Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
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  1. #1
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    Default Underrated 1911 modifications and lessons from the front sight.

    People love to modify guns and the 1911 lends itself easily to this. Just like a good rifle or shotgun, this can be a huge help to controlling the firearm....if you know what to look for. I'm constantly amazed at how rifle and shotgun shooters understand the worth of modifying the firearm to fit you....and casual pistol shooters tend to try to modify themselves to fit the firearm. Here's my observations over the past 60-70 thousand rounds......

    Yes, you can have someone tutor you and change your stance, grip and form.....and this may work.....but, as you progress in skills things may change. At this point, you either need more instruction, fumble your way to ecstasy.....or learn to evaluate what your doing. I'm a big fan of learning how to evaluate yourself and not being dependent on the experience of another. It generalizes better.

    The easiest way to do this is get feedback from the front sight. Even if you favor point shooting, using some form of visual feedback lets you figure out what works and what doesn't (There could be a whole other thread about types of focus at differing distances and what to look for...I use at least 4 types of feedback depending on the distance/difficulty/lighting). When you hold the gun, does the front sight sit in the notch "rock solid" and with stability? Is it clearly in focus? What happens during dry fire to the front sight? When the gun returns from recoil does it drop back in the rear notch without you having to muscle the gun?

    I could dedicate an entire thread about how to relax and keep your focal plane at the front sight as well as how to grip the gun firmly, but to make sure you have a degree of neutrality and balance at the same time. This doesn't mean your grip or stance feels "good". Sometimes, it can feel really uncomfortable, yet the front sight is sitting like it's carved in granite. THAT is why you need to use a form of visual feeback and not just what feels "right" or what technique someone told you to use. Seriously....we could really look at full extension of the arms versus breaking the elbow or the upward/outward motion of the elbows, but this is a natural progression of questioning after we figure out what to look for....... So....let's get on with it.....

    So we know....sort of.....what we need to see to start (assuming slow fire to as a beginning). Where can we make changes to the gun to start evaluating and perhaps make things easier for ourselves to start "Seeing what we need to see". In other words, it's a LOT easier to learn to track the front sight when you aren't fighting the gun.

    IMHO, these are the mods to make first and offer diminishing returns as the list goes on. This is assuming you're gripping the handgun in a correct manner (whole 'nother thread).

    Step one: Trigger mods. A nice crisp trigger is going to help you. There are several trigger groups that will drop in at 3lbs. What is overlooked is trigger length and shape. You'll see some shooters using the pad of the finger to shoot and others use the first distal joint. Neither are wrong if you ask a pistol shooter and a revolver shooter at the same time.....both get it done. People mess around with finger depth instead of dropping in a trigger that fits them. I like the trigger to break at .400 from the frame. I also like a flat trigger since it doesn't force my finger into a place where it doesn't want to be. I'm looking for neutrality and a curved trigger forces my finger in a place it doesn't really want to go. Flat triggers feel weird and I shoot a curved trigger well, but it needs to sit farther out for me than a flat trigger for the font sight to be stable. I think it allows a more consistent feel and the finger rides smoother on reset during recoil....but, I digress....... I find that when you have the right trigger depth, this tends to stay static whether you do other mods so it's a good place to start.

    Step two: Mainspring housing. Arched, flat or Wedge? The arched MS housing will put you at an angle almost identical to the Glock. Really nice if you're used to that platform or if you favor more cant in your wrists when shooting. I find it works better at full extension of the elbows where at flat MS housing sits better for me at just short of full extension. I'm more upright with a flat MS housing and rolling my shoulders more with arched. That's not nearly as important as compared to how the gun mounts for you. Close your eyes and draw the gun. Open your eyes and look for the sights. Are they sitting too high? Too low? Don't change guns....just change your MS housing.

    Step three: Sights. Eyes are different. Very different. I can't tell you what you'll see best. I like a thin blade because I think they help with tighter shots....although this goes against many bullseye shooters who do not like any space around the front blade. I also like a fiber optic (red, green, orange, yellow, purple....in that order) so I can track the thin blade in recoil with my (getting older) eyes. Night sights are nice, too, but I black out the rear with dry erase markers during slow fire to keep my focus on the front sight easily.

    Step four: Undercut frames and high beavertails. I combined these two because they are in the same vein. They change your leverage on the gun. Most of your Glock shooters hate the high bore axis of the sigs or XD guns. Undercutting the 1911 gives you more of a Glockish feel and can help you manage recoil depending on your grip....or not depending on what feedback you get.

