The Guns We Own

[Ivan1GFP]

In regards to current 1911s, I have a Rock Island 1911A-1 FS .45, and it's a beaut (seen on post #1,388, upthread).
Same heft as a Colt, with a factory "smithed" trigger and a nice beavertail that prevents "snakebite" that a traditional Colt can inflict.
It generally comes with an 8 round mag. but will accept a standard Colt (or clone) mag.
I've had it since new (about 6 years) and have yet to experience feed issues, jams or ejection problems - this being with a wide range of ammunition: military ball, hollowpoints, sport/target, etc.
All new ammo, though, no reloads.

Hello GrauGeist,
Looks pretty!
From the possibilities you had in mind between Springfield Inc., Kimber, and Rock Island, it seems like you made the best choice.
The gun that I mentioned earlier that seems to have problems on a regular basis is actually a Kimber and it seems from the forums that it is not unusual in that respect except that the problems I have encountered have mostly been just annoying rather than really painful as some have described. The Kimber II series seems to be worse than the earlier guns from a QC and reliability standpoint.

By the way, not every Spur Hammer and Grip Safety does the nibble the hand thing.
The Stainless Colt whose photographs I posted earlier is one that gave me bruises on the web of my hand when I first got it.
After getting annoyed with this for a year or two, I finally decided to remove about 1/16 inch from the back of the Hammer Spur and it doesn't do that nibble thing any more. It is stainless, so the modification required no refinishing.
I do have Beavertail Grip Safeties but generally don't like them nor do I like Bumper Pads on the base of the Magazine because they make an already large pistol even larger.
I personally prefer guns that have good fit and finish but don't show a lot of bells and whistles on the outside. Different people have different aesthetic preferences of course. Those are just mine.

- Ivan.

 

[Ivan1GFP]

Replaced a plastic Mainspring Housing on an old Colt 1911 last night with a part by Ed Brown.
New part was a tight but drop-in fit. Took about an hour and I was working very slowly.
Tools required:
Aluminum Nail with the tip rounded off. Proper tool is a small Brass Punch which I do not have.
Small Hammer to drive the Nail / Punch
1/8 inch Pin Punch
1/16 inch Pin Punch
A small amount of light grease (I used Lubriplate).
Q-tips to clean and lubricate. (Used about 6.)

Only Field Stripping was necessary.
New Part is a bit shinier than the Plastic Part but the visual match to the rest of the gun is better and visually it appears to me to look very much like a factory Colt part but perhaps a bit more precisely made.

- Ivan.

 

[soulezoo]

I have a couple of 1911's. One is one of the first Delta Elites (10mm) manufactured- SN 10xx. Had to get that to go with my Bren Ten.
The other is a 70's Colt Commander in 9mm with the electroless nickel finish. Not fond of the commander, inaccurate as all get out.

 

[Ivan1GFP]

Hello Soulezoo,
That sounds like pretty good representation.
The Bren Ten sounds particularly interesting. I wanted one way way back, but the company did not hang around long enough and I was a bit wary about pre-orders.
The Colt 1911 whose photos I posted earlier was bought because I wanted a gun like the one I saw on Miami Vice (The Bren Ten). I didn't know much about either gun at the time. Eventually I did get a S&W 1006 because I didn't really trust the Delta Elite. I didn't think the old M1911 design would hold up to sustained full power 10 mm use while the testing of the S&W proved that it would survive.

How are the two 1911's for reliability? The Commander should not be that hard to tune for accuracy if you are so inclined. There are lots of aftermarket parts for it. I don't happen to own a Commander type yet but am thinking about it.

- Ivan.

 

[soulezoo]

Hello Soulezoo,
That sounds like pretty good representation.
The Bren Ten sounds particularly interesting. I wanted one way way back, but the company did not hang around long enough and I was a bit wary about pre-orders.
The Colt 1911 whose photos I posted earlier was bought because I wanted a gun like the one I saw on Miami Vice (The Bren Ten). I didn't know much about either gun at the time. Eventually I did get a S&W 1006 because I didn't really trust the Delta Elite. I didn't think the old M1911 design would hold up to sustained full power 10 mm use while the testing of the S&W proved that it would survive.

How are the two 1911's for reliability? The Commander should not be that hard to tune for accuracy if you are so inclined. There are lots of aftermarket parts for it. I don't happen to own a Commander type yet but am thinking about it.

- Ivan.

The Bren Ten I have was one of the first 100 made and shipped. It's a safe queen now of course, but was really feature forward for the era. The Delta Elite has some Wilson Combat work to it and has been a fine shooter. Other than the initial full power Norma loads, it sees mostly average power 10mm loads. It's an unsupported chamber, so something like Buffalo Bore loads will bulge the case and therefore unsafe. I use the Wilson buffer pads to mitigate slide to stop wear/damage. I really don't shoot it much, if at all any longer, but it is a fine shooter. It has been very reliable as well. The Commander, not as much. I no longer shoot it at all.

