1911 GI question

[DustyVermonter]

I bought a Springfield Armory GI 1911 a while back and have only shot maybe 200 rds through it so far, I was shooting point of aim at about 15ft for my first few mags and accuracy seemed ok, but then I went back to about 25-30ft and I could not even for the life of me get on paper, not once. I thought maybe I was just having an off day but then I picked up a 4in .357mag and was able to group shots closely together, and then I picked up my uncles Kimber 5in 1911 and was able to get decent groups with that also. I was getting pretty frustrated with it so my uncle told me to put it down for a while and let him shoot it, and while he's not a champion pistolero or anything he's still a way decent shot who I've never seen shoot off the paper, but he could not get much more out of this gun than I. I did however note that the trigger is really hard to break and maybe it need one of those thousand round trigger jobs, or maybe a whole new trigger alltogether, I don't like to blame problems I have with a gun on the gun but to me something seems off, has anybody else had this issue with the SA GI 1911? Also, and please excuse my terminology here, I will explain this the best I can, the frame rail that the slide rails ride on, has what appears to be marring on the inside right of the rail, it is not identical to the left rail, and seems as though it has been shaved off at an angle and showing silver. I thought that maybe it got damaged from limpwristing it left handed, and letting the pistol recoil a little sideways to the right. Any tips or suggestions would be helpful, especially if you have this model. As it stands right now, I would not trust this gun in any kind of self defense scenario, and feel that I would fair better with my LCP as it shoots more accurately. This is my only 1911 and I love the way it looks and feels, but my overall opinion of this one sucks, which is disappointing because I paid almost $700 for it Thanks

 

[DustyVermonter]

Oh, yeah BTW, I thought maybe the accuracy has something to do with the sights, because they are absolutely horrible low profile GI style sights. It would be nice if I could let some of the 1911 experts on here shoot it and see what they think, because although I am not an expert marksman by any means, I'm no slouch, and strongly believe its something to do with the gun.

 

[MikePaiN]

Before you go spending money on triggers and such, get on the phone with Springfield, explain the issue(s). They know their guns best, if they want it back, send it.

 

[Old Shooter]

A call to Springfield is probably the best way to go with the issues you describe. And those GI sights take a bit of getting used to, not at all as user-friendly as the sights on most modern revolvers or the Kimber your were using. They can do their job very well but you have to work a little harder if you plan to do a lot of paper-punching.

 

[mljdeckard]

I would either borrow or ask somebody who has one to try shooting it in a Ransom Rest. You don't know if it's a little bit loose or completely screwed. There are some problems that a different barrel, bushing, and link will solve. If something in the slide or frame is out of speck causing poor lock-up, it will be a bigger fix or having SA give you a replacement.

 

[MICHAEL T]

let Springer look it over and fix They have a good repair and warranty people. Thhose little sights with practice come up on target pretty fast. Just takes practice,

 

[ForumSurfer]

because they are absolutely horrible low profile GI style sights

I wouldn’t be too quick to blame those. While there are better options, I would say those are more than adequate. I had a para p12 with gi-style sights that could put all 10-12 rounds in a playing card under 30 feet all day with decent ammo.

My opinion would be to call the manufacturer and relay your thoughts to them. If you could do it for free, maybe have a local gunsmith look at it for you.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

I'm sure Springfield can make some improvements on your gun. As far as sights, I have several tiny sighted Col1911's, and an older Super .38 that have the original sights, and I can hit plums at 25 yards with the Super (it has a Bar-Sto barrel). Your sights might need adjusted, but for sighting, unless your eyes are old, the smaller sights will do the job.

 

[ifit]

i have a basic sa gi and less than 1k rounds put through it. i have never fired factory rounds through it, just reloads. some pics on its first day out.
using a front bag rest to check for accuracy. shooting offhand will not get me a tight group but will still be on paper

shooting off hand, standing

 

[Fremmer]

Here's my ideas:

If you are starting to shoot at 15 yards, and you shoot for a while, and then switch to 25 yard targets, you might be getting less accuracy due to shooting fatigue; you get shakier as the session wears on, more likely to flinch, and these problems really get magnified when you try to shoot farther out.

Also, if you are shooting in an indoor range, the lighting is often poor quality, which makes seeing those tiny sights (as well as the target) even more difficult, and results in less accuracy.

Try going to an outdoor range. Warm up at close range with a mag or maybe 2, and then immediately switch to 25 yard targets; bring a friend to try shooting it in the same manner. And it would be nice if a rest (being able to sit and use sandbags) were available. See if the accuracy improves, and let us know! Otherwise, you're going to have to probably ship the gun back to Springfield and let them diagnose the problem.

 

[Mudinyeri]

You left out a few details on HOW you were shooting, e.g. two-handed, solo, target size, etc. so some of this may come from out of left field but here are a few suggestions:

1. Start at 7 yards shooting at a silhouette target like an FBI Q target
2. Using your strong hand (only) and a good stance POINT the gun at the Q on the target and fire one magazine allowing the gun to settle after each shot
3. Note accuracy and precision
4. Record weapon, distance and number of rounds fired on the target
5. Put up a new target
6. Using a good two-hand grip POINT the gun at the Q on the target and fire one magazine allowing the gun to settle after each shot
7. Record weapon, distance and number of round fired on the target
8. Photograph both targets with a digital camera
9. Post photos here

 

[DustyVermonter]

Thanks for the suggestions guys, just to clarify, I was mostly shooting modified weaver(two-handed grip) at a 12"x 18"inch, but when my uncle took over he put it on the bench rest for a few mags and then went to a one handed grip, and then handed it back to me with a puzzled look on his face. I think I will send it on back to Springfield and get a diagnosis regarding accuracy and the shaved off rail, whatever that could possibly be from. I shot better when I was ten years old with my first few mags than I did when I shot this 1911 the other day. Anyway, thanks folks, ill see what I can't figure out with Springfield.