Everything I should have for my .45? Your .02

[YankeeWhite]

Based on all the information on my other thread, I have decided to concentrate on my first line guns, get all of my cleaning gear, holsters, mags, ammo etc., before I do much with my less important stuff.
First I am looking at my Kimber .45 Classic Series 1, as it will always be on my body.
I know I need a holster, and other than a cheapy uncle mikes belt, holster and mag pouch, I think I will go with a US shoulder hoster copy from IMA-USA. I'ved used them before and like them.
I am also looking at ammo, for this I am leaning towards Winchester Ranger T and also stocks of regular old 230 grain ball.
Mags, I have a total of seven mags, ranging from shooting stars to Wilson Rodgers, and they all work great. I'll probably buy a few more and make sure they work, just in case they aren't on shelves in the future.
Cleaning gear, I have on otis set up, and a bore snake, but plan on getting a dewey pistol rod and all the attachments. I need more lube and cleaner, and am looking for suggestions. I usually just use CLP, Remington Gun Oil and some Miltech that I have had laying around.
I know I need a new spring, mine is at the end of its life and I plan on buying two to three others, and I will probably go with more mag springs too.
I have stock sights, and might upgrade them to some tritium types when some other preps are taken care off.
The only other items I can think of would be maybe a lanyard, and some dies to go with my handpress, powder, primers, etc.
Based on all of this, what can you guys see that I need here?
I want to order some more spare parts, any suggestions?

[squid8286]

I would get a few more recoil springs; you should replace them at every 3000 rounds or so. If you carry the pistol cocked and locked, this will put constant tension on the mainspring, shortening it's life. Firing pin springs should be replaced within a similar time frame as the recoil springs. One or two spare extractors on hand wouldn't hurt. Also maybe a spare ejector or two. The great thing about the 1911 is that is pretty easy to detail strip and perform maintenance on.

[mosbysmen]

i also think you should have spare firing pins and ejectors..
start collecting all the good used .45 brass you can find.
even if its a few years before you can reload , brass is somthing you
cant make by yourself easily .
get some one to photo copy all the reload info for the .45acp and any other weapons you might have..

if you ever shoot your .45 in low light , you will agree that tritium nite sites were the best 90 bucks you ever spent .

[Da Nerd]

all you need is : buy more mags, but more ammo, and PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE.

[whirlibird]

Recoil springs: Wolff 18 1/2 lb variable rate springs. They seem to have the best all around rate and usefullness for a standard size 1911 and defensive/practice ammunition.

Ejector's? I believe a spare extractor would be more beneficial. Of all the 1911's I've built and worked on, I've never seen a broken ejector but I have personally had a broken extractor and replaced several others.

Night sights are a beneficial addition but can be the last purchase. Low light practice without "nites" is a beneficial addition to any practice regimen.

I won't mix my magazines, I've had problems with several different brands and styles and not always an ammunition issue. My personal preference is for the Metalform 7 round round follower model. They have been the longest lasting, most reliable magazine I've used.

I would prefer a belt holster, either pancake or avenger style. I have shoulder rigs and use them but for all around use the belt rig is more suitable for "normal" clothing.

The Ranger ammuniton has shown itself to be an excellent choice, however I would probably use a handloaded 230gr LRN for practice. I like my barrels to last for more than 5K rounds before replacement. Yes I know modern "hard" barrels will last somewhat longer than that with jacketed bullets, but prior experience has led me to plan on barrel replacement at the 5K mark. If it happens, it happens. If not, Yahooo! I've had to rebuild several 1911's over the years with high round counts of all lead bullets, however the barrels were still in perfect condition and were used again. One of my pistols a '68 Colt was rebuilt twice before it was sold to a friend, it's still going today. That'd be over 75,000 rounds in the original barrel before I let it go.

My personal preference is not for the Kimbers unless they are rebuilt, I cannot abide MIM (metal injection molded) parts in a weapon I may use to defend my life. I can ignore the grip safety and mainspring housing but the sear, disconnector, hammer, extractor, thumb safety and slide stop WILL be replaced. I've done this for several LE friends. The reason for the changes is that I have seen more broken MIM parts than forged parts, in fact the MIM slide stop in my '92 Colt broke while in the middle of my quarterly qualifications. That was the final straw and all critical MIM parts in my weapons were replaced. I trust a casting more than I trust MIM parts, there's no real grain structure to the MIM parts.

As an aside Denver PD disallowed the use/carry of Kimbers after Kimber refused to warrant the use of Speer Gold Dots in the pistols. Appareantly the Gold Dots are a bit too hot for the MIM parts and have been breaking.

[goldenspurholderx2]

I would definantly say an extractor and knowledge on how to tune it.

Have you ever thought of a .22 conversion kit? Makes for cheap practice and are good for taking down rabbits that get in the garden, or for small game food if need be.

[Old Sarge]

I have only had to replace two parts on my Colt. After all most thirty years of service and uncounted rounds of ammo thats all that gone wrong with it. Now I did screw up a grip bushing on it to but thats my falult.

1, extractor. The hook end broke off while shooting at the range one day.

2, slide stop. The part tha lifts the stop up from the mag follower broke off.

