Calling on my Springfield 1911 .45 Mil Spec friends re firing pin stop

SoCalDep, thank you for taking so much time to write a lengthy and detailed post with many good facts and opinions. This is the type of information I desperately need. I'm trying to know it all in a couple of months, which is a ridiculous idea. The fact is, I'm already much further ahead than I was last month. My knowledge and experience on and with the 1911 will slowly grow just as it has with everything else I have knowledge on and experience with!

here is my hard used MCOP.

The photo is from 6 years ago and it was pointed out to me by a forum member viewing this image. I had not a clue it was cracked (see around 7-8 oclock on the FP stop)

My gun was peppered by SACS in 2009 and tool steel action and the WC BP FP stop was installed.

I dont have a clue when it broke. It might have broke close to the photo time frame (2018ish)

on an interesting note, the machined area on the slide underneath the firing pin stop does have a step in the flat surface.

I currently dont have my MCOP (Its enroute to me... hopefully in my hands tomorrow), but I recall the machined step is in relation to the crack.

I also read an article (I would have to search for it) where the hammer does not smack the firing pin stop squarely.

I replaced my cracked FP Stop (if memory serves me correctly) with an EGW squared edge.

https://i.imgur.com/KruwHQRh.jpg

Back again!

...are you trying to bump this thread? I'm confused why there are a bunch of basically blank posts.

All 1911s and 2011's have a firing pin stop. It's what holds the firing pin in place. Look at a parts diagram. It's the part you see when you look at the back of the firing pin in the middle of the rear of the slide. The firing pin stop on a 1911 is considered by most to be a wear item. It get's hit on both sides of the firing pin hole. One side gets smacked by the hammer and the other gets the firing pin smacked into it by the firing pin spring. It also gets vibrated by the extractor depending on the tolerance. That's a lot of abuse for one little part to take. They're all going to develop a crack eventually if the gun is shot enough, but the reality is that 95% of people don't shoot a 1911 enough to crack them.

The reason most people replace them early with an EGW or similar is typically either:
a) They want a super tight fit to hold the extractor in place so it has more tension on the side it should
b) They want a reduce radius to slow the slide down a smidge so they can run a lighter recoil spring
c) They're milling the slide for BoMar, Novak, Heinie, or similar sights and they want a shorter one and don't feel like cutting the factory one and know they'll probably get the benefit of a and b

One very very competent well known smith I knew just used the factory ones and thought a and b were dumb and c was for lazy smiths, but he was all about running the heaviest recoil spring possible. Of the dozens of 1911's I've owned I've had plenty of both types and I can't tell you I see much of a difference. I have one gun setup to shoot really light 185gr SWC loads and it has a Chuck Warner FPS with very little radius and a heavier hammer spring which allows me to run a light recoil spring to have it cycle reliably (the softest shooting 45 ACP I've ever shot).

The Springfield Mil-Spec, like it's name implies, is basically at its core a commercial variation of a late GI-spec 1911A1 with slanted serrations like they AMU slides had and taller 3 dot sights. It's a good base 1911 to play around with. Don't go changing a bunch of parts (definitely don't change any yourself since you don't know what you are doing or how the pistol works yet). When you ask, "What 1911 should I buy? you are basically asking, "What car should I buy?" Everyone has an opinion and they all have their pluses and minuses. For an entry level gun in 2024 the Turkish Tisas guns are actually pretty decent. My advice would be to skip the Mil Spec and buy a Garrison or Ronin if you are getting a Springfield. It will be a much more pleasant gun to shoot.

The grip safety on a 1911 works by blocking the back of the trigger bow. It isn't there for looks. They all have them and unless the guns been messed with they are all functional. The thumb safety block the sear and holds the grip safety in place (and does a couple other things).

I saw on another post you talking about GunBlue490 on YouTube. He seems like a nice guy and reminds me of my now deceased uncle so I find him pleasant to listen to. Unfortunately, a lot of what he says is dead wrong. Hilton Yam and Dean Caputo are a couple of the only folks that have decent 1911 video content out there.

