.6mm threads. Check out the Metric Shotgun Bead Drill and Tap Set (#395-000-001). The beads we have are the 2.6mm Sight (#902-000-041) from Tru Glo and 1/8” 2.5mm Sight (#146-000-001) from Bradley Gunsight.