DrewM

This is all speculation, but I would guess they are box-stock 1911 ignition components, it would be difficult to be hand tuning a trigger job in a sub $2k gun - especially one with that level of customization. Getting 2-3lb triggers in an otherwise 'correct' 1911/2011 with a good/quality hammer/sear usually takes dropping in a C&S light sear spring and maybe a little light tuning of it just to make sure it's balanced (it's very tough to get more than 3-3.5lbs out of the C&S spring). On the flip side, most wire EDM cut sear/hammer setups give a very crisp trigger these days without any real work done on them, so just tuning the spring can help get the weight right and pre-travel feel right, etc. And I believe all the big-name stuff is wire cut like that, so Wilson, C&S, EGW, Extreme Engineering, etc. You can also 'mush' up a nice trigger by using too light of a mainspring.

The other angle is that setting up a good reliable sub 2lb trigger is probably more work than they want to do given the price point/capacity they want to be hitting.

Some of the stuff about springs here, that thread, the general internet is pretty minor in the grand scheme of things. I'll start with the caveat that a lot of us (myself included) can get lost in the weeds on things that don't really matter. A 1911/2011-style gun will work with a HUGE range of spring rates. A 5" 9mm can work fine with a 7lb spring or a 15lb recoil spring and likely even higher (technically it will work fine once with no spring). So there is a lot of margin to work with here. Also, we can't dismiss the role the mainspring has, the profile of the FP Stop, the profile of the hammer, the hole where the strut mounts on the hammer, the curve of the strut, etc (some of that means so little I'll bet dollars to donuts people can't tell a difference in a blind test) - but it all effects how the slide moves back and the speed it will do so. The reality is that cutting a few coils off of most recoil springs is going to have a fairly minor impact on spring rate (at least for 4.25 to 5" 1911 style guns) - I just threw some guess-timate type numbers into a spring calculator, then "cut" a good 1/4" off the spring and the spring rate changed by less than 10%...sounds dramatic, but your 10lb spring is now a 10.9lb spring - that's probably within the margin of error and wear on the spring. Then just to dive into the completely silly nitty-gritty of it all, and just in case folks aren't completely aware - spring rate is the amount of force to compress a spring a certain distance (can be rated in lb/in - lb/ft - n/mm -etc) - notice how nobody advertises the distance part with recoil springs (so is it 10lbs/in 10lb/ft 10lb/mm..). Now a variable rate spring will change that as it will have a curve on spring rate that goes from lower weight to the rated weight - if this were really important there would be a published chart showing the rate - or at least a starting weight and an end weight. Pre-load does not change spring rate - compress the spring by 25% - it still takes the same force to compress the next inch/mm of travel as it does uncompressed. Total spring load remains the same.

As DDC said, it seems backwards, but cutting coils off increases spring rate. Even on a variable rate spring. Take a 10lb spring - cut a couple of coils off and it may become an 11lb spring...not a 9lb spring. If you get to the point where you are really tuning your gun to that degree, it pays to have a way to measure spring rate, even so you can confirm when your springs are good/bad, you can verify how the spring rate changes over time, etc. They aren't expensive, and even relatively easy to make yourself if you are so inclined.

A couple of folks I know have had so-so experiences with them very recently, and then they've made some stranger design decisions - keep in mind that this is all coming from a brand that was very recently one of the best around - Dan Wesson was always the go-to 1911 before you made a pretty big step up to the Wilson/Nighthawk levels. And then some other folks I know who have some 'inside industry' kind of knowledge have said some things about the 'partnership' with Colt hasn't been all good, etc. Who knows, could all be BS....or maybe they're struggling but for not any of the conspiracy type reasons, etc (a lot of gun makers were doing very well during the pandemic, now the bubble popped - so who made good plans for when the bubble died, etc).

Ha, this was me. Found a lightly used Bul 3.25" single stack 45 on an alloy frame - made it reliable'ish, worked it over everywhere else, made it 'comfortable' to shoot (had some hotspots)...it's the textbook definition of great carry gun, so small and easy to carry, but it kicks like a pissed off mule. But while you can't run more than 50 rounds through it without taking a Motrin, it's dead nuts accurate...I don't see a huge difference in it and a commander sized until I get out 20 yards...and I can't say that about any sub-compact 'full' caliber gun.

I think they probably will/would offer a 9mm option, providing that this model sells well - so here's hoping it doesn't have any design issues. One thing I do chuckle about, and lots of gunmakers will almost outright say it, but there is a HUGE chunk of people who say they want to buy XYZ....but then when XYZ comes out, nobody buys it - so when you see a lot of 'conservative' type designs, that is why. And you and me (and basically everybody) was shocked there were no optics options on the TRP, granted the AOS may not work well on a 45 (I never really measured any of that), but they also have the setup that was developed for the Echelon - which IMHO is an even better setup - no plates so the optic sits that much lower and is still secure.

I had a few minutes to do a comparison of some springs. I only had 10lb springs in commander and govt in the same style (variable) to compare...and I threw one normal spring at govt length as another data point (in 11lb). You can see the variable rates are a little shorter. And the 5" vs 4.25" you can see how the windings are different - so a 5" spring in a 4.25", especially if you are space limited may not work. The 'stock' 12lb EGW spring has likely taken a 'set' already as it probably has 400-500rnds through it by this point. Cutting springs is fine, but one should invest in a method to measure the spring rate to make sure you aren't getting some wild number - cutting a spring makes it heavier - not lighter. The 10lb spring had no problem with the EGW guide rod, the plug hit the slide stop no problem. Wolff does go down to a 7lb commander length spring.