The 1911 has been around for 113 years which means there is a 113 years of nonsense and bad info floating around out there. Be careful what you listen to.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KevH

...are you trying to bump this thread? I'm confused why there are a bunch of basically blank posts.

All 1911s and 2011's have a firing pin stop. It's what holds the firing pin in place. Look at a parts diagram. It's the part you see when you look at the back of the firing pin in the middle of the rear of the slide. The firing pin stop on a 1911 is considered by most to be a wear item. It get's hit on both sides of the firing pin hole. One side gets smacked by the hammer and the other gets the firing pin smacked into it by the firing pin spring. It also gets vibrated by the extractor depending on the tolerance. That's a lot of abuse for one little part to take. They're all going to develop a crack eventually if the gun is shot enough, but the reality is that 95% of people don't shoot a 1911 enough to crack them.

The reason most people replace them early with an EGW or similar is typically either:
a) They want a super tight fit to hold the extractor in place so it has more tension on the side it should
b) They want a reduce radius to slow the slide down a smidge so they can run a lighter recoil spring
c) They're milling the slide for BoMar, Novak, Heinie, or similar sights and they want a shorter one and don't feel like cutting the factory one and know they'll probably get the benefit of a and b

One very very competent well known smith I knew just used the factory ones and thought a and b were dumb and c was for lazy smiths, but he was all about running the heaviest recoil spring possible. Of the dozens of 1911's I've owned I've had plenty of both types and I can't tell you I see much of a difference. I have one gun setup to shoot really light 185gr SWC loads and it has a Chuck Warner FPS with very little radius and a heavier hammer spring which allows me to run a light recoil spring to have it cycle reliably (the softest shooting 45 ACP I've ever shot).

The Springfield Mil-Spec, like it's name implies, is basically at its core a commercial variation of a late GI-spec 1911A1 with slanted serrations like they AMU slides had and taller 3 dot sights. It's a good base 1911 to play around with. Don't go changing a bunch of parts (definitely don't change any yourself since you don't know what you are doing or how the pistol works yet). When you ask, "What 1911 should I buy? you are basically asking, "What car should I buy?" Everyone has an opinion and they all have their pluses and minuses. For an entry level gun in 2024 the Turkish Tisas guns are actually pretty decent. My advice would be to skip the Mil Spec and buy a Garrison or Ronin if you are getting a Springfield. It will be a much more pleasant gun to shoot.

The grip safety on a 1911 works by blocking the back of the trigger bow. It isn't there for looks. They all have them and unless the guns been messed with they are all functional. The thumb safety block the sear and holds the grip safety in place (and does a couple other things).

I saw on another post you talking about GunBlue490 on YouTube. He seems like a nice guy and reminds me of my now deceased uncle so I find him pleasant to listen to. Unfortunately, a lot of what he says is dead wrong. Hilton Yam and Dean Caputo are a couple of the only folks that have decent 1911 video content out there.

The 1911 has been around for 113 years which means there is a 113 years of nonsense and bad info floating around out there. Be careful what you listen to.

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KevH, thank you for your input. I'm slowly gaining knowledge on the 1911. I certainly can't speak to the accuracy of claims made by GunBlue490. I was simply happy to view his 1911 videos where he disassembles and reassembles the gun. They're virtually the same as seeing someone do it live in front of me. I've been doing a lot of reading on the gun, but viewing diagrams and photos are no where near as informative and instructive as seeing someone doing it while describing what they're doing. I found his videos very helpful in filling in some gaps in my knowledge base.

I'm not interested in rifles or shotguns as I don't hunt, despite living in Michigan where wildlife is everywhere. I assume much of what BunBlue490 says is accurate because he's an older guy with credentials and addresses virtually every firearm topic. However, he has a video where he repeatedly slams the slide shut on an empty chamber of his Ruger 1911, stating it will not harm the action. He said earlier guys in the military were required to do this as part of inspections. I have no idea if that's true, but I'm never going to slam the slide closed on an empty chamber on any of my guns!