Hello, everyone.  I have been into Sigs and H&Ks for a long time, but just picked up my 1st 1911.  After a lot of comparing and reading about different model/manufacturers I decided to look for a loaded parkerized Springfield Armory.  Well, I walk into one of the local gun stores and there is a SA TRP with armory coat teflon finish for sale used on consignment.  It had all the TRP features (Novak night sights, ambi safety, etc).  The gun's owner worked at the store so he gave me 8 rounds and let me try it there at their indoor range.  He also said the gun had approx 3000 to 5000 rounds through it.  Using WW 230gr FMJ I shot a rested 25 yard group of 4 shots in 2 inches dead on POA/POI.  Not bad for a guy not used to shooting 1911s!!  So, it looked to be in excellent shape, very little finish wear, bore in excellent shape, lock up still tight, and night sights still glowing strong.  Needless to say, I just had to buy it.  I picked it up for 600.00 and it included the box, manual, but only one Wilson Combat 8rd mag.  Now here are my questions.

1.  Was this a fair price?
2.  Does the SA TRP model have a good reputation besides all the typical manufacturer marketing hype?
3.  Should I pick up CM Power mags or Wilson Combat mags for it?
4.  Where is a good place to shop for mags and grips online?
5.  The pistol is all original factory parts.  If anyone has any suggestions of replacement parts, spare parts, etc  please give suggestions.

Thanks everyone for all your help.  I am really excited about my 1st 1911!!!

That's a hell of a good deal.  Personally, I find the front strap checkering far too sharp for my tastes, so if it were mine, I'd look to flatten the points a bit.  I would also get rid of the ILS mainspring housing.  Other than that, I would leave it.  

CMC and Wilson are a toss up.  If one works, use it.  I get mine from www.midwayusa.com.

BTW... I own 6 1911s and if I had a chance to buy the one you just did for $600, I would have snapped it up in a heartbeat.  

ETA:  for grips try some VZ Gatorbacks at www.vzgrips.com

Great pick up.  Enjoy the gun.  I have the same gun and the front strap checkering doens't bother me a bit.  I say keep it the way it is.  I actually prefer the sharp checkering, gives you a good grip.  

Get Tripp cobra mags.  Nothing better.  They may need a little bit of polishing but its not a big deal.  

www.trippresearch.com/products/45acp/45acp.htm


In my opinion the follower is by far superior to any follower out there out there.  I also think the mag construction is superior.  I do not like how Wilson's take down.  

1. Was this a fair price? 2. Does the SA TRP model have a good reputation besides all the typical manufacturer marketing hype? 3. Should I pick up CM Power mags or Wilson Combat mags for it? 4. Where is a good place to shop for mags and grips online? 5. The pistol is all original factory parts. If anyone has any suggestions of replacement parts, spare parts, etc please give suggestions.

1. I would say that is a very fair price.
2. Yes,  from what I have read and from a couple of friends who own one.
3. Either one of those manufacturers' magazines are fine.  I own both.
4. CDNN is a good place for starters.  Also try the Equipment Exchange here.
5. Hobbs5624 advised me on this once.  I put a lot of value on what he says.  Here (with your permission, John?) is his email in quotations:
   
   " Ray, not a problem. I'm not positive about the MC Operator, as I have not taken one apart, nor have I seen one in person. However, I can tell you what I can see in the pics, and what SA puts in their guns that are MIM. Also, don't put too much stock in the whole MIM thing. All parts break, and MIM is not a bad thing in most areas, though in my opinion there are a couple high stress areas that should be upgraded.

On the MC Operator, one thing right off I can see is the hammer. Other things that SA routinely uses MIM on are, from top to bottom:

-firing pin stop
-extractor
-bushing
-ejector
-hammer
-sear
-disconnector
-grip safety
-thumb safety
-mag release
-slide stop

I'm not sure about the mainspring housing. The MIM parts that I've seen fail in an unusual way are the hammer, slide stop, and firing pin stop, but that's only in my experience. Failure in the hammer or the slide stop are really critical, as they will disable your gun. In the FP stop, they crack just the same as the cast ones, in that they develop a crack on one corner, and end at the FP hole. The gun will continue to function.

Anyway, three other areas of concern are the extractor, ejector, and sear. The extractor and sear won't break per se, but they don't hold tuning well. The sears go dull quicker, ruining a trigger job, and the extractors just don't hold a bend well. If the ejector cracks, it might cause eratic ejection, but usually it will still function fine.

In the end, the slide stop is really the single most important thing to replace. The hammer failures I've seen involved the spur cracking, and in one instance, the hammer hooks sheared right off. I replace those also. The rest is really no big deal, but most internet "experts" would say different.

Regards,

John"



BTW:  Congratulations on the 1911 purchase!  

Quoted: Hello, everyone.  I have been into Sigs and H&Ks for a long time, but just picked up my 1st 1911.  After a lot of comparing and reading about different model/manufacturers I decided to look for a loaded parkerized Springfield Armory.  Well, I walk into one of the local gun stores and there is a SA TRP with armory coat teflon finish for sale used on consignment.  It had all the TRP features (Novak night sights, ambi safety, etc).  The gun's owner worked at the store so he gave me 8 rounds and let me try it there at their indoor range.  He also said the gun had approx 3000 to 5000 rounds through it.  Using WW 230gr FMJ I shot a rested 25 yard group of 4 shots in 2 inches dead on POA/POI.  Not bad for a guy not used to shooting 1911s!!  So, it looked to be in excellent shape, very little finish wear, bore in excellent shape, lock up still tight, and night sights still glowing strong.  Needless to say, I just had to buy it.  I picked it up for 600.00 and it included the box, manual, but only one Wilson Combat 8rd mag.  Now here are my questions. 1.  Was this a fair price? 2.  Does the SA TRP model have a good reputation besides all the typical manufacturer marketing hype? 3.  Should I pick up CM Power mags or Wilson Combat mags for it? 4.  Where is a good place to shop for mags and grips online? 5.  The pistol is all original factory parts.  If anyone has any suggestions of replacement parts, spare parts, etc  please give suggestions. Thanks everyone for all your help.  I am really excited about my 1st 1911!!!

