SA Range Officer mainspring housing

[O2HeN2]

I have a Springfield Armory 9mm Range Officer (http://www.springfield-armory.com/products/1911-range-officer-9mm/) (fantastic price/performance point, BTW) and I want to replace the mainspring housing with a Smith and Alexander magwell (http://www.smithandalexander.com/guides.html) (which has an integrated mainspring housing).

The Range Office comes with the California $#!+ manual lock as part of the mainspring housing. In the old days you'd take the mainspring, cap and retaining pin from your old magwell and put it in the S&A. I'm wondering if that's still possible, or if there's some specific internal stuff I can't use.

Bottom line, anything else I need to order along with the S&A in order to install it?

O2

[Big E3]

It's been a while since I did that on mine. Some internal parts are different with the lock. I ordered a main spring housing rebuild kit it had everything I needed. Brownell's had them for something like $9 in blued.

[SideShow Bob]

What Big E3 said, get the Mainspring housing rebuild parts kit for a "Government" size mainspring housing.

The safety in the Springfield mainspring housing is called an "ILS" by them, and it is in all of their 1911s.
I have changed the MSH on a few of my SA's and have left it in others. As long as you never lock it, you will never know it is there.

[KS63]

Replace everything. Waiting for the new mainspring housings from Stan Chen to hit the market. Apparently he had Pete Single do the checkering. Got to believe these will be CNC machined and not hand checkered.

[Zombie Steve]

If it's anything like my TRP, the mainspring isn't captured in the housing with a pin like on a normal 1911, so it has a shorter hammer strut than normal.

[SideShow Bob]

If it's anything like my TRP, the mainspring isn't captured in the housing with a pin like on a normal 1911, so it has a shorter hammer strut than normal.

Yep,
That is why there is a it toe "L" shaped tool that comes with the pistol in the case. And instructions in the manual to take off the MSH.

I had forgot about the shorter hammer strut.

[O2HeN2]

S&A magwell, mainspring rebuild kit and hammer strut on order. Along with a bunch of other stuff I couldn't like without as long as I was doing a Brownells order :)

Thanks for all the info, everyone!

O2

[babarsac]

I'm considering a Springfield RO Operator. Will this be present in that pistol as well?

[KS63]

I'm considering a Springfield RO Operator. Will this be present in that pistol as well?
Every SA 1911 as far as I know. Perhaps the EMP and the Professional would be the exceptions.

[SideShow Bob]

Every SA 1911 as far as I know. Perhaps the EMP and the Professional would be the exceptions.

It is on the EMP also........

[brutal]

I did the delete on my Loaded. There's a good thread over on 1911forum.com too if you can find it.

A friend helped with most of the parts. :D

[O2HeN2]

The safety in the Springfield mainspring housing is called an "ILS" by them, and it is in all of their 1911s.
Now that I know what it's called, Google to the rescue:

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k190/gringo7718/hanguns/samsh.jpg

Not sure about the hammer strut being different, though. My parts are in, I have a feeling with all this snow I'll have a chance to work on it this weekend...

This might be the "good thread" mentioned above: http://www.1911forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=334332

O2

[brutal]

I just checked. Haven't logged on there in years, surprised my ID still worked.

There's another here. http://www.1911forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135279

The one you posted seems a little less cluttered, I just recall buying a parts kit posted in ^ this one after a friend gave me a nice MSH and grips.

[Great-Kazoo]

Picked one of these up yesterday. Good info, thanks. Now to locate a threaded bbl.

[O2HeN2]

I should follow up. You don't need a hammer strut. The Brownell's mainspring rebuilt kit (http://www.brownells.com/handgun-parts/frame-parts/mainspring-parts/mainspring-refill-kits/1911-auto-mainspring-housing-rebuild-kit-prod27082.aspx) is perfect. Since I was going with a SS magwell I also got a SS mainspring housing pin (http://www.brownells.com/handgun-parts/frame-parts/mainspring-parts/mainspring-pins/1911-mainspring-housing-pin-retainers-prod41660.aspx), but that wasn't necessary.

Some of the instructions in those linked pages said you had to remove the grips. I have no idea why, the grips aren't involved in the replacement process at all. Heck, I didn't even remove the slide -- with the hammer down almost (key word there) all the force is off the mainspring. All I had to do was press the new mainspring housing (magwell) upwards into place with a very small amount of force, then drive the housing pin in to retain it. The whole process took maybe 5 minutes. Most of that was getting parts out of the bags they come in.

O2