Ruger SR1911R Upgrade

I recently had the call to work on an upgrade of the 1911 handgun that’s a newcomer compared to those from Colt and Springfield. The Ruger SR1911R is a governmentlength .45 ACP appearing similar to other 1911s. Like many modern 1911 pistols, it comes from with factory enhancements like good sights (Novaks), an extended safety, beavertail grip safety, and accessory rail. As with many solid Ruger pistols, the frame is cast while the slide is forged steel.

Another improvement over the original military specification is a permanently-attached plunger tube. Other than the lowerquality Llama (which suffers poor metal and no spare parts; I’ve seen two broken examples within the past year) Ruger offers a well-made improvement. The first question my customer and I had was part interchangeability.

While it was hoped quality aftermarket parts such as from Ed Brown and Wilson Combat would present little obstacle to upgrading, the only guarantee I could initially offer was to exchange the recoil spring! I’d like to assume the same for magazines, but an Auto Ordnance 1911 with a propriety magazine and a finicky Top Bottom polymer-f ra med "rail gun" have given me pause on that blanket recommendation.

Despite certain brands releasing in recoil and the possibility of base pads interfering with a magazine chute unless checked and fitted, I’ve enjoyed excellent parts adaptability with Colt, Springfield, and Rock Island handguns. I didn’t have such experience with the Ruger SR1911R. 1911 handguns have been built for many decades at many different companies with many grades and degrees of tolerance.

The poorly-fitted Llama pistols are the baseline for those to be avoided while the exquisite Ed Brown handguns need no help from me. While 1911A1 Government Model handguns manufactured during World War Two have Far These grips are off spec!

a high degree of interchangeability, this is no longer true in modern production. High end handguns with tighter tolerances need the most fitting with aftermarket parts. GI guns were reliable and accurate enough The Ruger pistol is much higher quality. There is more to the equation than most understand. Quality manufacture was demanded and these handguns were good, despite the cheap plastic grips and Parkerized finish.

When it came time for detail strips and parts replacement, military armorers had a large parts bin to choose from. If a certain part didn’t fit well, the next Top Bottom for combat, with the standard of a fiveinch, five-shot group at 25 yards with GI ammunition. Most were more accurate than that and very few less so. one probably would. As long as the trigger functioned within GI specifications the pistol was deemed acceptable.

In contrast, modern makers do not consider aftermarket part fit a major plus for their firearms and only consider their own replacement parts. They manufacture their handguns to their standard. Parts not made by them aren’t considered so fitting will usually be needed. I have found magazine releases are among the few parts that seem to fit all 1911 handguns well. I have used quite a few Brownells magazine guides that also work well.

That’s about it, Parts that need fitting include the slide lock safety, extractor, grip safety, barrel, barrel bushing, ejector, trigger, disconnect and sear, and grip panels. Given the fitting required, changing parts should be an upgrade geared toward improving the pistol. The more skilled the gunsmith, the more improvement may be pursued. The old, heavy trigger of GI guns isn’t acceptable to modern shooters. A lighter trigger with less take up is desired. Match grade accuracy is a respectable accomplishment.

The standard 1911 pistol sometimes feels clunky in its operation with a stock barrel and fit. An accomplished shooter will demand more and we can provide. Examining the Ruger SR1911 revealed a credible 1911. It’s almost as tight as a Kimber and tighter than those from Rock Island. I fired the pistol from a solid bench rest at 25 yards with Hornady 200 grain XT P for a fiveshot 2.5-inch group. Good enough for most needs. The barrel is good and tight and the

Fit and function are excellent. barrel bushing tighter than GI guns but not so that a bushing wrench is needed. The slide lock safety is positive in operation with a good detent. Unless you have a left handed shooter, the safety is fine as issued. The black nitride finish seems durable and is non-reflective, so no thought was given to refinishing. The grips offer excellent adhesion so changing them would be but a vanity.

The grip safety properly releases its hold on the trigger at the midway point in compression and meets the criteria for service use. There is no drop safety or firing pin block. Instead, an extra power firing pin spring is used. This may not invite institutional sales but works well for the individual and is perfectly adequate in preventing discharge should the pistol be dropped muzzle first. The first upgrade was the addition of Challis grip screw bushings as I’ve found these to be a superior set up.

The recoil spring was changed out for a 17 pounder and the mainspring replaced with a 19 pounder. The pistol was test fired again and found to be still reliable with service loads. There would be no full-length guide rod to complicate the pistol. The factory trigger is a standard type with fixed overtravel.

The Wilson Combat standard tar- The larger, extended units seem far more likely to tie up the pistol by allowing momentum to press them into the locking slot prematurely. get-style trigger features a pad length of 0.500 and a height of 0.905. I chose the short pad trigger because the short trigger length makes for better control in rapid fire. Fitting the trigger wasn’t difficult. The

The original is lying on the frame. first step is to strip the frame after clearing. The trigger is checked for binding in the slot and fitted as needed. This trigger bow bound in the slot just slightly so I filed the high spots and deburred it, proceeding until the trigger fit in the slot without daylight on either side. Next, I removed the trigger, smoked the trigger surfaces, and reinstalled the trigger. At contact spots on the smoke marks, I filed carefully had a perfect fit after a few tries.

The set screw for trigger adjustment is fine to achieve good fit but should be Loctited permanently in a service pistol. I adjusted the trigger set screw to the point that the hammer fell to the half cock notch, then to where it fell completely, and adjusted it out just a little past that point. Trigger compression was 4.5 pounds after installation with up and down movement eliminated. Next was the slide stop. The slide stop functions and fit fine. No need to change this out.

The Wilson Combat slide stop I had on hand was checked and it fit well so Rugers seem agreeable to Wilson Combat there. I elected to fit a Wilson Combat Bullet Proof extractor by carefully filing the "bump" on the extractor body. A few file strokes is all it took for a tight fit and positive function. It’s commont o overlook clean ing the extractor tunnel. I did that before installation, as well as greasing the extractor to allow a truly tight fit. On to the mainspring housing.

I found the fit good with the factory unit but decided to go with a Wilson Combat MSH and magazine guide. Some 1911 mainspring housings actually compress on the gun and others have a poor fit and are too brittle to be fitted. When a MSH doesn’t fit well, striking the ends with a hammer and then filing to shape works, except the brittle versions will break. Wilson Combat parts are high quality and their MSH and magazine well offered a good, tight fit.

These upgrades turned out to be a good combination that work well. Ruger’s SR1911R is as compatible with aftermarket parts as other quality 1911 handguns. AG