Believe it or not 45 outsells everything (in single stack) by a pretty good margin. If anything I would bet they are going to release 45 first...and see how it sells then consider adding 9mm down the road. Honestly I'm shocked by the lack of optic options for 1911's, there is a giant hole there - sure you can get them if you special order from the higher end semi-custom makers (Wilson, Nighthawk, etc). Dan Wesson has one model, but their quality has come down very recently. Kimber has a couple...but uhhh..Kimber. Then I think there are a couple of options at the very bottom of the market. So maybe Sig thinks this is something that will be popular, you can't really sell any other model of firearm these days without an optics mount on it...but somewhere 1911's get ignored.

When I have a few I'll see what a commander spring looks like in the EGW guide rod, a spring for a 5" gun is going to be a problem in a lot of cases regardless of this specific EGW setup, my commander springs are about an inch'ish shorter than govt springs - and with that comes with less coils. Wolff does make commander springs down to 7lbs.

Make sure there are no 'sharp' edges around the safeties, the grip safety, etc...even things that don't feel 'sharp' can dig in after a few rounds - it's so common anymore on almost any 'off the shelf' 1911, just a slight edge of something, etc somewhere and then 50 rounds later you have a sore spot, drawn blood, have a blister, etc. Honestly I've seen this on some multi-thousand semi-custom's as well. Oh and LOK palm swell are amazing on a 1911, providing they fit your hands, and they offer plastic, Al, and brass depending on how much you want your gun to weigh at the end. For reference that is a Chen magwell at the bottom - the top and the bottom (near the magwell) are basically 'normal' size for a 1911 grip, the palm swell piece is fatter, and the piece that comes in near the bottom is probably about 'thin' grip in width...it's all rounded and very 'ergonomic' friendly.

Yes, it should fit fine, here is a picture of a Wolff variable over the same Guide Rod. The 5" is tighter, but also will fit a Wolff spring, but the spring barely fits over the guide rod.

A 1911 slide stop and a '2011' slide stop are (should be) the same length/size/everything. The only 'wider' parts in a "normal" 2011 are the trigger and magazine release (although I should qualify that as I'm sure somebody makes something custom that goes beyond 'spec' sizes). The pin diameter is important, but EGW makes a couple of different sizes if you need, and keep in mind that the pin and barrel may have been fit together (well the barrel lugs would have been fit to whatever-spec size slide stop). The 'spec' number should be .200, but it's pretty common in lower-priced 1911/2011 models to have a smaller pin diameter (.195-.198 seems to be pretty common). The difference between calibers is on the magazine side of the slide stop, so the 9/38/etc will have a different design to catch the magazine.

For disco stuff, I like to do a few things; Light round over of the disco rail to breach face, nothing crazy in terms of radius, but more than simply breaking the edge. Some folks go crazy and do the Marvel cut, I think it's a little overkill - but one mans overkill is another persons bare minimum. high-grit-sand and polish the breach face and disco rail, and I go up to 800-1000 grit paper and then hit it with a polish wheel and compound - I don't need a mirror finish - but close. It needs to be 30yr old scotch smooth... Don't forget the disco pocket, don't need to go crazy, but one of my slides had a pretty sharp edge. I de-bur the disco hole and sand it down with some sanding sticks and more polishing pads - I think getting the burrs out is more important than anything here. I've noticed on a lot of disconnectors (Wilson, EGW, Harrison, C&S) that there are some sharper edges on the ball head. I knock them back with a light sanding - I'm not changing the angles or rough dimensions, just smoothing it out. I'll also polish up every surface that contacts another piece of metal on the disco - again I don't need a mirror, but close. So the ball head, the piece that rides in the sear, the trigger side and the sear spring side. If you watch some of the Atlas videos on YT, you'll see they mirror finish the disco and sear - you need to do that if people are paying, you don't need to go quite that crazy for yourself, but you want to get closer to them than just dropping a part in. I'll polish up the sides of the sear that ride in the frame and the internal slot where the disco rides. I'll polish up the frame side as well (there are some stones that do this nicely). On the trigger shoe I'll 'round over' the edge that the disco sits on and polish the flat side up. I polish the middle legs of the sear spring that rides on the disco A lot of that is really small benefit changes, but do a lot of 1% changes and it adds up. But when you get it all together and oiled up, you'll find the disco will ride with none of that 'gritty' feel that is pretty normal with 'drop in' type of setups - and you'll barely feel the disco against the slide (even with a higher riding disco). It then lets you run a little more tension on the sear spring - you get really nice trigger reset clicks/feedback - and a very crisp trigger...but still be relatively light weight.

Is that confirmed? Or just a feeling? Honest question, as some folks do the extra work, and some don't. For instance the Thunder Mountain folks aren't doing that, they are just re-selling a pre-packaged kit from whichever manufacture (They sell EE, C&S, EGW, etc). As you mentioned Brazos does do a little extra with their kits. I think a lot of folks misunderstand how much or little work is needed with good quality sears/hammers these days, EDM wire cut stuff is amazingly well done right out of the box, I like to do a little extra these days just to say I did it - but I have bought plenty of 'drop in' trigger kits and dropped them straight into a 1911 and they all worked fine...and honestly they will get you 85-90% of the way to a full on custom trigger job, tweak the spring a little and the over/under travel to tighten that number up a lot.