 

[Ivan1GFP]

The Bren Ten I have was one of the first 100 made and shipped. It's a safe queen now of course, but was really feature forward for the era. The Delta Elite has some Wilson Combat work to it and has been a fine shooter. Other than the initial full power Norma loads, it sees mostly average power 10mm loads. It's an unsupported chamber, so something like Buffalo Bore loads will bulge the case and therefore unsafe. I use the Wilson buffer pads to mitigate slide to stop wear/damage. I really don't shoot it much, if at all any longer, but it is a fine shooter. It has been very reliable as well. The Commander, not as much. I no longer shoot it at all.

Hello soulezoo,
Safe Queen status sounds right for the Bren Ten. There are plenty of other 10 mm guns out there today that aren't nearly as valuable and that you can actually find parts for if anything should break.
It is nice to know that my call on the Delta Elite was a good one. If one of your bulged cases should let go, life could get really ugly. I had that issue with a 1911 that I bought used that had a factory barrel that had been throated too much. The 1911 has a few weak points and that is one of them.

I ran a few full power loads when I first got the 1006 but didn't see the point. It wasn't terrible to shoot, but it was much easier to just run reloads that were just above the factory standard for .40 S&W and not beat up the gun so much. Although the testing proved the model would survive 10,000 rounds, it had a few small parts failures over that test and I don't consider 10,000 rounds a long enough life span.
Sounds like your Delta Elite should survive the same kind of treatment.

Regarding the Commander, there is probably no reason it can't be tuned to be reliable and accurate. It isn't that different from a full sized Government Model. Sounds like for this informal poll, you have one very reliable and one not so reliable. How was the Delta Elite before it had the visit to Wilson?

- Ivan.

 

[soulezoo]

Hello soulezoo,
Safe Queen status sounds right for the Bren Ten. There are plenty of other 10 mm guns out there today that aren't nearly as valuable and that you can actually find parts for if anything should break.
It is nice to know that my call on the Delta Elite was a good one. If one of your bulged cases should let go, life could get really ugly. I had that issue with a 1911 that I bought used that had a factory barrel that had been throated too much. The 1911 has a few weak points and that is one of them.

I ran a few full power loads when I first got the 1006 but didn't see the point. It wasn't terrible to shoot, but it was much easier to just run reloads that were just above the factory standard for .40 S&W and not beat up the gun so much. Although the testing proved the model would survive 10,000 rounds, it had a few small parts failures over that test and I don't consider 10,000 rounds a long enough life span.
Sounds like your Delta Elite should survive the same kind of treatment.

Regarding the Commander, there is probably no reason it can't be tuned to be reliable and accurate. It isn't that different from a full sized Government Model. Sounds like for this informal poll, you have one very reliable and one not so reliable. How was the Delta Elite before it had the visit to Wilson?

- Ivan.

The Delta was great before the Wilson upgrades. I did so to enhance accuracy and longevity. Captured recoil spring a little heavier than normal (22 lbs IIRC), new trigger/trigger work, the buffer pads, barrel bushing. I wanted to get a BarSto barrel or Wilson barrel to get the supported chamber, but just never did. Not worried about the Commander, I have a half dozen other 9mm's to shoot. A West German Sig P226 is by far the best of the lot.

 

[Mainly28s]

Nothing exciting.
I gave up mine 22 years ago when I moved to the UK, but I owned a CZ-75B 9mm before.

My father had a Lee-Enfield Mk 4 and a Mauser 98k, a Walther PPK and a Luger with matching serials.

I did, however, carry an R-5 (copy of a Galil) for two years, and had the opportunity to fire a Galil, an FN, a Bren, FN-MAG, Vickers .303, MP-40, AK-47 and AK-74, PPSh-41, RPK, Sten, RPG-7 and a large assortment of handguns.

 

[Ivan1GFP]

Hello soulezoo,
I don't think replacing the Delta Elite's barrel with a Wilson Combat or even a Bar-Sto barrel would have done much for chamber support unless you also had the frame cut and a ramped barrel fitted. I am not convinced that would help things VERY much either.
The new fitted barrel and bushing would probably have improved accuracy but from what I have heard, Colt barrels are actually very good.
The missing part is in their factory assembly which doesn't include custom fitting.

In my opinion, the two piece feed ramp and the required angles there are one of the three major faults in the M1911 design

Last night I finally finished fitting a new Ed Brown mainspring housing to a 1911. The first one was a drop in fit. This one was so far off in so many dimensions that I was tempted to give up many many times. I had to take off a lot of metal very slowly to keep the surfaces flat.

- Ivan.

