1911 Purchase and Value

[Groomlakearea51]

Does your Auto Ordinance take standard 1911 magazines?

There were some at a local gun dealer before I moved that had the mag catch slightly higher than a standard 1911 so regular mags wouldn't work.

We thought at first it was a fluke but two of the guns did the same thing and wouldn't take mags from a Colt or a RIA but the Colt and the RIA would interchange.

I can't remember if the AO was labeled as a standard 1911A1 or not but it looked like one

I found my old stashed "four pack" of Colt MIL parkerised mags and they work. They do need a "cleanup" though. I'll use 600 or 800 grit and clean off the high spots which seem to be at the bottom and the top and that should make them fall out without any drama.....

I called AO and had a nice conversation with the tech department. Very nice folks. In summary, they advised:

• Normal 1911 mags from Colt should always work. They cannot attest to AMT or others
• They only recommend standard 7 round mags. They only sell 7 round mags for the pistol. They cited spring and follower issues with 8 round mags.
• The drop in comp that they sell is the same one I bought years ago from Numrich. Theirs is also made by Numrich. Tech has one and likes it. Tech said that alot of folks like the muzzle brake version on their web site. He remarked, jokingly, that using the drop in comps does away with having to use a barrel wrench to remove the bushing.
• The bushing is the original Colt pre-70 series non-split type. Tech aid split types like Series 70, 80, etc. are ok, but they have a tendency to break on ocassion. They use those types on custom builds if specified.
• Drop in comp should really drop in on their 1911's. Ad on AO site says fitting may be necessary, but tech said that applies primarily to other makes.
• They advised that the 1911 was designed and theirs is also specifically designed to the original specs for 230 grain FMJ mil ball at ~950 per sec.
• They said I can use other ammunition (wad cutters, semi-wads, etc) but that where the ammo becomes an issue is on the feed ramp. Non-"ball" may require additional polishing, contouring, etc. The tech did say that polishing the ramp and tube ramp area is something that inherently improves feeding, etc. but they don't do it on "stock" 1911's, only on custom builds, accurizing, etc.

Only thing I might do..... is look into the Wilson shock-buffer guide rod. I used that on a Gold Cup NM gun in ancient days and it kept the whole slide assembly very "tight" in battery. Dunno yet. Same thing with sights. Maybe a Bomar or Wilson type target sight? Maybe not.

[winchester21]

Anybody here a tactical Benelli shotgun expert??? Please check my Tactical shotgun thread- Thanks CV