Hi all. I don’t yet own a 1911. But I find them them intriguing due to their history, WWII and all.
I’m also a software engineer by profession and the fact that Remington Rand corporation, that did some of the first computers, also made the M1911A1 is some interesting history.
I have some 45 autos, but I’m thinking of my first 1911. The Springfield Armory “mil spec” sounds interesting, but I don’t know if “mil spec” means anything other than some Springfield Armory marketing. Nothing against SA or anyone else. Or am I wrong?
So if any of you have a “mil-spec” 1911, why did you get it, and do you like it?
I wasn’t aware of the term when I bought my Rock Island Armory 1911.
My limited understanding is mil-spec means a firearm meets minimum military specifications.
I traded a stock Series 70 for a Series 80 Combat Government because my eyes picked up the larger sights better, and the flat mainspring housing (original to the GI 1911, btw) fit my hands better. I added a solid GI bushing because I didn’t trust the four collet bushing.
I feel the added weight of steel frame and longer barrel makes the 1911 much easier to shoot.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
I saw a 1911 with a DA/SA conversion kit at the gun show last weekend. I dry fired it and I’d give it an “OK” rating. No one was rushing the table with cash in hand at the $899 asking price for an obviously rode hard and put away wet specimen
A few companies have tried over the years. Para-Ord was probably the most successful at it but between purists and the fact that the frame design makes for an overly complex (and somewhat fragile) DA adaptation the efforts have been short lived and not horrendously popular.
Colt even tried making a DA gun that used a 1911 upper with a completely redesigned lower, but that also failed. IIRC it was called the Colt Double Eagle.
I wish I would have taken a photo, but it was a Colt slide and might have been a double eagle.
Edit#1: looking at Double Eagle photos I would say it was not one because it did have a thumb safety. The vendor said it was a kluge of parts of different 1911’s that somebody converted to a DA/SA. I don’t remember it have a swing style trigger. It could of had a slide looking trigger similar to a P238/P938 to conceal its real identity.
Edit#2: This photo was identified as a Seecamp conversion and looks like what I saw except I don’t remember the trigger looking like that: m1911.org/seecamp.htm
This is the Para I was talking about. It was called the LDA model and one of my buddies had one. Neat gun that was very well made, but it was a weird DA setup that never made me feel quite safe.
