My very own .45

Millie

Millie

Get on with your life!!!
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I got the Springfield 1911 .45 out of layaway today and shot it a bit. It's really nice and easy on my hand, and has a smooth trigger and adjustable rear sight. (Not that I know how to adjust it.)

I really like this gun, and I'm hoping it won't break after 5,000 rounds like my 9mm 1911 did. I'm going to try to go a bit easier on it than I did on the 9mm, just in case.

This gun will be hitting the competition trail in the fall/winter, I hope, since it's really easy to shoot, and I'm accurate with it.

We've all seen these before, I'm sure. (This one is "special," though, because it's mine!! LoL.)IMG1911.45_20190523_121635003.jpg
 
Congratulations on the new 'baby' ! :)
 
Millie said:
I got the Springfield 1911 .45 out of layaway today and shot it a bit. It's really nice and easy on my hand, and has a smooth trigger and adjustable rear sight. (Not that I know how to adjust it.)

I really like this gun, and I'm hoping it won't break after 5,000 rounds like my 9mm 1911 did. I'm going to try to go a bit easier on it than I did on the 9mm, just in case.

This gun will be hitting the competition trail in the fall/winter, I hope, since it's really easy to shoot, and I'm accurate with it.

We've all seen these before, I'm sure. (This one is "special," though, because it's mine!! LoL.)View attachment 127047
Click to expand...

Congrats. Basic maintenance, cleaning and spring changes should keep that gun running forever!
 
wvsig said:
Congrats. Basic maintenance, cleaning and spring changes should keep that gun running forever!
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I hope you're right....that's what I thought about the 1911 9mm, and look what happened to that one.....lol.
 
Fullsize Springfield in 45 will probably outlast you. Lube it well nothing crazy, change recoil spring at 5000 rounds or so and repeat. I suggest against changing anything for several thousand rounds.
One word of caution, avoid cheap gun store magazines it's a road to potential malfunctions, use Springfield or whoever makes them I can never remember, Chip McCormick, Wilson ETMs, or Tripp.

If you find you need to adjust the rear sight it is probably labelled, U with an arrow by/on the screw on top, R or possibly L with an arrow by/on the screw on the side, direction indicates which way the point of impact will move, not which way the sight will move.
 
Yeah, a well built firearm will outlast us. As long as we maintain them, replace worn parts, and generally don't act like baboons with them, then it will last for decades.
 
Congratulations and welcome to the addition crowd. When are you going start building a rifle?
 
Millie said:
I got the Springfield 1911 .45 out of layaway today and shot it a bit. It's really nice and easy on my hand, and has a smooth trigger and adjustable rear sight. (Not that I know how to adjust it.)

I really like this gun, and I'm hoping it won't break after 5,000 rounds like my 9mm 1911 did. I'm going to try to go a bit easier on it than I did on the 9mm, just in case.

This gun will be hitting the competition trail in the fall/winter, I hope, since it's really easy to shoot, and I'm accurate with it.

We've all seen these before, I'm sure. (This one is "special," though, because it's mine!! LoL.)View attachment 127047
Click to expand...
Congratulations! Wonderful selection. Sometimes short fat and slow is a beautiful thing.
 
Beef15 said:
Fullsize Springfield in 45 will probably outlast you. Lube it well nothing crazy, change recoil spring at 5000 rounds or so and repeat. I suggest against changing anything for several thousand rounds.
One word of caution, avoid cheap gun store magazines it's a road to potential malfunctions, use Springfield or whoever makes them I can never remember, Chip McCormick, Wilson ETMs, or Tripp.

If you find you need to adjust the rear sight it is probably labelled, U with an arrow by/on the screw on top, R or possibly L with an arrow by/on the screw on the side, direction indicates which way the point of impact will move, not which way the sight will move.
Click to expand...
I promise not to cheap out on the magazines.

The sight does have a UP and an arrow pointing right on top, and a LEFT and an arrow pointing counter-clockwise on the right side. I need the rounds to go more right, though they're pretty close now.
So if I understand you correctly, if I turn the screw to the right (against the arrow/direction) my rounds should go more right? (Or maybe I shouldn't mess with them myself?) I also need to make the rear one yellow and the front one red....seems to work best for my old eyes.
 
