CA Springfield 1911s

[JTROKS]

I just got my first Springfield and it's a 1911 9mm Target in stainless. For an out of the box pistol I'm satisfied with the fit of the parts and turns out it's an accurate pistol. What I didn't like about it is the heavy mainspring needed to compensate for the titanium firing pin. In my days of shooting USPSA in open class I never cared for titanium firing pins and hammers for they create more problems than they solve. I ended up replacing the firing pin & FP spring, mainspring and mainspring cap. My question is, do most folks here keep all those parts that makes the trigger heavy or replace them like I did? Also, I ended up trimming the 2 piece full length recoil guide rod and loctite it to fix it in place. Now I can disassemble the gun the traditional way. BTW, the two mags that came with the gun wouldn't function at all. The follower kept getting stuck at the bottom and I had to hook the rounds out. Gonna need a couple of Wolff +10 mag springs.

[Cyc Wid It]

I think it's a safe bet that most Springfield owners switch out the ILS.

[Q619]

I've replaced the springs with either Wolff or Wilson, the MS housing with Wilson and the firing pin with an Ed Brown Hardcore FP on every SA I've ever owned. I don't like Ti FP's or locking systems on guns.

[MossbergMan]

Buy Tripp Research 9mm magazine for your Springfield. You'll love'm I have them for my 4 various Springfield 9's. They also stand behind their products, great customer service.

[tgil]

I've had the same issue with the magazines that came with my SA Loaded 9mm. I'm surprized tha SA would provide such an inferior product with what I consider an upper end production pistol. I have magazines that came with my TRP, EMP, and XD45 compact that work flawlessly, but the mags that came with the Loaded are now used as paper weights.

[loose_electron]

Interesting - I am still running my SA 1911 (9mm) fully stock. For all the 1911 experts out there - what are the list of suggested upgrades and what do they offer in rewards?

[Agent Tikki]

I've often heard that Springfield Customer service is the best....this doesn't apply to their magazines too?

[Q619]

I've often heard that Springfield Customer service is the best....this doesn't apply to their magazines too?

They're not the best imo, I certainly wouldn't bet my life on them. Wilson, Chip McCormick and Tripp are my 3 favorite magazines. You will find most 1911 guys to be of like taste.

[Q619]

Interesting - I am still running my SA 1911 (9mm) fully stock. For all the 1911 experts out there - what are the list of suggested upgrades and what do they offer in rewards?

As far as upgrades I'd ditch the ILS MS housing for a standard MS housing with a standard weight spring and ditch the Ti FP for an Ed Brown barstock one (be sure to get it in the Springfield size since they use a funky diameter pin) be sure to use an extra power FP spring though for safety.

Apart from that, the only upgrade that is mandatory for ME is a Wilson BP Extractor. Though if it's just a range gun, you don't really NEED to do anything.

[beauregard]

Hey, so I've got an SA loaded that is a bi*ch to rack, what spring should I put into it that won't beat the pistol yet makes the slide easier to use?

[himurax13]

Here is a list of stuff I added to my Springer 9 to make it "useable".

EGW Stainless Guide Rod
EGW Thick Flange Bushing
EGW Long Nose Guide Rod Plug
EGW Trigger
EGW Titanium Hammer Strut
EGW Titanium Mainspring Cap
Cylinder and Slide Warp Speed Trigger Kit
Smith and Alexander Magwell/Mainspring housing
Smith and Alexander Ambi Magazine Release
Ed Brown Ambi Safety
Dawson Presicion Fiber Optic Front Sight
10-8 Low Mount Novak Rear Sight
11 Pound ISMI Recoil Spring
17 Pound ISMI Hammer/Main Spring
Extra Power Wolf Firing Pin Spring

I did keep the titanium firing pin because it hits the primers rather hard and was punching through federal primers with an 18 lb hammer/main spring.

I also lapped the bejesus out of the rails and racking it is smooth, like buttah even with an 11 pound recoil spring. .

For magazines, the only reliable 10 rounders I have used so far seem to be the Wilson Combats. The Metalforms work, but go south with a little bit of dirt.

