My brother purchased himself a used series 80 Mark IV at the last gun show. the spring seems pretty weak and the grips the fella had on the pistol was horrible!!...he asked me to find him some options. I found out while trying to find some info I'm pretty biased so I thought I'd ask you Colt guys for help and I'll email him the thread.  
                 Thanks,
                       Shane

series 80 Mark IV :

does anyone make a one piece guide rod/captured spring for this?
how many pounds is the factory recoil spring?
what kinds of grips you like?
mainspring housing?
does not look like factory trigger, anyhow he wants a new trigger(the one on it is black and pistol is S.S.)

Before charging off in one direction, I would advise your brother to take stock of what he has. Have someone determine if the factory trigger is in fact factory. If not, it behooves him to learn the simple task of detail stripping and having done this, determine whether the internals were fooled with alongside the trigger replacement. This could be a huge setback if someone inexperienced started fitting things together in there, and it may require replacing some/all of the internals before you proceed any further.

After that's addressed, you have to consider the application of the pistol. You asked whether there is a one piece gr/spring unit for this model. Is this a Government (full size 5" barrel), or is this an Officer (compact 3.5" barrel)? If the former, I am pretty sure no such assembly exists, and regardless, I would never waste money for one (and this is coming from someone who DOES see the merit in FLGRs in some cases). If this is the latter, I know that clone companies have made them for 3.5" but I don't know where Colt stands on this seeing how they started making the 3" Defender in lieu of the 3.5" Officer at this time. Bear in mind that shorter 1911s require frequent (VERY frequent) recoil spring changes... every 1,000-1,500 for 3.5" pistols. That one-piece may take a little more abuse (not sure) but if it needs replacing, I imagine it would be harder to replace and pretty expensive. I'd KISS.

In any event the GI setup for 5" is 16-16.5# IIRC. Commanders are 18# (in case that's what this is), and Officers are 24#. Grips OTOH are like underwear... it doesn't matter what all the guys on the block like, it matters what fits and feels right to you. For a carry piece, I like moderately aggressive checkering on some attractive wood that complements the finish of the weapon. Some like micarta. I advise you stay away from rubber for CCW. It sticks to clothes, melts with contact of chemicals/solvents and makes the pistol look a little cheap. Mainspring housings are a pretty needless add-on unless there is something particularly bothersome about yours (plastic, mismatched color, etc). If I was going out of my way to replace a MSH I would prefer a steel checkered in matching finish, maybe with a recessed lanyard for extra options. Bear in mind that an officer will limit your choice options, but in that case, I would consider the Wilson Combat detachable speed chute (the one that comes w the specific MSH that meshes w the chute). As for the trigger, I would suggest he consider his hand. Some like the long, some the short, and some go looking for a medium-length trigger. Whatever the deal, I would be certain that he give the work over to a competant professional, unless he really knows what he's doing AND he has no plans on getting a return off the expensive mods should he sell it.

In any event, this has potential to be one hell of a pistol, but to do this right, it will not be cheap.  

probably a factory plastic trigger, thats what mine had.

Get a videcki solid trigger

He needs to decide if the pistol points low for him the way it is(I am assuming it has a flat main spring housing) and if it does, go to an arched MSH.

I believe the factory recoil spring in a govt model is 16.5 lbs.

I like the smooth wood grips that came on my stainless Mark IV.

My mk IV came with a one piece guide rod, I changed it out. Why would you want one of those things? There is no benefit imho...

Sorry guys, it is a full size government model.

I'd say that is the trigger on this one, it looks very out of place on this pistol, the mainspring housing finish does not look like the finish on the pistol plus it has a HUGE belly on it (I've got small hands so I have a Springfield 1911a1 loaded, I put a short videcki trigger, those V2 slim grips and a flat mainspring housing and totally love it!!)
  I've been told that a fella can build the best 1911 ever from a colt so I do not want to give him info that will lead him to purchase things for the colt he does not like (I'd have his .45 looking like some of the ARs around here )
  Also when he purchased this it did not come with a box but it has the built up flat area on the top of the slide and it looks like the ejection port has been lowered a little?? I'm thinking it is a "enhanced" model over all good lookin pistol and he did not get a super great deal but for $750 I really dont think he got burned either???

sound advise sir but is not part of the "fun" of a 1911 type pistol is being able to work on these pistols easier than let say a Glock or something?

what do you think about a videcki trigger?

A 1911 was a cheap, basic service pistol for many decades when human labor was cheap. Today that basic work makes the afficianado's 1911 something like a swiss watch. In order to have the requisite level of precision, skilled hands are required. 95% of 1911 parts INCLUDING so-called "drop-in" ones require minor fitting.

There are many joys with owning and modifying 1911s. One of them is having the platform tailored to your hand and your purpose. The down side is that you pay a skilled craftsman a pretty penny. Another joy is to do the above with your own hand. While this may be the most rewarding, it is not at all simple. Depending on your level of involvement, tools and education are required, unless you don't mind playing "Bubba" rolling the dice at the craps table with your $400, $600, $800 investment. Doing it RIGHT this way means you will have spent about as much $ in tools and informational resources as sending it off to a smith, and the time to learn practice and execute counts as an additional cost in order to reap that joy.

the "hands-on" approach is a truly rewarding task, but it is not an easy one by any means.

Thanks to my Lil" bro for posting on here for me.

Here are some pictures of my new toy.

All recommendations are welcome and appreciated.

Shawn

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/BIGHORN/IMG_4416.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/BIGHORN/IMG_4414.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/BIGHORN/IMG_4415.jpg

So can anyone tell me if this is a stock trigger ?

Where is the best place to buy a videcki trigger ?

So what maker do I go with for a recoil spring ?

The gun came with 1 Wilson Combat mag. Is there any better mags ?  Where is the best place to buy Wilson Combat Mags ?

Is there anything else anybody would change on this gun ????

Thanks for suggestions.

Shawn

Brownells or Midway.


ISMI or Wolff. Both make great springs.


I myself prefer the new(er) WC ETMs over the old(er) WC 47Ds. Brownells is the best source there (if you can get the discount, at least).

Some here prefer the Tripp Research Cobramags. By all accounts, both are at the top of the list for 1911 mags. IIRC, Tripp's mags are only available direct.

Any other ideas or suggestions for this gun ????

Thanks.

Shawn