Ok, Next 1911 Change?

Joshua M. Smith · 03-04-2008, 05:39 PM

Hello,

My Charles Daly is going through changes.

When I bought it, it really was pretty cheap and wouldn't feed anything but ball reliably.

I bought a Wilson magazine and ordered a couple McComormicks, all of which perform awesomely. I reworked the barrel a bit so that it will feed anything I wish to give it, but it's still safe. (This procedure takes time, patience, and machinery, so I won't outline the specifics here.)

It went from malfing two or three times each magazine to none.

I did away with the extended mag release and there's a regular one on there now. As well, I have an extra on order.

The night before I got my holster, the ambi safety broke. I pulled it, and sure 'nuff, bad piece. I sent the piece back to Charles Daly and ordered an STI.

Here's a list of what's been done to it:

removed the extended mag release

swapped in Wilson trigger

swapped in a Wilson spring set (all of them; had to cut a couple coils from the MS to make it fit though as it was long, 18.5# recoil spring)

swapped in a Wilson arched MSH

And now, it doesn't feel so danged cheap. All of the springs I pulled from that sucker felt wimpy, and could probably be why Charles Daly has a poor reputation in some circles.

I have a Wilson grip safety, but it would take some cutting to make it operate with the commander style hammer on here, so I've smoothed off the stock one's sharp edges and am leaving it be. It feels surprisingly good now.

So what next? Wilson sear? I need ideas, especially if they don't involve further expenditure. The extractor and firing pin are fine.

I'm really just trying to kill time until the new safety gets here Friday or Saturday (or Monday, if the weather's bad.) It's driving me NUTZ not being able to shoot the beast!

So, what would you do? I thought about making some grips, but I think I'll leave the plastic ones I have on there now, on there, due to their weather resistance.

Anything I can polish? I don't know if the hammer and sear are thoroughly hardened or only case hardened, so I'd rather not polish those...

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Josh <><

03-04-2008, 05:39 PM	#1
Joshua M. Smith Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Wabash IN Posts: 351 Trader Rating: (0)	Ok, Next 1911 Change? Hello, My Charles Daly is going through changes. When I bought it, it really was pretty cheap and wouldn't feed anything but ball reliably. I bought a Wilson magazine and ordered a couple McComormicks, all of which perform awesomely. I reworked the barrel a bit so that it will feed anything I wish to give it, but it's still safe. (This procedure takes time, patience, and machinery, so I won't outline the specifics here.) It went from malfing two or three times each magazine to none. I did away with the extended mag release and there's a regular one on there now. As well, I have an extra on order. The night before I got my holster, the ambi safety broke. I pulled it, and sure 'nuff, bad piece. I sent the piece back to Charles Daly and ordered an STI. Here's a list of what's been done to it: removed the extended mag release swapped in Wilson trigger swapped in a Wilson spring set (all of them; had to cut a couple coils from the MS to make it fit though as it was long, 18.5# recoil spring) swapped in a Wilson arched MSH And now, it doesn't feel so danged cheap. All of the springs I pulled from that sucker felt wimpy, and could probably be why Charles Daly has a poor reputation in some circles. I have a Wilson grip safety, but it would take some cutting to make it operate with the commander style hammer on here, so I've smoothed off the stock one's sharp edges and am leaving it be. It feels surprisingly good now. So what next? Wilson sear? I need ideas, especially if they don't involve further expenditure. The extractor and firing pin are fine. I'm really just trying to kill time until the new safety gets here Friday or Saturday (or Monday, if the weather's bad.) It's driving me NUTZ not being able to shoot the beast! So, what would you do? I thought about making some grips, but I think I'll leave the plastic ones I have on there now, on there, due to their weather resistance. Anything I can polish? I don't know if the hammer and sear are thoroughly hardened or only case hardened, so I'd rather not polish those... Thoughts? Thanks, Josh <>< __________________ Is it better to live by a corrupt society's standards rather than face persecution for not doing the same? This is the dilemma we now face. We must hold fast to our convictions as we confront this dilemma. Knowing one's self goes a long way in the crisis. - Me, Standup Philosopher