imported post
G22Paddy wrote:
Ladies and gentlemen of WA OCDO, it is my pleasure to announce that I am now the proud owner of a Rock Island Armory compact officer's model 1911. Bought it like new in box with one magazine and 52 rounds of factory reloads.
Any suggestions on magazine manufacturers? How about aftermarket parts? I'd like to do something with the sights on this thing.
Congrats! My Springfield 1911-A1 is my favoritest-ever gun, and I've heard great things about the RIA 1911s. I have adjustable sights on mine, which is really handy (for me, at least). If you get them, I'd suggest getting a front sight with a tritium element in it for night-time aiming.
For aftermarket parts, I got a Hogue rubber wrap-around grip that bolts into the regular grip sockets, and it does *wonders* for keeping a steady no-slip grip without hurting your hands. I also added an ambidextrous safety selector, since I used to have two 1911s and shoot them at the same time. I've added a plastic magazine well that is held on by a long pin that replaces the one holding in the mainspring housing, so no modification of the frame was needed.
I changed the straight mainspring housing to a curved one, which also helped the grip, and I replaced the grip safety with a beaver tail (ESSENTIAL for 1911s, as slide bite can be a REAL problem with large hands, and it helps you grip it high up on the frame for increased recoil management).
I replaced the stock magazine release with an extended stainless steel release. It's not large enough to be hit accidentally, but it's easier to find than the regular one.
Inside the gun, I replaced the hammer with a match-grade low-weight one and put in a 3-pound trigger pull kit (polished sear, etc.). I also replaced the stock trigger with an open-frame polymer one, but that isn't very important except for adjusting how much slop is in the trigger pull.
Something I'd recommend if you're doing a lot of target shooting: I replaced the barrel bushing with a bushing-attachment compensator. It reduced recoil a fair amount, and made my 25-yard groups go from 5 inches to 2.5 - partly because it's a tighter fit around the barrel.
Note: this is not how I hold the gun when shooting, to pre-empt any criticism in that area.
