Customizing the Colt

[Craigwood]

Am I in the right section? I am a noob to the 1911. I dont take delivery until Oct 19th on the Government Model. Cant wait. It more than likely will not be my last. I have been bitten by the "1911 bug". Most people say, now you gotta cutomize it. What things do I tweak. Some say the trigger. Who does it? I have heard of Wilsons Combat. What do you think they would suggest? How much? (depends) How long? (depends). Any Colt diehards here would say......"OK, the first thing you want to do is......

And then others say, right now dont do a thing. Get to know your Gun. Shoot it. Clean it. Pamper it. Sleep with it. LOL.

Or do I browse the Brownells Catalog?
__________________
"One Useless Man is a Shame. Two are a Law firm. Three or More are a Congress".
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[bjl333]

Sleep with it

Shoot it and see if the mods you're thinking of will help you. Sometimes mods can get over the top with features that are not necessary. Take your time and choose wisely. Enjoy your new GF.

[JRJCP]

Shoot it and get to know your gun. I do 1911 trigger job and custom 1911 work.

[Colt]

Congrats on the Colt.

Now - stop! Don't even think about modifying - yet. Shoot it a whole bunch, in as many different environments as you can (punch paper, IDPA, etc; whatever). Think about what you'll be using it for. After a few thousand rounds you'll have a much better idea of what you like and don't like.

Then, you'll probably have at least one other 1911 (they are indeed addicitng) and some idea of what you like/want/need.

If you must do some mods right away, do stuff that can be undone (e.g., don't alter the frame or slide permanently).

And if you want to drool over (mostly) 1911s, go here: www.louderthanwords.us

Good luck!

[jptopz]

I would shoot it a bit to get a feel for the gun. Then start with simple mods like magwells, new grips or more good quality mags. If you are mechanical the 1911 is very simple design and you can change out parts yourself. As far as the trigger gos you can get complete trigger parts kits that are matched up. You don't ever want to change out only a part here and then there unless you are a Gun Smith who knows what they are doing. Good luck and have fun they can become addictive.

[9mmepiphany]

I recommend shooting it first before doing anything to it too. it takes a while to decide what you'd really like it to have.

the Colt makes a nice base gun for custom work, because all the really top smiths will do work on them. something to look into is having your Colt eventually re-lined

[Alan Block]

I have a 1991a1 that I bought about 15 years ago

The only mods were to make it more retro looking with a wide hammer and a metal mainspring housing with lanyard loop.