A suggestion for those with CMP 1911s

[MattB]

Check your recoil springs. When I got my 1911 from round 3 I noticed that the slide racked with significantly less effort than the slide on my near-new Springfield Mil Spec. My general rule of thumb is to check recoil springs on any used pistol where I don’t know round count, and the spring in my CMP pistol appeared to be in need of replacement. I’ve read that a rule of thumb for 1911 recoil springs is that if they’re more than three coil lengths shorter than a new spring or shorter than six inches they need to be replaced and the spring in mine met those conditions. One new 16lbs spring from Wilson Combat later and the CMP pistol feels pretty much identical to the SA when I rack the slide. A cheap form of preventive maintenance.

[smle-man]

Originally Posted by MattB

Check your recoil springs. When I got my 1911 from round 3 I noticed that the slide racked with significantly less effort than the slide on my near-new Springfield Mil Spec. My general rule of thumb is to check recoil springs on any used pistol where I don’t know round count, and the spring in my CMP pistol appeared to be in need of replacement. I’ve read that a rule of thumb for 1911 recoil springs is that if they’re more than three coil lengths shorter than a new spring or shorter than six inches they need to be replaced and the spring in mine met those conditions. One new 16lbs spring from Wilson Combat later and the CMP pistol feels pretty much identical to the SA when I rack the slide. A cheap form of preventive maintenance.

Great advice! I've only shot my CMP 1911A1 twice and don't plan on shooting it any more. I have current productions Colts to shoot on a regular basis.

[JoyfulJoker]

First thing I did. Mine is a shooter , not a collector. Got about 300 rounds through it. Hammer spring too.

[MattB]

Originally Posted by JoyfulJoker

First thing I did. Mine is a shooter , not a collector. Got about 300 rounds through it. Hammer spring too.

Yeah I fully intend to shoot mine. Not a ton since I have the Springfield as well, but I shoot everything in my collection. I think my hammer spring is okay because cocking the hammer doesn’t feel substantially easier on the CMP pistol than on the SA, but I’ll see what happens when I take it to the range. Did you notice a big difference after changing the hammer spring? I may change out the mainspring housing with a checkered one at some point as I think that’s correct for the frame and probably just change the mainspring then. I find with most pistols the mainspring lasts far longer than the recoil spring.

[FeuerFrei]

I've bought many used 1911's over the years and learned to swap springs with standard power springs from the get go. Owners tend to monkey with the springs and do other YT monkey type mods to "enhance performance". Springs are always the first thing they dk with cuz it's easy.

Swapping springs on a CMP anything seems smart to me. Save the old parts/springs? Yes.

[JoyfulJoker]

Originally Posted by MattB

Yeah I fully intend to shoot mine. Not a ton since I have the Springfield as well, but I shoot everything in my collection. I think my hammer spring is okay because cocking the hammer doesn’t feel substantially easier on the CMP pistol than on the SA, but I’ll see what happens when I take it to the range. Did you notice a big difference after changing the hammer spring? I may change out the mainspring housing with a checkered one at some point as I think that’s correct for the frame and probably just change the mainspring then. I find with most pistols the mainspring lasts far longer than the recoil spring.

No, I didn't notice a big difference. I saved the old springs in a zip lock. Mine came with a replacement slide which is hardened, circa 1979. I got a matching Ithaca slide but haven't shot it that much since it is from 1944 and I don't want to crack it. There was a safety with the checkering that was period correct from my Ithaca on Ebay. The safety I have is serrated, and not correct but matched so well and seemed to have been with the pistol for a long time, the wear marks are perfect. I left as is. My frame is a 1943 Ithaca. I love it, warts and all.
I have to say , it shoots well and I can hit steel at 25 yards without difficulty.

It would be fun to have a CMP 1911 shoot out, with a bunch of folks shooting their 1911A1'a. Richmond Rod and Gun Club is where I shoot most of the time.

[MattB]

Originally Posted by JoyfulJoker

No, I didn't notice a big difference. I saved the old springs in a zip lock. Mine came with a replacement slide which is hardened, circa 1979. I got a matching Ithaca slide but haven't shot it that much since it is from 1944 and I don't want to crack it. There was a safety with the checkering that was period correct from my Ithaca on Ebay. The safety I have is serrated, and not correct but matched so well and seemed to have been with the pistol for a long time, the wear marks are perfect. I left as is. My frame is a 1943 Ithaca. I love it, warts and all.
I have to say , it shoots well and I can hit steel at 25 yards without difficulty.

It would be fun to have a CMP 1911 shoot out, with a bunch of folks shooting their 1911A1'a. Richmond Rod and Gun Club is where I shoot most of the time.

Good to know that I shouldn’t expect much difference from a mainspring change. I saved my old springs as well. My pistol has an 1944 Ithaca frame and a wartime Colt slide that’s hardened around the front and the slide stop cutout. Based on the wear patterns, it appears the slide and frame have been together for a long time. The only arsenal stamp on it is from Augusta, which closed in the mid 1950s. It’s a typical 1911A1 mixmaster but that makes it authentic. I’ve also heard that the Ithaca slides were known to be the softest steel of the mass produced 1911s for the war, so from the standpoint of being able to shoot it I’m glad it has a Colt slide. I may try to find an Ithaca slide for it at some point, just for completeness.

And yeah it would be fun to have a gathering of CMP 1911s and have a friendly competition.

[kris smith]

Shoot it till it fails re spring it and repeat. Keep it oiled and it will be around for a hundred more years