Old Sarge:beer:

[Artful]

Buffer - and I'd push up the priority of night sights - and check out flashlight to carry with the gun. (G2 Surefire if nothing else - bright & cheap also Sam's club was selling inexpensive knockoff but I haven't checked out bulb etc. - BatteryStation or Surefire for cheap 123 batteries).

Also Inside Pants holster. - I personally haven't tried this one yet but it has been recommended by so many I'm going to start saving to get one.
comp-tac (http://www.comp-tac.com/ct_ctac.html)

[rgkeller]

Get a couple of ten round magazines.

[lysander6]

Get a Glock .45 and you won't need as many spares parts nor as many mags (13 vs. 10 rds). You should reconsider a shoulder holster and check out a pancake paddle holster for all carry. Very concealable and can be removed in seconds if necessary. Vital to have a light WITH an attached lanyard (malf drills and reloads). Metal tritiums are critical (wounded defender one handed reloading and malf).

Most important of all is formal training and practice. Fast is smooth is practice. Speed is actually ramped up over time.

[YankeeWhite]

Some interesting advice.
I guess I will buy some more mags, springs, maybe a few extractors (and learn how they go in) and some parts to replace any MIM parts that may break and put them into my tackle box.
Good thing I have a spare Kimber and a Glock!
What spring or parts should a person nedd to replace on a Glock?

[lysander6]

Full set of Glock springs, an extra extractor and the complete cleaning kit from Glockmeister (even though you can go 2500 rounds between cleans unlike a 1911).

[bykerhd]

Here is a link to an outfit that also makes a copy of the WW II tanker holsters. Probably a better product, much better, than the version you have seen. Unfortunately, it is also quite a bit more costly.
El Paso Saddlery (https://secure.aaa-servers.com/epsaddlery.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=87)

[YankeeWhite]

Thanks for the link. I forgot about them. How do they compare to a US issue black holster, or the IMA-USA version?

[bykerhd]

Quality of the 1911 military replica holsters I have seen varies a lot. El Paso's offering should be first rate although not necessarily an exact copy, depending on what options you choose. Cruffler did a comparison of holsters from Pacific Canvas & Leather and IMA's offering. Pacific was the winner as I recall. The comparison wasn't the model you were interested in though. If paying roughly double doesn't faze you then El Paso is an excellent choice. No idea how backlogged they may be these days. They always use to produce an excellent holster.

[win308]

What you need the most !!!!

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1/win308/ammo1.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d1/win308/ammo3.jpg

[Da Nerd]

THAT doesnt do much good with out a gun to shoot it i..:cool:

[YankeeWhite]

You need a guy to cover the midnight to eight AM shift?

[Fn/form]

I've owned a Kimber Pro Carry II stainless/alloy. With 24D mags it would shoot almost any projo except Gold Dot. I asked Kimber to look at it, and they said it was a known issue. They sent a different slide stop (different internal profile) but it didn't help much.

The cheapy 100ct Remmy Wal-mart HPs worked almost 100% tho. Go figure. I wasn't pleased with a pistol that wouldn't eat any factory loads...

I ended up trading the pistol. Except for the .38 snubs, magnums, and .22 pistols, I'm a Glocker. Like the other poster said, less parts, cheaper mags, higher capacity, better "survival" finish, etc., all without sacrificing reliability.

Glock needs to come out with a .22 pistol...

-josh

[FREE RIFLEMAN]

Originally posted by Fn/form
Glock needs to come out with a .22 pistol...

-josh

Glock .22 Conversion at Glockmeister (click for link...) (http://glockmeister.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/13/products_id/211?osCsid=1d63fb85d95a79ea408acce8521d889c)

Behold, the meister!

(win308... it's not nice to rub it in.... lol :redface: )

[goldenspurholderx2]

YW, when I posted learn to tune the extactor I didn't just mean how to install it. The standard 1911 extractor has to be tuned to give the right amount of grip on the case or else you might be in for malfunctions. There is a couple of books out there that will teach how to do this and just about any other thing you want to do with the platform. "Gunsmithing the 1911" comes to mind. You could always bypass that and get a 'power extractor' from Brownells, I don't use them but they are durable and easy to install with no tuning involved. Para Ordanance started using them in their pstols a couple of years ago.

Just trying to help out:angel:

[legion489]

If you have a Kimber, you need to throw just about all the internal parts away, including the magazine. The world class pistolsmith (used to get written up in SOF for years) at my shooting club said that and I found it to be true. New, out of the box the gun LOOKED great, but would not feed, extract or eject. Wonderful. The extractor was not bad, it was useless and unfinished! No hook cut! The trigger pull was 32 lb, the mag junk, etc. After replacing half the gun, it works fine now, but that is an expensive way to buy a frame, slide and barrel!

First, buy ammo. You can NOT make brass cases at home or in a machine shop unless you want to machine each case out of stock and even then it will only last a few rounds at most.

Parts- buy a frame/slide parts kit from Sarco, plus about five complete spring sets. A set of stainless steel pin sets and SS grip screws/bushings (yeah, the Kimber loses the bushings too).

Reloading- Lee dies, Lee moulds, Lee Liquid Alox, Lee powder measure, DILLON reloading press. Get all the brass you can find. Get it now!

Hope this helps.