[BillPear]

I just got my first Springfield and it's a 1911 9mm Target in stainless. For an out of the box pistol I'm satisfied with the fit of the parts and turns out it's an accurate pistol. What I didn't like about it is the heavy mainspring needed to compensate for the titanium firing pin. In my days of shooting USPSA in open class I never cared for titanium firing pins and hammers for they create more problems than they solve. I ended up replacing the firing pin & FP spring, mainspring and mainspring cap. My question is, do most folks here keep all those parts that makes the trigger heavy or replace them like I did? Also, I ended up trimming the 2 piece full length recoil guide rod and loctite it to fix it in place. Now I can disassemble the gun the traditional way. BTW, the two mags that came with the gun wouldn't function at all. The follower kept getting stuck at the bottom and I had to hook the rounds out. Gonna need a couple of Wolff +10 mag springs.

The Mainspring has nothing to do with the titanium firing pin, only the heavy firingpin spring which you wouldnt be able to feel in the trigger. Now to be clear I'm not saying the mainspring isnt heavy (heavier than normal) it is for the "ILS" which you may feel in the trigger. And to be honest I also dumped mine for a normal MSH and spring setup.

[eaglemike]

The Mainspring has nothing to do with the titanium firing pin, only the heavy firingpin spring which you wouldnt be able to feel in the trigger. Now to be clear I'm not saying the mainspring isnt heavy (heavier than normal) it is for the "ILS" which you may feel in the trigger. And to be honest I also dumped mine for a normal MSH and spring setup.

Ummm, double check that. The titanium firing pins have been less reliable than the standard steel pins since they came out. When they first came out everyone (yes everyone) had some degree of trouble with them. They were still trying to use the very nice feeling lighter mainsprings, creating less pressure on the hammer to sear contact. Since it's an inertial pin and the titanium is lighter, it needs more speed to hit with the same force. So - a heavier mainspring. Simple physics, right? The firing pin spring is merely used to return the firing pin from the forward (firing/striking) position, right? Sometimes I've seen slightly longer titanium firings pins too, not something I recommend.
World class shooters in search of every edge on the range can afford to set their guns right on the edge of reliability. When I want a reliable semi, it's going to have a steel firing pin. I also saw problems with the titanium strikers in the Glock pistols.

[JTROKS]

I had problems with primer flow back in the days of 175 power factor in USPSA even when utilizing rifle primers for my 38Super loads. Switched to a steel FP and the problem went away. When a heavy mainspring is used the trigger pull becomes heavier according to my trigger pull gauge. For me to make the SA 1911 Target 9mm have an acceptable trigger pull I just did what I posted. The full length recoil rod can be trimmed if you have a lathe or skills with hand tools. Next up for this pistol is to cut an angle on the sear tip and polished, shooting for a 2.5 trigger pull. Checker front strap too. It will be strictly used as a target/competition pistol so no worries.

[Q619]

The Mainspring has nothing to do with the titanium firing pin, only the heavy firingpin spring which you wouldnt be able to feel in the trigger. Now to be clear I'm not saying the mainspring isnt heavy (heavier than normal) it is for the "ILS" which you may feel in the trigger. And to be honest I also dumped mine for a normal MSH and spring setup.

False. A lighter firing pin with a heavier spring means you need to hit it harder than a steel pin (even with the same weight firing pin spring) to get the same energy transfer to the primer; thus the heavier mainspring is used to achieve higher tension and higher energy displacement/transfer to compensate in order to achieve a higher degree of reliability. Titanium pins have a higher incidence of light primer strikes (thus causing a malfunction) than steel pins do. This is why people tend to replace them with steel pins per original specification.

Many companies also use 9mm/.38 super pins to eliminate possible primer flow. Springfield among them...they use a funky size though. I believe it's proprietary. I know Ed Brown makes the correct diameter pin (in steel) for a SA 1911 however.

Les Baer for example uses a steel firing pin, in 9mm, in conjunction with a heavy firing pin spring successfully (passed the CA drop test to get on the roster in this configuration). This proves a firing pin made of titanium is unnecessary and redundant.