ben b. Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 (edited) I have a line on a Springfield GI for under $400. Parkerized, arched MSH with lanyard hook, tiny govt sights, short trigger, the works. Thinking about keeping it as a GI and shooting it as a retro gun in IDPA with it. Also thinking about making a backup Single Stack/CDP gun. Thoughts or opinions? Ben Edited July 3, 2009 by ben b. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-Ho Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 go shoot zoot suit with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben b. Posted July 3, 2009 Author Share Posted July 3, 2009 I'm not mad at him. You shoot him. What the heck is zoot suit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h2osport Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 I'd just go shoot it. Then I would go shoot it some more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-Ho Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 I'm not mad at him. You shoot him.What the heck is zoot suit? Do a search on the forum. Henning Walgren and his buddies run a 20's era shoot. Tommy guns and single stacks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike cyrwus Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Sights, beavertail, trigger; in that order Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cy Soto Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 What the heck is zoot suit? The American Zoot Shooters Association Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 I made my GI champion my carry gun. Bobtailed, beavetailed, new extended thumb safety, trigger job + components, left the original low profile sights (no snag). I'm seriously thinking about new sights (night sight) and lower/flare ejection port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIIID Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 You can do something like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prreed10 Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Here is my GI: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dajarrel Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 (edited) I found a similar gun and smoothed the trigger and put a beavertail on it. I found a good leather holster and the gun now resides in the door pocket of my truck. I take it out and shoot it about once a month at a side match. It's a good gun with so many options. You need to get it fwiw dj Edited July 3, 2009 by dajarrel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leam Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 +1 on "get it". Depending on your future plans, budget, and wants, you could keep it as is and easily use it for CDP/SingleStack. Might want a beaver tail if it cuts up your hand like my Sistema did. I filed down the tang and hammer instead, but my guns aren't top end. If you want to do well at matches then sights are a must. If it's a plinker or carry gun then the range you'd engage at is probably not far enough to use sights. Leam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerPast Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 I kind of wish I hadn't traded one I fixed up. I put a long solid Greider trigger that I blackened, installed an EGW bushing that really tightened the shot grouping, did a pretty good trigger job on it, and filed the hammer down to eliminate the "bite", put some white paint of the front sight. It was still a GI, but was a pretty good shooting pistol. I did change some trigger parts, but it had the GI look. Only took about $60 in parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Capizzo Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 (edited) It really depends on your goals, interests and finances. Years ago I bought a Federal Ordinance .45 from a pawn shop for $200, then over the next couple years replaced everything inside, found a Gold Cup barrel, added a beavertail grip safety, etc. I've been shooting that gun for at least 10 years and I'll bet I don't have $500 in it yet. Its still ugly, I've never bothered to re-finish it, but its accurate and reliable. Edited July 3, 2009 by Al Capizzo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkrispies Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 1. Buy the thing before somebody else gets it! 2. Feel the trigger. Decide if it needs work, then do that first; if it feels good, run it. 3. You can get some ISMI springs for something like $6, so decide if the springs need to be swapped; they may be fine 4. Get some good magazines, like Wilsons. This is an absolute. 5. Install a Smith and Alexander mainspring housing (arched or flat, your choice) with a magwell. If you're planning to us it in competition, Single Stack shooters reload ALOT and a magwell, no matter how meager, is a must. 6. Install some grips with good checkering that bites properly and is cut to fit the magwell (I like Hogue). At this point, with the exception of the trigger job, all of the above can be done by you at your kitchen table, so there hasn't been a lot of money spent. Put a thousand rounds through it "match style" and decide how you like the feel of the gun. Try a few different bullet weights and styles. If it has any reliability issues, then obviously take care of that. 7. Decide how you like the sights after having used them; if they work for you, then why spend the money on new ones? If I were to change them out I'd swap out the front for a thin-bladed fiber optic and put an adjustable solid (non-fiber optic) blade on the rear. 8. Decide how you like the balance of the gun. If it feels too light in the nose, consider getting a stainless steel or tungsten guide rod; if the balance feels fine, leave it. 9. Decide how you like the feel of the non-checkered front strap (the grips and S&A mainspring may already give you enough bite in the grip); if it's too slick then you can have it checkered (expensive) or put some grip tape on it (cheap). 10. Decide how you like the grip safety; consider swapping it out for one with a larger bump and a bigger beavertail; if it works fine, why mess with it? You'll notice that I include a lot of the word "decide" above; after running the gun for awhile, you may end up figuring out that it's pretty doggone good as is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zhunter Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 (edited) I would put sights on it, Beavertail, and use it as a car/carry gun Edited to add, and a flat MSHing too Edited July 3, 2009 by zhunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singlestack Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 When I look at a non-historic GI model I see a blank canvas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawk45 Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 This is my Mil-Spec that is pretty close to the G.I. with mods I did all at home. It is my carry gun. Ambi-safety S&A Arched Mag Well Polished internals EGW Barrel Bushing & Plug Chip McCormick Power Mags VZ MagWell Grips Nighthawk Trigger Will get low profile Novak's when economy gets better.. Get it and upgrade as you go.. or leave it stock and shoot the heck out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOGA Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Go ahead and buy it. Posters already mentioned what you can do with that gun so i wont repeat it. i remember my very first 1911. i want bo mar and metaloy because that was the in thing at that time but i dont have enough money for that so i just make sure its oiled and the only mod done (DIY) was to widen the notch of the rear sight a little bit and i painted the back of the front sight with red nail polish. No name leather holster was from a friend of my Dad. I spent my extra money on bullets and 2 good mags and had fun with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRider Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 Buy it! You can't have too many 5" 1911s. Shoot it, carry it, customize it to your liking, hide it in the house. There are so many reasons to buy another .45! Hurley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Religious Shooter Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 I'd put night sights on it and tune it up to run 230 grain Hydrashocks. Get two ten round magazines and then I'd keep it handy for zombies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitefish Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 I have a line on a Springfield GI for under $400. Parkerized, arched MSH with lanyard hook, tiny govt sights, short trigger, the works. Thinking about keeping it as a GI and shooting it as a retro gun in IDPA with it. Also thinking about making a backup Single Stack/CDP gun. Thoughts or opinions? Ben Won a GI 45 at the Oregon Single Stack match a few years ago. I'll provide the same advice two very reputable local gunsmiths gave me. Sell it and use the funds toward a higher end single stack or toward parts to do a custom build. The work involved to bring it up to a level for use in USPSA divisions is just too great. So, I sold it this past winter after it sat unused for a long period of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dajarrel Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 I'd put night sights on it and tune it up to run 230 grain Hydrashocks. Get two ten round magazines and then I'd keep it handy for zombies. I agree completely with keeping a gun ready for the zombies You just never know...... dj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 My GI Champion (Commander sized, parkerized, stock everything) is my principal carry piece, so need not be sporty or racy. The trigger was a little clunky so I had a friend do the smooth-out trigger job on it and it's really cool now. That' s all I did. I got it hardly-ever-used-if-at-all on GunBroker over a year ago for $450. It's still essentially not broken in, even. An under $400 price--if it's not a beater and all abused--would be a decent price. Especially full-sized. Oh wait, I did put Hogue rubber grips on it because the little wooden ones were kinda cheapy looking. Sold 'em on eBay, so broke even on grips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 You can do something like this. Zowie. Beautiful gun. Great photography, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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