The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Handguns => Topic started by: PegLeg45 on October 23, 2011, 10:58:57 AM
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My younger son's future f-i-l has a PARA GI Expert single-stack 1911 and he wanted me to work the trigger on it because it was both stiff and had a very noticeable "spot" in the middle of the pull.
First off, after taking it down, I realized it had the Series 80 firing pin system (not a big issue, but it adds to the work).
Second, and most important find, was MIM cast guts and a LOT of casting "flash" lines on the parts. The biggest offender was the disconnector. It had a heavy casting line (vertically) right down the middle. It was very pronounced where the spring rides it.
The first plan was to try and make it better (at least shootable) without buying parts, and then get parts later.
With a fair amount of gentle "massaging" and polishing of all friction surfaces and pivot-points, I actually got a smooth trigger pull. It's still heavier than I like (some tweaking of the sear spring and a different main-spring will help) but it is crisp and breaks even...with no creep and most of all, no hard spots.
I guess the biggest shock was that PARA was using the cast parts...... I know more and more makers are going to that (especially in their 'economy lines') but didn't expect it to be that big of a pronounced issue in the PARA gun.
Anyway, I gave it back to him so he could run a couple hundred rounds through it, and then he can decide on what he wants to do. I'm thinking a good set of guts from Ed Brown or Cylinder & Slide.
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Doesn't surprise me. Para has been making way too many changes these days to try and remain competitive. I'm about due for a complete tear down of mine. It's one from the Ft. Lauderdale facility and about four years old. I'll post more when I get it back from the SIL.
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I don't know when this one was made, I know he bought it used, but it looks fairly new or either it had never been shot much.
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I don't know when this one was made, I know he bought it used, but it looks fairly new or either it had never been shot much.
They've only had the GI out a couple of years. Do they use the big extractor?
MB might could shed some light on the subject.
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If he bought it used, is it possible someone swapped out decent parts in it for some junk they had laying around?
Need to have someone with a brand new GI check if they can.
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Brownell's and Midway both have wide selections of internal parts for 1911's
Not only ALL the parts, but also from a variety of manufacturers.
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Ed Brown also .
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If he bought it used, is it possible someone swapped out decent parts in it for some junk they had laying around?
Need to have someone with a brand new GI check if they can.
I'm guessing this might be the case, since my 2 year old GI Expert is perfect in every way.
Dammit Peg, now you've forced me to take it apart and check. ::)
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Ed Brown also .
I bought an Ed Brown standard guide rod and it didn't fit inside the dust cover on my Para. Ended up buying one from either C&S or Wilson, I don't remember which.
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Brownell's and Midway both have wide selections of internal parts for 1911's
Not only ALL the parts, but also from a variety of manufacturers.
I usually buy from either Brownells or Midway for most parts since they carry all the main parts by all the big-name makers.
It is always possible the parts are not original, and the owner says he doesn't know the original owner since he bought it at a gun shop.
Also, for the record, it's not so much that I have a problem with MIM parts on the whole, it's just the overall quality of these, specifically, were very rough....and not what I expected.
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I usually buy from either Brownells or Midway for most parts since they carry all the main parts by all the big-name makers.
It is always possible the parts are not original, and the owner says he doesn't know the original owner since he bought it at a gun shop.
Also, for the record, it's not so much that I have a problem with MIM parts on the whole, it's just the overall quality of these, specifically, were very rough....and not what I expected.
I reworked one for a friend and it was full of MIM parts as well and he bought it new. I did one one it first came out and the only thing that was noticeably MIM were the disconnector and the series 80 safety parts, the rest all looked to me forged parts. I'm guessing they keep adding more of them as they use up their stock of old parts inventory. As far as changing the internals I like to get the cylinder & slide trigger pull kits from Brownells. It saves a ton of time to get an already matched trigger, hammer, sear and spring set. If you already know how to do all the work to get them to that point why waste your time when you can get them pre-fitted for about the same cost. You only need to do a very light fitting if any and you've got a really nice trigger, usually under four pounds.
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I reworked one for a friend and it was full of MIM parts as well and he bought it new. I did one one it first came out and the only thing that was noticeably MIM were the disconnector and the series 80 safety parts, the rest all looked to me forged parts. I'm guessing they keep adding more of them as they use up their stock of old parts inventory. As far as changing the internals I like to get the cylinder & slide trigger pull kits from Brownells. It saves a ton of time to get an already matched trigger, hammer, sear and spring set. If you already know how to do all the work to get them to that point why waste your time when you can get them pre-fitted for about the same cost. You only need to do a very light fitting if any and you've got a really nice trigger, usually under four pounds.
Yep.
The last two I've done for a friend was C&S and pretty much dropped in...... Saves a ton of time.