proper arched mainspring housing for Springfield

I like the way the arched housing feels on the old Colt I just got. I want to try one on my Wad gun and/or my EIC gun. They both have the goofy ILS housing. Whats a good arched housing, do I need to buy a plunger and what weight spring?

I have tried a colt arched MSH with the guts from the ILS in it and had no trouble. You could try a standard colt weight spring - 23# I think? - what gun is it? An RO?

brownells sells several brands you can get a madsen one for 20 bucks, and they are checkered for better grip, buy the internals from the factory colt parts for another 8 bucks or so. id go back with a 20 or factory colt was 23 mspring.

If your going to spend the money for a new housing it doesn't cost that much more to add the magwell. I put one on a S&W 1911 and like the feel.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SMITH-ALEXANDER-1911-MAG-WELL-CLIP-GUIDE-Full-sizeARCHED-CHECKERED-BLUED-GMAB-/331972425515?hash=item4d4b19372b:g:MlUAAOxyA9dSZsUo

S&A makes a good product for the money.
I did not go the mag well route though.

Careful with the mag well if you also plan to use the same pistol for EIC matches.

Tim:H11 wrote:I have tried a colt arched MSH with the guts from the ILS in it and had no trouble. You could try a standard colt weight spring - 23# I think? - what gun is it? An RO?

I had trouble with the ILS guts inside a standard MSH.
Intermittent failures to fire.
Come to find out the hammer was not pushed all the way forward with spring force because of the short guts.
With pistol in battery and hammer forward I could pull hammer back with little resistance for maybe an 1/8 to a 1/4 inch and then you could feel the spring pressure.
Installing a heavier MSH spring would just mask the real problem due to inertia to fire the primer and not the full force hammer strike as needed.
Learned my lesson on the ILS housings and their internals real quick.

I found this out on my SA lower and my Marvel upper when it was first together and started changing things.

Tim:H11 wrote:I have tried a colt arched MSH with the guts from the ILS in it and had no trouble. You could try a standard colt weight spring - 23# I think? - what gun is it? An RO?

Its a Range Officer for EIC and a Trophy Match wad gun. That makes perfect sense to just switch the guts to a new housing...duh

Sc0 wrote:Careful with the mag well if you also plan to use the same pistol for EIC matches.

FYI.. Magwells are legal now for EIC. I have a magwell on my EIC pistol also. Both pistols would be legal for EIC. (if I changed the S&W grip)

EIC (Kimber)

The S&W I mentioned

The spring in the ILS is shorter yes but the cap is longer. If you use a normal cap with the ILS spring in a standard MSH then no it won't work. But the ILS cap compensates for that. 

Better to go with normal or standard parts probably but if you have a standard MSH and want to try it out, with out waiting or buying the standard parts to go in it then you could drop your ILS cap, spring, pin etc into it and it should work.

LenV wrote:If your going to spend the money for a new housing it doesn't cost that much more to add the magwell. I put one on a S&W 1911 and like the feel.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SMITH-ALEXANDER-1911-MAG-WELL-CLIP-GUIDE-Full-sizeARCHED-CHECKERED-BLUED-GMAB-/331972425515?hash=item4d4b19372b:g:MlUAAOxyA9dSZsUo

I use my EIC gun for occasional USPSA matches so thats perfect. Thanks Len

One of the things I like about the Smith & Alexander arched mainspring housing with magwell (I have the one shown in Len's picture on my RO), is that the checkering goes all the way down to the bottom (shown nicely in this photo).  One of the reasons why I put a magwell on my RO was to extend the grip an extra 1/4 inch down, because the bottom rear corner of the grip slab was biting into my hand a bit.  Most other brands of arched mainspring housings with magwells are only checkered down to what would be the bottom of the housing if there was no magwell, but the S&A piece provides a "complete" arch all the way to the bottom of the magwell part.

I have no financial interest in S&A, I just like the one product of theirs that I own.

I have a serrated MSH I can let you have complete with plunger , cap and #21 or #23 spring for $25 shipped.

LenV wrote:

Sc0 wrote:Careful with the mag well if you also plan to use the same pistol for EIC matches.

FYI.. Magwells are legal now for EIC. I have a magwell on my EIC pistol also. Both pistols would be legal for EIC. (if I changed the S&W grip)

Where does it say that in the rule book?  I could not find it.

cdrt,

  It's one of those rules that is allowed by an absence of a rule. The intent of the new rules was to allow individuals to use their store bought 1911 45's in EIC matches. They now allow pretty much everything that you can get on a factory 1911. They do have a list of modifications that you can't do and certain grip regulations. They used to list extended mag wells on their "not allowed" list. It is not listed as a modification for the simple reason that it is standard issue on a lot of higher end 1911's. And if it is allowed for some it is allowed for all.

Factory issue:

LenV wrote:cdrt,

  It's one of those rules that is allowed by an absence of a rule. The intent of the new rules was to allow individuals to use their store bought 1911 45's in EIC matches. They now allow pretty much everything that you can get on a factory 1911. They do have a list of modifications that you can't do and certain grip regulations. They used to list extended mag wells on their "not allowed" list. It is not listed as a modification for the simple reason that it is standard issue on a lot of higher end 1911's. And if it is allowed for some it is allowed for all.

I had to remove my magazine well.  I was told by two Match Directors it was a violation of Rule 6.2.1; because, unless the pistol came from the factory with one, it was prohibited, since a mag well is not mentioned in 6.2.2, it violates 6.2.1.   If your pistol has one in OEM it passed inspection, pistols on 6.2.4 are fine as well automatically, but the match director using OEM as okay doesn't appear IAW the rules either, but I need to keep reading.  If you read 6.2.2 it does not state magazine wells are authorized so by absence, it is not so adding one later resulted in a failed inspection.  If I'm reading this wrong or got bad gouge I'd love to be corrected as I'd like to have a mag well

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Rule 6.2:  Only Service Pistols that comply with this rule may be used in National Trophy Pistol Matches and CMP-sanctioned Service Pistol Matches


Rule 6.2.1:  Pistols may be match conditioned, provided there are no external alterations or modifications that are not specifically approved in this Rule or Rule 6.2.2


Rule 6.2.1:   No other external alterations, additions or changes may be made to the pistol unless those specific alterations, additions or changes are explicitly permitted by Rule 6.2.2.

It is obvious we have different match directors. My EIC pistol has been inspected and approved twice now since the rule changes. It is too bad that I can't find a copy of the 2014 or 2015 rules. I would submit for your consideration that according to the 2016 rules for what is allowed. A strict interpretation would bring us back into the past. You would not be able to change your grip screws from OEM because they are not mentioned. Nor would you be able to add an adjustable rear sight. You could cut flats and make grooves to secure an adjustable sight, that is mentioned with it's own "bullet" in the rules but actually changing rear sights is not specifically mentioned. I bring those two items up because previous issues of CMP rules did address them and were approved. I mentioned above that if it was approved for one pistol then it is approved for all. That was not a quote from the rules but a practical interpretation. If a factory produces a 1911 with an extended mag on one of it's models then unless every match director was issued a giant handbook with every model and serial number, since some pistols (like k frame Smiths) are not even the same by model. Then how would a Match director know what is OEM and what is not. I won't even get started on used pistols.

Len

All this would be very easy (and clear) if they simply put a magazine well in 6.2.2.