Well, this was my first experience at tearing a 1911 down. Normally I jus field strip it and clean it and be done with it. I never got into taking the slide apart and the lower b4. So, I know the guys that have done this for years , its pretty elementary to them. This was a first for me, so keep that in mind. Although after doin this, it IS elementary. lol.

Anyways, I decided to take my New in the Box Springfield GI .45 and upgrade a few of the parts.

Here is the list of parts that were replaced:

ILS backstrap - replaced with flat, none lanyard, non ILS one

Firing pin block - replaced with WIlson

Fire pin - Wilson

Sear spring - wilson

Slide release - wilson extended release

Thumb safety - wilson extended safety.

Ill replace the extractor at another date. I liked the USGI look of the hammer and the shorter trigger. I wanted to kinda keep to the theme of the .45 for what it is, the old WWII replica.

Well taking the .45 apart was easy enuff. The only issue I had was with the Wilson Extended Thumb Safety, It wouldnt go in the last lil 1/4 inch or so. After inspecting it carefully, I had to "FIT" it jus a hair with small fine file. This did the trick. Part went in like it was suppose to. The extended slide release is a nice piece as well. Makes dropping slide so much easier. It did  not require any fitting.

The extended thumb safety sticks out to the side jus a hair more than id like. Its lenght was fine. If I ever get the gun refinished, ill grind jus a centimeter off the width of it. It is also a "purple" finish to it. Doesnt match the matte finish all that well. I can notice it, but someone else may or may not. No biggie.

Function:

The gun functions flawlessly. The trigger is more crisp , i think this had alot to do with the sear spring being replaced. The slide seems to be easier to pull back, dunno why this is, I didnt touch the recoil spring or anything in the slide except firepin and firepin stop. But im not complaining. lol.

Like I said this is elementary for some ppl, but for me it was a new experience. Ive built ARs plenty of times and it carries over the same principals. Jus gotta take the time and do it right. Anyways, that was my experience. I wont get to the range til sat. so ill see how it shoots , if any difference at all.

Here is pic. The trigger looks shiny, its not its the same finish as rest of .45 jus the flash brightened it up alot.



The extended slide release matches fine, but ya can see the thumbs saftey is purple. lol

Looks good.
As soon as soon as my shipment from Brownells shows up I'm doing the same thing for the first time!

Quoted: You function tested the safety right?

yeah fully function the firearm using snapcaps. Double and triple checked all the actions and movements ,etc. I dont like surprises. lol. I did all the work at my buddies gun shop and had them look it over and check out my masterpiece. Plus was able to compare against a bone stock SA GI jus like mine. Ya can tell diff. in the trigger and what not.

everything 100%.

Let me know how it ejects. I have the same gun in stainless and put in a new extractor and ejector. Had trouble with the cases coming back in my face. Still in the "tuning process". Extractor (Wilson) function seems fine with most cases coming out high and about 5 o'clock. I've yet to see how an extended ejector will affect things, but I'd like to get the cases ejecting 3 o'clock.

Well went to the range yesterday. Gun worked flawlessly, as far as rounds ejecting, I havent replaced the extractor yet. But they kinda eject all over the place. Infact I had an interesting experience where hot brass went down the back of my shirt. talk about fun fun fun. lol

I also tried some mags from sportsmans guide, they say U.S. Mil.-Spec in the ad. They say .45 on the baseplate. They look identical to the shooting star mags except for a few points

1) shooting star has sloppy welds (seam) up the back, the US ones dont

2) Shooting star 8rds, US 7rds

3) US had raised or humped follower.

4) Shooting star spring was smoother

5) shooting star mag went into .45 a lil smoother


BOth mags worked great , no FTE, no FTF. I picked up the US ones for 6.97 apiece. Not too bad.

ALso. I picked up some NATO .45 ammo from them as well.

This stuff is alot hotter than the Winchester White box walmart stuff Id been shooting. It was accurate and fed fine, no issues at all.

Hell, all's well that ends well!  Congratulations!!!  Sounds like a job well done!!!

It looks good! I'm thinking about picking up a SA GI and doing almost the same thing. Like you, I still want to keep its "GI" look, but improve some of the internal parts only.

I think the trigger on yours got better/crisp because you took out the ILS system. The ILS system used an extra heavy spring, so the standard mainspring you replaced it with would be lighter and make the trigger better. Also, by having the lighter mainspring, the slide would be easier to rack as it takes less force to cock the hammer.