    Step five: Weight. Heavy guns don't move as easily when you have a tense grip. Lighter guns transition faster, but are less forgiving. Where you change the weight....up front (tungsten guide rods, slide lightening and bull barrels) or in the rear (magwells and MS housing) will depend on whether you want the gun to settle differently during recoil or in slow fire. It will depend on your grip style and loads. I've had everything from slide cuts to tungsten sleeved barrels (which were really amazing) and it just depends on your style. I do think a heavy gun is easier to track when you're starting out. I think it's the reason people feel the .45 ACP is easier to shoot than the .40. The .45 is often seen as having a slower recoil and not as "Snappy". Snappy is harder to track until you're used to that and can see faster (yes, you can learn to do that)

    Step 6: Springs and firing pin stops. This is all about timing and has more to do with follow up shots. The recoil spring and mainspring work together, but the angle of the squared (versus the usual rounded) firing pin stop will slow the rearward slide velocity. That means you can use a lower poundage mainspring and still not have frame battering. If you look at still photos of shooting with the slide in motion during ejection, you won't see much visible recoil. I think the majority of felt recoil happens when the slide hits the frame. I try to make my slides just kiss the frames on ejection, but a lot of people favor a lighter recoil spring/MS combo. If you go a lot lighter you may have to use a buffer (another thread on making those work 100%...) It depends on what you see. I like a squared FP stop with a 19lb MS and 12-16lb recoil spring depending on other factors I'm using such as buffer size, slide lightening, weight factors and loads. As long as ejection is good, you can up the recoil spring to get the muzzle back down easier on follow up shots if you're left a bit high.

    Everything else: I find that everything else is less effective, but it shouldn't be ignored. Grip texture is a good place to start. Sometimes changing anything about the gun ramps up your feelers and lets you see/feel more than you typically would. Anytime you can consciously get feedback from the gun and evaluate it, you're doing mindful shooting. Mindful shooting will always benefit you.

    Lycanhasn'twrittenalongpostforawhilethrope

    I taught Chuck Norris to bump-fire.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Underrated 1911 modifications and lessons from the front sight.

    FANTASTIC post! Thanks.
    There's no such thing as a free lunch.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Underrated 1911 modifications and lessons from the front sight.

    Really good post !

    Thanks!
    Cb

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Underrated 1911 modifications and lessons from the front sight.

    Lots of insight here and valuable to more than just 1911 shooters. Thanks for sharing.

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Underrated 1911 modifications and lessons from the front sight.

    Very knowledgable and interesting.
    FOAC Member, NRA Member

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Underrated 1911 modifications and lessons from the front sight.

    Using Lycan's outstanding thread starting post as an example of modifying the 1911 to suit the shooter for improved effectiveness, personally I cannot fire a 1911 with a short 1911A1 trigger and hit anything to speak of. I either push or pull the pistol to the left or right with the pad of my trigger finger resting on the trigger. No amount of shifting the pad of my trigger finger around seems to help.

    If I take the same 1911 and install a long trigger, and hook the trigger directly on the first joint of my trigger finger, I can bust standard claybirds standing on their edges on the 25 yard berm all day. That's an example of an inexpensive, practical mod that makes all the difference in results.

    Good stuff in the OP; well done, Lycan.

    Noah
    Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times.

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Underrated 1911 modifications and lessons from the front sight.

    The arched MSH can make a huge difference in your initial sighting with the pistol. The original M1911-A1 had one,,,, sadly today most new 1911's are only offered with the flat one. They are not difficult to change out.

    As Lycan pointed out,,,, just bring the weapon up with your eyes closed,,,, and it's on target (at least it works that way for me, also). It's such a minor thing. I use to have to find the front sight,,,, now it's right there. No more searching.

    Ask a friend that has one to try it out...
    George,
    So many guns, so little money.

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Underrated 1911 modifications and lessons from the front sight.

    Im not buying another 1911 and I dont care what you say !


  9. #9
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    Default Re: Underrated 1911 modifications and lessons from the front sight.

    Quote Originally Posted by Lycanthrope View Post
    Step two: Mainspring housing. Arched, flat or Wedge? The arched MS housing will put you at an angle almost identical to the Glock.
    Flat for me with a raised memory pad on the GS. Gets me on target with my hands behind my back while playing the harmonica. Most of the other $.10 goodies, as well.

    ETA - I tried to like the Glock, but I couldn't get it to point where I wanted it to. I kept hitting the top of the berm which made the range master scratch his head a few times. I assured him I'd be selling them. BTW...got to rep a few more folk before hitting you, again, but the thought was there.
    Last edited by harold63; July 16th, 2013 at 07:06 PM.
    BCM and Glock...for a bigger pile of 'cold dead hands' brass.

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Underrated 1911 modifications and lessons from the front sight.

    Quote Originally Posted by Shawn.L View Post
    Im not buying another 1911 and I dont care what you say !

    Funny this comes as I am currently in the process of bringing another 1911 into my collection after being without one for a short period of time. A 1911 was my one and only pistol for at least 10 years, and it just doesn't feel right not to have one. I find they still pull up most naturally for me, and the manual of arms and muscle memory is permanently ingrained it seems. Whenever pick one up, it just feels right. Sorry as this is off topic, but it just needed to be said. Great read bu the OP, right on target, no pun intended.

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