Millie said:
I hope you're right....that's what I thought about the 1911 9mm, and look what happened to that one.....lol.
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I thought that RIA was fixing that one under warranty? Here is my take on that pistol. It was defective from the start. It is dimensionally off somewhere or maybe even in multiple places. The tolerances for 9mm 1911 are tight window for them to run properly. Tighter than other calibers. You shoot the gun enough, more than most people shoot their guns, and the tolerances loosen up and stacked to cause a failure. A properly built 9mm 1911 should last as long as any other 1911. Yours did not because it is a lower end 1911 that has avg build quality. The SA you have in 45 ACP is a higher quality pistol all around. @Beef15 gave you spot on advice! Maintain it properly and it should outlast you and most likely everyone posting on this board. LOL
 
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Congratulations! If you look and think back to when you first joined here .I told you not to believe anyone saying a woman can’t handle a .45acp 1911. Also remember I told you women are better shooter than men ... if they don’t listen to many who try to convince them of that. My wife, when she wants, can out shoot me ... basically women have better hand-eye coordination and take instructions better than men. So practice and go out and kick ass when you start your competition days!
 
wvsig said:
I thought that RIA was fixing that one under warranty? Here is my take on that pistol. It was defective from the start. It is dimensionally off somewhere or maybe even in multiple places. The tolerances for 9mm 1911 are tight window for them to run properly. Tighter than other calibers. You shoot the gun enough, more than most people shoot their guns, and the tolerances loosen up and stacked to cause a failure. A properly built 9mm 1911 should last as long as any other 1911. Yours did not because it is a lower end 1911 that has avg build quality. The SA you have in 45 ACP is a higher quality pistol all around. @Beef15 gave you spot on advice! Maintain it properly and it should outlast you and most likely everyone posting on this board. LOL
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Yes, RIA is ready to accept the gun....when I can bear to let it go to them. It's been a struggle to let it go, but I will once I get the new grips off and original ones back on, and put the original rod/spring back in.....next week, for sure....

I'll be sure to be good to the .45, just as I was to the 9mm, but I'm not going to baby it, though I'll be tempted. The guns want to be shot, so they will be! The .45 is such a nice gun.
 
NCFubar said:
Congratulations! If you look and think back to when you first joined here .I told you not to believe anyone saying a woman can’t handle a .45acp 1911. Also remember I told you women are better shooter than men ... if they don’t listen to many who try to convince them of that. My wife, when she wants, can out shoot me ... basically women have better hand-eye coordination and take instructions better than men. So practice and go out and kick ass when you start your competition days!
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It's been an interesting time here, for sure, and I've learned a lot! I can't wait to get the .45 into a match, it's going to be so sweet!

The 9mm will get another go at a competition, so it can redeem itself for the first one I did, with all the malfunctions....what a day that was!
 
12151791 said:
Congratulations and welcome to the addition crowd. When are you going start building a rifle?
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Not in this lifetime! I did enjoy the 2 rifles I shot recently, but I'm not going to make or buy any.....no more expensive hobbies!!!

(Repeating to myself: No, No, No!)
 
Millie said:
Yes, RIA is ready to accept the gun....when I can bear to let it go to them. It's been a struggle to let it go, but I will once I get the new grips off and original ones back on, and put the original rod/spring back in.....next week, for sure....

I'll be sure to be good to the .45, just as I was to the 9mm, but I'm not going to baby it, though I'll be tempted. The guns want to be shot, so they will be! The .45 is such a nice gun.
Click to expand...

Just remember what Ken Hackthorn always says..... "The 1911 chambered in 45 ACP is the Worlds Finest Close Quarters Sidearm”… and, “King of feedway stoppages.” and "Every true American Patriot should own one!"
 
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Ikarus1 said:
As God and John Moses Browning intended the 1911 to be configured
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You mean as the US Army intended it. The 1911 was a contract pistol is they had asked for it in 9mm JMB would have designed it around that cartridge. It was not his choice.
 
Keep it lubed and it should run like a sewing machine.
I own that pistol in SS and it has been the best of any of my JMB blasters.

The only things I changed were the thumb safety and the rear sight. Wilson Bulletproof thumb safeties literally drop in. I've put two different Wilson BP thumb safeties on it and neither required fitting. The same thumb safeties required fitting on a Colt and a Fusion, as one would reasonably expect.
 
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fieldgrade said:
Keep it lubed and it should run like a sewing machine.
I own that pistol in SS and it has been the best of any of my JMB blasters.