 

[soulezoo]

Hello soulezoo,
I don't think replacing the Delta Elite's barrel with a Wilson Combat or even a Bar-Sto barrel would have done much for chamber support unless you also had the frame cut and a ramped barrel fitted. I am not convinced that would help things VERY much either.
The new fitted barrel and bushing would probably have improved accuracy but from what I have heard, Colt barrels are actually very good.
The missing part is in their factory assembly which doesn't include custom fitting.

In my opinion, the two piece feed ramp and the required angles there are one of the three major faults in the M1911 design

Last night I finally finished fitting a new Ed Brown mainspring housing to a 1911. The first one was a drop in fit. This one was so far off in so many dimensions that I was tempted to give up many many times. I had to take off a lot of metal very slowly to keep the surfaces flat.

- Ivan.

Well, I fortunately have a KKM and Stormlake barrel for my Glock 20/40. So, I can run some pretty hot rounds. They can be violent without the compensator!

 

[Ivan1GFP]

Hello Soulezoo,
I personally have never been a big fan of Glocks. I prefer a gun with a second (not on the trigger) safety mechanism.
From a functioning standpoint, they are pretty well made and generally pretty accurate and a friend of mine has tried for years to convince me to get one. Instead, I went with the Springfield XD which is the same basic idea but has a grip safety. It isn't quite as accurate (yet) as the Glocks I have fired but I also haven't fired it much.
By the way, for the full power 10 mm ammunition, do you load your own or buy it new? I mostly loaded my own which is how I could get ammunition slightly hotter than .40 S&W but not quite at full power 10 mm. I loaded it so frequently at one point that I still have a Dillon 550 tool head with powder measure set up for the caliber.

Regarding your 1911s. Here is a check that might be quite revealing: (The infamous Popsicle Stick Test)
measure the distance between the top of the slide and the barrel at the front of the ejection port when everything is in battery.
Now put a popsicle stick between the back end of the chamber at the barrel hood and the breech face and do the same thing.
I actually use tongue depressor sized craft sticks.
The difference is your lug engagement.

- Ivan.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Hello Soulezoo,
I personally have never been a big fan of Glocks. I prefer a gun with a second (not on the trigger) safety mechanism.
From a functioning standpoint, they are pretty well made and generally pretty accurate and a friend of mine has tried for years to convince me to get one. Instead, I went with the Springfield XD which is the same basic idea but has a grip safety. It isn't quite as accurate (yet) as the Glocks I have fired but I also haven't fired it much.
By the way, for the full power 10 mm ammunition, do you load your own or buy it new? I mostly loaded my own which is how I could get ammunition slightly hotter than .40 S&W but not quite at full power 10 mm. I loaded it so frequently at one point that I still have a Dillon 550 tool head with powder measure set up for the caliber.

Regarding your 1911s. Here is a check that might be quite revealing: (The infamous Popsicle Stick Test)
measure the distance between the top of the slide and the barrel at the front of the ejection port when everything is in battery.
Now put a popsicle stick between the back end of the chamber at the barrel hood and the breech face and do the same thing.
I actually use tongue depressor sized craft sticks.
The difference is your lug engagement.

- Ivan.

I have a customized Springfield XD45. I really enjoy it. It has a very smooth action. Once I got used to the light trigger pull it is very accurate too.

 

[GrauGeist]

I prefer a gun with a second (not on the trigger) safety mechanism.

My S&W 39-2 9mm actually has three.
Being double-action, it can be "half cocked".
The full safety is found on the left side of the body, locking the slide (easy access with the thumb) and surprisingly, the third involves the magazine.
If the magazine is not fully in place and locked, the trigger group is inactive.

 

[Ivan1GFP]

I have a customized Springfield XD45. I really enjoy it. It has a very smooth action. Once I got used to the light trigger pull it is very accurate too.

Hello DerAdlerIstGelandet,

Mine is a little compact 9 mm. I believe it is a XD/M. I don't remember exactly because I don't mess with it much.
It came as a package with a little clamp on flashlight. I have only shot it a few times and I probably was getting groups in the 3-4 inch range but I am sure I wasn't using particularly good ammunition either, so it really wasn't a completely fair test. I have had other guns shoot pretty well even with the cheap ammunition.
9 mm is one of those calibers I have not spent much time to refine a load. Ammunition was always so cheap there really wasn't that much of a point and the FMJ bullets without an obvious parallel section are not the easiest to seat straight. I recently figured out a few things when making up some dummy rounds with .45 cal 230 grain FMJ

For features, The XD is pretty much how I believe the Glock should have been designed: with a grip safety.

How do you customize a gun like this???

- Ivan.

 

[Ivan1GFP]

My S&W 39-2 9mm actually has three.
Being double-action, it can be "half cocked".
The full safety is found on the left side of the body, locking the slide (easy access with the thumb) and surprisingly, the third involves the magazine.
If the magazine is not fully in place and locked, the trigger group is inactive.

