Accuracy troubles

[DONT TREAD ON ME]

I went to the range today with my Springfield Mil-Spec (its got everything the Loaded has now). I was talking to a guy next to me and he pulled out his Rock Island Armory and let me shoot it. I put 3 shots pretty much in the same hole with the RIA (looked like a 3 leaf clover). My Mil-Spec was not as accurate. Is there a differnece in the Mil-Spec and the 'modern' 1911 or is there something I need to do to my Mil-Spec to make it shoot better?

[bpet]

Makes me curious about what your new friend has done to his RIA. I've heard they are quite good for the price but sounds like he was extremely lucky or he had modded his 1911. Lucky happens but my bet is that he has done some mods.

[DONT TREAD ON ME]

Well from what he said he has not done a darn thing to it....

[joe817]

X.D., I don't know if this will help any, but it's worth a read:

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Crit ... 20Spec.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It may give you some ideas.

[yerasimos]

Here are a few ideas to refine the test method and magnify any difference between the two guns while eliminating as much shooter variability as possible:

1. same individual pulling the trigger, as indicated in this thread's first post
2. use same ammunition in both guns
3. greatest distance possible for shooting (25 yards comes to mind)
4. shoot off of sandbags or other such supported shooting position, or use a Ransom rest if you are lucky enough to have one available
5. shoot as many shots as possible from both guns (obtain the largest sample sizes you are willing to afford)
6. do the test indoors if possible, or avoid doing this test outdoors on a windy day

I do not know enough about 1911s to address specific hardware issues, so I will leave that discussion to others.

[G.A. Heath]

Rock Island Armory products tend to give you more than what you pay for, or at least in my experience. First off the RIA probably has a flat mainspring housing while your Mil-Spec has an arched one, secondly the RIA probably has the M1911 style trigger apposed to the M1911A1 style your mil-spec does. Additionally your mil-spec probably has different grips and a different trigger pull than the RIA.

Out of my four 1911s I have to tell you that they are all shooters, and shoot more accurately than I can ever hope to be capable of doing. The least accurate and loosest fit of mine is my Taurus PT1911. Next I have my RIA Compact Tactical that is far more accurate than it should ever be, I would say its a close call but its tied for first place in accuracy and is in third place for tightness of fit. Next up I have my Kimber Custom TLE II that is in second place for accuracy and second place for tightness of fit. Its miles ahead of the Taurus and the RIA for fit and finish, but not quite as accurate as the little gun. Finally I have my Kimber Pro Covert II that I believe is as accurate as my RIA so it is also tied for first place and has the tightest fit of all my semi-autos. Now both my RIA and the Covert II feature bushingless bull barrels and I believe that does affect their accuracy somewhat.

[DONT TREAD ON ME]

Thanks for the article. It was a nice read.

As for my Mil-Spec...here is a pic, it has all the bells and whistles that the loaded does..except for the sights.

So I was wondering if the mil-spec's internals and were not as good as other"modern" 1911s

[mbw]

X- The difference in accuracy that you are seeing is probably due to barrel fitting. The RIA barrel is probably fitted to closer tolerances than your Mil-Spec. The tightness of the slide to frame fit does contribute to accuracy, but not near as much as a well fit barrel does.

Try this- with your pistol unloaded cock the hammer and then push down of the top of the barrel. I bet that the barrel moves. Do you need a bushing wrench to take off the barrel bushing? I bet that you can remove the bushing with your fingers.

There are four areas in barrel fit that really determine accuracy potential- 1. The fit of the hood to the breach face. 2. The fit of the barrel bushing. 3. The fit of the lugs on top of the barrel to the slide. And 4. The fit of the barrel feet to the slide top pin.

If the barrel does not return to almost the exact same position after every shot, you will never have a one-hole shooter. The cheapest and easiest fix is a new fitted barrel bushing. The best fix is to have a good 1911 pistol smith to fit a new barrel or possibly re-fit yours. Either that or just shoot the Mil-Spec knowing that it will only be capable of holding a 3 or 4 inch group. Actually, I think that the guns produced for the military during WW2 were supposed to hold a 6 inch group at 25 yards. They were fit loose on purpose so that the mud and the blood and the beer would not stop them from firing during combat. Target pistols are fit tight; Mil-Spec guns usually are fit somewhat loose.

[The Annoyed Man]

I have a Springfield Loaded Parkerized, and it shoots pretty much to point of aim, allowing for the ballistics of a given cartridge. I did have some difficulty adjusting to the sights when I first bought it, because it seemed a narrow sight picture to me, but I have since gotten used to it.

[asahi1234]

Take it to Ken Crawely in Kemp,TX