No.        

That is a GREAT price.
Good work

Just to clear one thing up, there is a difference between the MC Operator and the TRP.  I'm pretty sure the TRP uses tool steel for the hammer and sear.  I've been wrong once or twice before but I'm pretty sure that is the case.

Thanks, guys.  I appreciate the input on everything.  Now I have a new problem.  I was just removing the grips to do a really thorough cleaning and one of the grip screws broke!!!  The head of the screw broke off and left the shaft of the screw insode the frame with not enough material to grab it with anything!!!  Man, i am pissed!!!  How will i ever get this screw shaft out so I can replace the grip screws without damaging the threading inside the frame?

Update!!!  The problem is now resolved!!  I just spoke with SA and then removed the escutcheon they are sending me a new escutcheon and grip screw free of charge!!  All will be good again!  Now, I just gotta wait a few days to get the grip back on before I can shoot this thing!!  Gotta givbe points to SA though, they were very helpful and courteous.

That's good to hear.  SA is pretty good about things like that.  This is the second thread I've read recently where a grip screw actually snapped.  The other was on a Colt and the guy had a much harder time of it.

5. The pistol is all original factory parts. If anyone has any suggestions of replacement parts, spare parts, etc please give suggestions.

SA frames are good but the quality of their parts is not so good, although for some parts the steel quality doesn't matter much, which is why any good smith will toss many of these parts and replace them with hard tool steel parts, then procede to had fit the new parts.  The biggest weak point you've got now is the extractor.  You should plan on having it replaced with a Wilson Combat Bullet Proof, Ed Brown Hardcore or other quality hard tool steel extractor.  From what I've seen, the cheap extractors that SA uses are the main cause of all the returns of SA 1911s.  Replacing the extractor is easy, but unfortunaltely the new extractor must be "tuned" (bent) to your gun, and this can be a bit tricky.  Also, the slide stops (aka slide release) are cheap and prone to failure, so I'd get an Ed Brown HardCore of Wilson Combat Bullet Proof hard tool steel slide stop.  These parts can just be dropped in by you.  Next, I'd think about a hard tool steel sear and have a trigger action job done, probably with a new hard steel hammer too.  You'll want to find a good smith to do the trigger action job, so have him tune the extractor too.  

That's what I'd want as a minimum.  This has been done to all of my 1911s (plus other work) except one SA on which I still have the factory sear and extractor.  

This is basically what I replaced in my SS Loaded:

Ed Brown SS firing pin
Ed Brown arched+serrated MSH
Wilson Combat Bulletproof SS FP stop
Ed Brown Hardcore SS slide stop
Wilson Deluxe A-6 tool steel sear
Wilson A-2 tool steel Ultralight hammer
Wilson MSH internal parts
Wolff 18.5# recoil spring, extra power FP spring, and 23# hammer spring
MGW SS barrel bushing
Ed Brown GI style guide rod and spring plug
Grieder medium-length match trigger

I still use the stock beavertail grip safety, disconnector, ejector, ambi thumb safety, and extractor. The extractor has not given me any problems yet so I did not replace it with a Wilson.

Probably the most important things you can switch out are the sear, hammer, ILS system, and slide stop. This will make it run much better with a good trigger job.

Quoted: Probably the most important things you can switch out are the sear, hammer, ILS system, and slide stop. This will make it run much better with a good trigger job.

I'm not sure that is required on a TRP.  I'm pretty sure the hammer and sear are already made of tool steel.  That's one of the differences between the TRP and the Loaded.  At least I think that is the case.  

Thanks, everyone for the suggestions.  I am glad to hear i did good on this one, and cant wait to get the gun out to shoot it again.  As soon as SA gets my grip screw to me in the mail I will be good to go.  Thanks also for the suggested parts to watch/replace.  Man, I think I am goona be thrilled with this pistol.  I love the feel of it.

Quoted: Quoted: Probably the most important things you can switch out are the sear, hammer, ILS system, and slide stop. This will make it run much better with a good trigger job. I'm not sure that is required on a TRP.  I'm pretty sure the hammer and sear are already made of tool steel.  That's one of the differences between the TRP and the Loaded.  At least I think that is the case.

I know for sure the Pro is built with all tool steal parts (TRP is like a cheaper copy of it) but not sure about the TRP.

It's been awhile since I've looked at one, but I believe the TRP uses the same hammer as the loaded models, ie MIM.  If you look closely at the radiused surface of the hammer when it is cocked, you can see what appears to be a mold mark.  Not sure about the rest of the parts.

As to kicking a dead horse, I don't get too worked up over MIM parts.  I say shoot it.  If it makes you feel better replace those parts that are under MIM suspicion.  On the SA guns that I carry, I do replace the slide stops and the extractors though.  It makes me "feel" better

ETA:  Good buy JSIG!  I feel the same way as Cliffy, got enough 1911's, but I wouldn't have passed that one up.

Your gun may explode and most likely give you SARS and probably Bird Flu as well.  Just to be nice, I will take it off your hands and dispose of it properly.  The shipping is on me.
Nice gun and a good buy!

VERY good buy.  

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions and replies.  I am glad to see it sounds like I finally did well for once!  I usually feel like I am either getting bent over with any gun purchase, or the dealer is trying to bend me over to the point that I am turned off and walk away.  In general, The FFLs and dealers around my area are like starving vultures, except with less honesty, principles, and class!