The only things I changed were the thumb safety and the rear sight. Wilson Bulletproof thumb safeties literally drop in. I've put two different Wilson BP thumb safeties on it and neither required fitting. A minor miracle. I was told on a 1911 forum that this was unpossible, but it's true.
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Even a broken clock is right twice a day. LOL ;)
 
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wvsig said:
Even a broken clock is right twice a day. LOL ;)
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I did consider it just "luck of the draw", but as someone who changes thumb safeties like underwear it was nice to swap them out like grip panels, and not once but twice.
 
wvsig said:
Just remember what Ken Hackthorn always says..... "The 1911 chambered in 45 ACP is the Worlds Finest Close Quarters Sidearm”… and, “King of feedway stoppages.” and "Every true American Patriot should own one!"
Click to expand...

I fix those feedway stoppages by A. remove boogerhook from bangswitch and B. slapping the living sh!t out of the bottom of the mag inside the magwell. Everything bounces back into place like I'm a friggin chiropractor. Those fat little FMJs want to go downrange, they really do.
 
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fieldgrade said:
Keep it lubed and it should run like a sewing machine.
I own that pistol in SS and it has been the best of any of my JMB blasters.

The only things I changed were the thumb safety and the rear sight. Wilson Bulletproof thumb safeties literally drop in. I've put two different Wilson BP thumb safeties on it and neither required fitting. The same thumb safeties required fitting on a Colt and a Fusion, as one would reasonably expect.
Click to expand...
I lubed it up before shooting it today, and will give it a cleaning soon, so I can get familiar with it.

The safety seems ok so far, and I'm not sure whether I should attempt the adjustment of the rear sight myself. It seems straight-forward enough, with the little screws to turn, but I might not be ready for that yet!

How come you changed the safety? Just curious.....
 
Millie said:
I lubed it up before shooting it today, and will give it a cleaning soon, so I can get familiar with it.

The safety seems ok so far, and I'm not sure whether I should attempt the adjustment of the rear sight myself. It seems straight-forward enough, with the little screws to turn, but I might not be ready for that yet!

How come you changed the safety? Just curious.....
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When adjusting the rear sight up or down press down on the sight (spring under it) and the adjustor will turn more easily. As for the thumb safety, it was purely a preference. The one they put on the RO is fine. I ride the thumb safety when I shoot and prefer a low lever thumb safety that Wilson makes, but it is purely a personal preference.
 
fieldgrade said:
When adjusting the rear sight up or down press down on the sight (spring under it) and the adjustor will turn more easily. As for the thumb safety, it was purely a preference. The one they put on the RO is fine. I ride the thumb safety when I shoot and prefer a low lever thumb safety that Wilson makes, but it is purely a personal preference.
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Thanks. I need to adjust the sight right, though. I'm guessing no spring for that movement?
 
Millie said:
Thanks. I need to adjust the sight right, though. I'm guessing no spring for that movement?
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I believe that's correct. I adjusted mine a smidge right as well before I changed it to a Harrison Extreme Service. You can take a file to the sharp corners of the Springfield rear sight and reblue it with a Presto Blueing pen. $5 on Amazon.
 
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Ikarus1 said:
Yep that is where the divine intervention happened [emoji23]
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Yeah I guess. LOL I just see a lot of people attributing what JMB wanted to do or what he wanted a gun to be and they are talking about contract guns. The BHP is the worst offender. He didn't even finish the design Saive did but people constantly claim it was his attempt to improve or correct the errors on the 1911. This is completely false. Just like the 1911 the BHP was a contract gun with specs determined by the potential buyer. In that case the French who never adopted the gun. It was not his choice. He did not even consider a High capacity pistol necessary IIRC. The reality is if the contract spec said it had to be blue with pink grips that is what JMB would have designed and delivered it with a high capacity mag. LOL ;)
 
fieldgrade said:
I believe that's correct. I adjusted mine a smidge right as well before I changed it to a Harrison Extreme Service. You can take a file to the sharp corners of the Springfield rear sight and reblue it with a Presto Blueing pen. $5 on Amazon.
Click to expand...

Love that Harrison sight.
 
fieldgrade said:
I believe that's correct. I adjusted mine a smidge right as well before I changed it to a Harrison Extreme Service. You can take a file to the sharp corners of the Springfield rear sight and reblue it with a Presto Blueing pen. $5 on Amazon.
Click to expand...
Or get Walter to do it. He has been running a Springfield at matches. Saw him in Clinton last Saturday, and H20 the weekend before that.
 
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