1911 part importers

[bradaz11]

Right, I'm after some parts for my GSG 1911, not performance type parts, but actual 1911 parts, like triggers and hammers.

Who should I be looking at, or is Brownells my best/ only real bet?

[the running man]

Let me know how u get on....I just bought some fancy grips off eBay!

Valmount used to do a few bits but beyond that I really couldn't tell you...four Islands forum would be the place for the most up to date advice...

[safetyfirst]

Good luck with it, sounds like a fun project. Bear in mind that the 1911 platform isn't plug and play and many parts will require gunsmithing to fit. The GSG can be a long way out of spec parts wise and I know of at least one guy that had to take quite a serious looking file to a new GSG to get a trigger and hammer combo in there.

[bradaz11]

well looking online, it appears that the US version of the GSG takes a long list of 1911 government and commander parts. seen various videos with people fitting parts. Only seen minor fitting so far, mainly for things like the hammer strut.
the GSG also looks to have series 80 disconnect/firing pin safety in it.
at the moment, I have about £180 worth of parts in a brownells saved shopping cart, which I don't really want to spend if it won't fit...

[Blackstuff]

I've not been able to find any reliable source of info in the UK as to which parts fit at all, which parts need proper gunsmithing, which ones just need a bit of fettling and which drop straight in ( There's no such thing, you've got to love old fashioned guns! aaarggh )

From first hand experience the Wilson Combat stuff I bought for mine requires between gunsmithing and fettling to work.

Good luck!

[the running man]

Just a side note dint forget the new ones are a lot better, and have had some changes...

[bradaz11]

I've not been able to find any reliable source of info in the UK as to which parts fit at all, which parts need proper gunsmithing, which ones just need a bit of fettling and which drop straight in ( There's no such thing, you've got to love old fashioned guns! aaarggh )

From first hand experience the Wilson Combat stuff I bought for mine requires between gunsmithing and fettling to work.

Good luck!

was yours a GSG made long barrel, or a TSC made long barrel?

If it's the new, GSG own made with the straight walled mock silencer, it should be standard parts and should be all the same stuff as the US guns

If you have a TSC version, with skinny magwell and dimpled silencer, then it was made in country from part kits and things like the slide were machined for it, and may not be milspec


Out of interest, what parts have you bought for yours?

[Blackstuff]

Yes, yes the parts SHOULD fit, but no, no they don't

Its the new/2nd gen GSG that I have. The problem is two-fold - 1/Because the GSG is made from aluminium alloy (as opposed to the real/steel guns - well most of them anyway - see point 2), its built thicker in the internal dimensions, so the genuine 1911 parts are too small/tight. 2/ Because of the age of the 1911 there are multiple differently sized parts for the different versions.

I bought a Wilson Combat extended slide release and magazine release. The magazine release suffered from the problem outlined in point 1 above and had to be 'smithed to fit/work. The pin on the slide release was too thick and I had to polish that down with P800 wet and dry - great I thought, that's that. Nope. The profile on the back of the slide stop that the detent on the frame rides on is different to the one on the GSG so that would need to be re-ground to work and I frankly couldn't be bothered.

I've also been told that many of the bushings and guide rods don't fit without work so I just waited until the dedicated CWA version were brought into this country by AW Armoury. I've fitted the bushing and guide rod/spring kit to mine which improved the accuracy and allows you to ditch the screw that fixes the barrel to the frame so now it can be dismantled without any tools

Other than that I've changed the grips to a Hogue set to help with my super-sweaty mitts and bumped the magazine capacity up to 16rds with the mag kits from Firing Solutions (which are claimed to be +4 followers and +3 base plates = 17rds but they're not, they're only 16. )

I've fitted a Burris Fastfire III to the slide of mine using the Vortex mount that Black Rifle do. I had to fettle the mounting plate and enlarge the bolt holes on the site itself which I was not particularly happy doing but it doesn't actually affect how the site mounts on its original mount plate to its no big deal. Just writing this I'm realizing how much I hate non-modular guns!

I wouldn't dare start doing serious things like the hammer and trigger, the work would be well beyond me and the cost of the gunsmithing, if I could find someone to do it would likely be not worth it for the sort of shooting I'm doing with mine. YMMV.

[bradaz11]

the wilson combat extended mag release was one thing in the shopping basket. so you found it too tight to fit in? or would it not take the gsg mag release lock>?
It may just be simpler for me to drill my existing one and tap, then add an extension.

I was also looking at an extended slide release, but not from wilson combat, so again that may be something to leave behind.

anyone know what brownells are like with returns??

[Blackstuff]

Never returned anything to Brownells but its the same person used to run Midway UK and you don't get the postage back and I'm pretty sure there was a 10% 're-stocking fee'

The profiling on the 'barrel' on the mag release which stops the mechanism just dropping through the left side of the frame is too long so it doesn't seat into the GSG frame all the way, the gunsmith I took it to shaved it down so it would seat deeper. I had actually just asked him to drill and tap the original mag button and put the big button that the Wilson one came with on it but he said it was easier to do the work to the 'barrel'/mechanism.

Oh and you need to buy a release lock for it too, the GSG one is too fat to fit in the mechanism (due to it being made of weaker metal it has been made thicker). In fairness the release locks are only a couple of quid and you get a couple in the packet but its something you need to be aware of. You can use the release lock spring from the GSG though.