1911 MSH Recommendations

[AZRedhawk44]

I want an arched MSH for my Colt LW Commander XSE.

Oh, yeah:  metal, not plastic.  Aluminum or steel.  Dull stainless preferred, to closely compliment the teflon finish of the frame.

Looking at Midway, they had 4 to choose from.  Some off brand called Swenson, a Kimber one with a mag well guide (yuck... this is a carry gun, not a race gun), Ed Brown and Colt.

Folks are saying that the Ed Brown one has a really rough pocket for the mainspring, and that the spring catches inside on the rough ridges.

No reviews on the Colt one.  It ain't in stock yet.

The Swenson one sounds like it's finished pretty spotty.  The picture of the stainless one looks awful and one of the reviewers complains about a need to deburr it.  The blued one by that company had all sorts of problems if the one review is to be trusted.

All you tinkerers:  Whose MSH do you like best?

[French G.]

I've used Ed Brown with success. Swenson is just fine too. I think the comments come from kitchen gun plumbers who think drop-in means drop-in. If they can't deal with a file or sandpaper then they should leave their guns in one piece.

[roo_ster]

IIRC, Cylander & Slide has arched MSHes with lanyard loops.

[Gewehr98]

I use Ed Brown MSH units on all my 1911 variants.

Checkered, flat.  Arched housing cause me to shoot low. 

[AZRedhawk44]

I use Ed Brown MSH units on all my 1911 variants.

Checkered, flat.  Arched housing cause me to shoot low. 

That's interesting.  My interest in the arched one is from reading Sixguns, where Keith mentions that he shoots low with a flat MSH but is much better with an arched one.

I've been meaning to get rid of the plastic one on my gun for awhile anyways, but also to try an arched one while I'm at it.  IIRC, my first 1911 ( a Charles Daly ) had an arched one and the Sig one I had never really felt quite as nice.  The Colt one has a better grip safety than the Sig, but I'm thinking that what I'm really chasing is that arched grip safety.

How much finishing work did you have to do to the spring channel in your Ed Brown?

[Gewehr98]

How much finishing work did you have to do to the spring channel in your Ed Brown?

None.  I paid a dear, departed 1911-smith to sharpen the checkering, fit it, and then install it in my Norinco/Kart/Videcki/Ed Brown "Gook Cup" race and carry gun.

I bought the stainless version, otherwise I'd have had him parkerize it to match the gun and the Ed Brown Memory Groove beavertail that was also fitted.

[Hawkmoon]

Try Brownells -- they have a much wider selection.

[AZRedhawk44]

None.  I paid a dear, departed 1911-smith to sharpen the checkering, fit it, and then install it in my Norinco/Kart/Videcki/Ed Brown "Gook Cup" race and carry gun.

I bought the stainless version, otherwise I'd have had him parkerize it to match the gun and the Ed Brown Memory Groove beavertail that was also fitted.

Oooh.... spooky!   

[PTK]

None.  I paid a dear, departed 1911-smith to sharpen the checkering, fit it, and then install it in my Norinco/Kart/Videcki/Ed Brown "Gook Cup" race and carry gun.

I bought the stainless version, otherwise I'd have had him parkerize it to match the gun and the Ed Brown Memory Groove beavertail that was also fitted.

I'd like to point out that the mods aren't supposed to allow racial/ethnic slurs or jokes. Please abide by the rules as all of us "regular members" have to.

[Gewehr98]

The guy who built the gun for me (A contemporary and associate of the late Armand Swenson) came up with the nickname, since it's a Chinese 1911 rebuilt with U.S. match-grade components. He also made the knife seen in the picture, and knowing who I worked for, thought it would be funny to stage the photo with the round metal object bequeathed upon me by my former employers in the ISR world.

The above 1911 was known in my NorCal IPSC circles for many years as the "Gook Cup" or "Raunchorinco", and was the inspiration for several other Limited Class competitors building similar guns on the Norinco platforms.  It was actually a term of endearment and reverence for a gun that was arguably better than the Colts or Springfields of the early 1990s, and cost less than either. Ed Brown, Wilson's, Les Baer, and Cylinder & Slide all gladly accepted Norincos for build-up into race and carry guns. Bill Clinton put a stop to the practice, but the baseline guns or conversions are still a good buy when one can find them.

[SADShooter]

Smith & Alexander? I don't have one, but I've handled them on other's pistols. I prefer arched myself. I have broad palms & short fingers, so a flat MSH points low for me.