Hi Guys - Long time listener, first time caller here

[Zen Ape]

Hi all,

Just wanted to introduce myself, tell a brief story, and ask a few questions. I've been lurking around here for a bit now, but just recently purchased a PT1911 ALR through Buds and thought it was high time I posted now that I have one myself. I put a few hundred rounds through it so far without a single problem and am loving it. My local gun smith tried to steer me away initially (the name Kimber kept coming out of his mouth as my wallet kept making rude gestures at him), but I had done far too much research to be talked out of it, and he was just going off of other and much older Taurus models that he had seen have problems. After thoroughly inspecting it, and shooting it, he is now an impressed believer and will be getting one himself soon.

It had been close to 20 years since I fired a .45, and almost half that since I fired anything. Although I won't be winning any competitions any time soon, I did get all my rounds center mass on standard silhouette targets at 10 yards which I was pleased enough with. The gun shot a little low and left on me (scratch that, I shot the gun a little low and left), but I attribute that to me milking the trigger as well as the flat MSH just not melding well with my basketball palming ham like hands.

It is a rare bird indeed that can buy a 1911 and not want to personalize it with some form of modification/customization, and I am no such bird. Let's be honest, that's half the fun of a 1911. So before I start making some rookie mistakes, there are a few things I'd like to ask and hopefully someone can shed some light here and steer me in the right direction.

First, does the PT 1911 take standard Gov model grips? I've read both yes and no at one time or another, and before I shell out money and regret it, I sure would love to know whatever it is I need to here. One grip site even states “The grip screws don't fit the counterbore, the safety levers hit the top of the grip and the cut for the ambidextrous safety needs to be deeper.” Which begs the question just how in the hell are you guy getting all of your various style grips on?

Second, is there a rock solid and reliable magwell out there that is seperate of the mainspring housing? I ask because I am in love with the Ed Brown Snakeskin MSH, but need it needs to be arched because of the size of my hands and my tendency to shoot a little low. However, EB does not make an arched MSH that connects to his magwells apparently...
Have no idea why.

And lastly, are there any little proven bugaboos of this gun that need or should be addressed by either a replacement part or a gunsmith with a drawer full of some files and stones? I read a lot of people were having problems with the Ambi safety, but not sure if this is a few people with bad luck making a lot of noise, or if this is a legit problem. If that is or not, is there anything else I should be concerned with or just think about addressing to make the gun more reliable or better than the sum of its parts?

Thanks in advance for any wisdom you can cast my way, and at some point I will of course be posting pics. Not yet though, you guys all know what a stock ALR looks like. Give me a month or two to shape it in my own image.

[Trijicon]

Hey, Congrats on your PT-1911, you will love it!

I have had my Stainless Steel version for just about 2 months now and have 1000+ rounds through her with no malfunctions. I did put a dab of blue locktight on the threads of my guiderod as the was backing out after 50 rounds or so.

My safety has been great but some have a loose fitting ambi... In that case I would suggest taking the safety out and using pliers (gently) on the left hand side notch to bring the arms together to get a tighter fit.

As far as grips, I went with the Crimson Trace Laser grips and had no problem with them fitting... I did have to use my dremel on the right side safety to get it to clear the laser diaode but that took a whole 30 mins and was not an issue for me really... I think most grips (Govt) should fit with nothing more than minor adjustments.

No clue on the magwell (sorry)...

My PT-1911 has been a dream so far and is spot on accurate, I hope you have as good of luck

And remember the ol' saying... If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[MOONDAWG]

Hey, Congrats on your PT-1911, you will love it!

[bugkodee]

they use standard grips, with an ambi safety cut, but more on that in a sec. the main problem with this great firearm is the ambi safety is a bit weak. it can easily be replaced with a wilson ambi, or a single sided safety. assuming you change you safety to a single, you can but standard gov. grips that don't require an ambi cut. hope this helps. oh, can't give any info on the MSH.