Hello GrauGeist,
The S&W Model 39 is one of my favourite 9 mm pistols at least from a handling standpoint. It just seems to point very naturally.
A friend of mine first showed me one and let me shoot it a bit over 30 years ago. The Model 639 is one of those pistols I would buy without much thinking if one came along. The unlocking wedges on the aluminum frame just don't seem sturdy enough. The Model 659 didn't retain the same nice handling and is quite heavy.
The magazine safety on the S&W pistols is one I rather like. It helps rather than hinders magazine ejection unlike on the Browning Hi-Power.
I am wondering a hit how the half cock notch can be considered an additional safety on the S&W 39....

- Ivan.

 

[GrauGeist]

If you recall the old adage "don't go off half cocked" then you've heard advice from the olden days when double-action was a new "thing".
Most DAs in half-cock will lock the trigger group, requiring the operator to pull the hammer into the full-cock position.
This could have caused considerable stress in a street fight, of course, because they've drawn their pistol but nothing happens when the try and pull the trigger - of course, the varmint down the street is tossing lead their way and their day is getting worse by the minute (multiply by two if this happens on a Monday).

On the 39-2, the same applies. Half-cock locks the trigger group until the hammer is pulled completely back into the full-cocked position.
It might not be considered a full safety feature in some regards, but in the half-cock position, the trigger is fully inactive.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Hello DerAdlerIstGelandet,

Mine is a little compact 9 mm. I believe it is a XD/M. I don't remember exactly because I don't mess with it much.
It came as a package with a little clamp on flashlight. I have only shot it a few times and I probably was getting groups in the 3-4 inch range but I am sure I wasn't using particularly good ammunition either, so it really wasn't a completely fair test. I have had other guns shoot pretty well even with the cheap ammunition.
9 mm is one of those calibers I have not spent much time to refine a load. Ammunition was always so cheap there really wasn't that much of a point and the FMJ bullets without an obvious parallel section are not the easiest to seat straight. I recently figured out a few things when making up some dummy rounds with .45 cal 230 grain FMJ

For features, The XD is pretty much how I believe the Glock should have been designed: with a grip safety.

How do you customize a gun like this???

- Ivan.

The trigger was modified for extra light pull, and the grip was customized. I really like the gun. It has a rail to add a flashlight as well. It is the full size XD in .45.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

My S&W 39-2 9mm actually has three.
Being double-action, it can be "half cocked".
The full safety is found on the left side of the body, locking the slide (easy access with the thumb) and surprisingly, the third involves the magazine.
If the magazine is not fully in place and locked, the trigger group is inactive.

My Beretta 96A1 .40 S&W is the same.

 

[Ivan1GFP]

If you recall the old adage "don't go off half cocked" then you've heard advice from the olden days when double-action was a new "thing".
Most DAs in half-cock will lock the trigger group, requiring the operator to pull the hammer into the full-cock position.
This could have caused considerable stress in a street fight, of course, because they've drawn their pistol but nothing happens when the try and pull the trigger - of course, the varmint down the street is tossing lead their way and their day is getting worse by the minute (multiply by two if this happens on a Monday).

On the 39-2, the same applies. Half-cock locks the trigger group until the hammer is pulled completely back into the full-cocked position.
It might not be considered a full safety feature in some regards, but in the half-cock position, the trigger is fully inactive.

Hello GrauGeist,
I had always figured that applied to older single action guns that were not safe to carry with a hammer down on a loaded chamber.
I do know that is how it is SUPPOSED to work on a 1911 but some folks eliminate that feature because there is the slight chance the half cock notch has a slight chance of damaging the sear under some circumstances.
I had figured that a hammer down on a loaded chamber with a long trigger pull to fire was a reasonably safe thing as far as a chambered round can be considered safe. I will have to check out one of the S&W autos I own to see if they retained this feature in later models.

EDIT:
I just checked out my Model 39 and there is a notch between full hammer down and full cock but nothing else that I can detect and it does not lock up the trigger at all. The double action still works fine as it would with the hammer down. I went and checked out another S&W pistol and it behaves the same. How many stops are there from hammer down to full cock? I can only find one in both pistols.

- Ivan.

 

[GrauGeist]

My S&W 39-2 has three positions on the hammer:
Full rest (hammer down) - in this position, the trigger has full travel, with no reaction, of course.
Half-cocked (middle position) - with the hammer in this position, the trigger will move back slightly but stops with no reaction to the hammer.
Full cocked (third position) - this of course has the hammer fully extended, waiting for the trigger's command and the trigger is fully functional and will discharge a round if depressed.

I could provide photos of the hammer positions *if* it were here and not locked in my safe, which is still in storage...