Merry Christmas All! For the holiday, I received a few gun goodies, and wanted to go over their installation and my initial impressions of them.
What we're working with:
Long Wilson 3 hole adjustable trigger (comp match trigger)
Wilson Sear (a2 I think they call it, the deluxe one)
A Wilson value line speed hammer
EGW custom barrel bushing
These parts were intended for my Springfield Armory 1911 Mil-spec. I thought I might do a bit more on the breakdown and installation of these parts- Midway through the camera batteries crapped out, so I have most of the pictures, but not all.
Prior to this project, the only thing that had been done to this gun was to disable the ILS (internal locking system) and change the recoil springs. Aside from that, this gun is bone stock and just gets shot a lot.
F0r starters- the 1911 waiting for some lovin' with a few bags of new parts.
First things first- Drop the magazine and insure the gun is UNLOADED
A quick visual inspection of the chamber confirms we are good to go.
We start by field stripping the 1911. Begin by releasing the barrel bushing and plug
At this point you can push the slide back and remove the slide release, freeing the slide, barrel, and recoil spring guide. The pistol is now field stripped, and for all practical purposes, as disassembled as it needs to be for most standard maintenance.
Next we remove the safety. With the hammer still cocked, place the safety between the on and off positions and wiggle it back and forth while pulling. It will come free like this:
After that is removed, you can push out the hammer pin, releasing the hammer and hammer strut. Here is a shot of the pin we are going for.
And the hammer and strut removed.
Next we push out our housing pin located at the bottom of the frame behind the grips. This frees the mainspring housing, sear spring, and grip safety.
Next we remove the sear and disconnector pin, located right next to the hammer pin. I'm trying to point to it with the punch here.
Next, while depressing the magazine release, turn the screw on the ejection port side a quarter turn counter-clockwise. This will free the magazine release button, allowing for removal of the trigger.
Thats it. the gun is now disassembled enough to change all the parts we are installing today. Here is the new hammer on the old strut:
And here is where the camera died. No photos of the reassembly, but I will say this- The stock grip safety on a Mil-Spec IS NOT compatible with the Wilson Value line hammer. . . Unless your like me, and own a belt sander. Then it works fine. Just need to remove a bit of material from the top of the old grip safety.
The different profile of the new hammer prevents enough clearance for the gun to cock properly in the stock configuration, let alone enough for the slide to cycle. You need to remove a significant amount of material to make it fit, but its a very doable, 20 minute job with most tools available at home.
The final results don't look too bad. You'll have to apologize for the huge step down in photo quality, as these had to be taken with my laptop 'webcam' just to have something to show.
If you notice closely on the grip safety you can see how much of the profile I had to change. Again its not difficult, but it is a little unnerving. Go slow and check often.
Initial impressions are positive. I think the look of the pistol is improved, and the feel of the pistol has DEFINITELY improved. the long trigger is easier to manipulate, and the pull is a bit lighter, but not feather light by any stretch of the imagination. The parts appear to be well made and were true "drop in parts" nothing required fitting or coaxing to get them to go.
I did polish the bars on the trigger with a bit of steel wool before installation, but I don't think it was a necessary step, just something I thought might help make the process go more smoother.
The EGW Bushing is a TIGHT FIT. Measure carefully when you give them dimensions, as it will come EXACTLY the size you request. Without a bushing wrench, they are nearly impossible to install.
Range report tomorrow with more updates.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Installing new parts on a 1911
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Mossberg 500
Didn't see that coming did ya?
Lately I've been thinking about getting a shotgun for my apartment. Well I stopped by the gunshop today and struck a deal for a Mossberg 500 with a 24inch tube for 130$. Gun is in great shape, but desperately needed a cleaning.
This is my first mossberg shotgun- for anyone who hasn't owned one, they are extremely simple to break down and work on. I had never had my hands on one before today, and had it totally apart, cleaned, and back together in under a half hour. really simple, intuitive design.
Also just struck a deal for a 18.5 inch smoothbore barrel with a tritium dot up front. the new barrel, plus an uncle mike's 5 round side saddle, will give me a total investment of under 200 dollars for a pretty nice home defense gun.
Pics and review to follow once I get the new barrel in.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Home for winter break!
Got home last night for winter break. Hopefully I'll be able to do a few write ups that I've been neglecting. Particularly on my Colt LW commander, another on a new bushing for my Government model 1911, maybe a new flashlight or two, and general other awesomeness.
Today I sighted in the muzzleloaders so my dad and I could catch the tail end of the season (ends Dec 22nd). I'm using my Lyman 50 cal muzzle loader and my dad is using an encore with a 209x50 barrel on it.
the winning load for both guns was the same (surprisingly). 90 gr of loose Triple 7 FFFG with an MMP Sabot shooting 44 cal 240 gr JHP from Hornady. Both guns are shooting 3 shot groups into 1.5-2 inches at 50 yards, which is all that is really needed for our application around my hunting area.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays All!
