MIM parts on my newest SA 1911
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MidwestRookie
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What do you plan on using the pistol for? If it's primarily a range gun, I wouldn't bother. If it's a serious self-defense gun, I would probably feel comfortable in leaving the thumb safety, plunger tube, and mag release after putting a few hundred rounds through it.
Metal Injection Molding. A cheaper way of making metal parts by using a metal powder mix and a mold. Quality varies from very good to junk. Some 1911 enthusiasts insist on no MIM or very little which increases the price of the gun. Great Internet forum wars have been fought over the appropriateness of MIM parts.
MidwestRookie
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I think there's 1 or 2 MIM parts in the Springfield Custom Shop Professional 1911 which runs around $3k and is at 12-15 months waiting time for a custom order..if that means anything to anyone. It doesn't make it any less of an amazing pistol.
Carry_24/7
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I also have a 1911 with MIM parts that has performed flawlessly.
I would not worry.
I would not worry.
Lol reading that I thought of a history book.
This is also why some 1911's cost $1500++
I do not see MIM to be a problem unless you are buying some $200 handgun like a hi point and going to be using it for SD or combat?
. How many guns have officers/men in the military failed to work during a fire fight due to a MIM? From the reading of some people their guns get abused(not cleaned well) which leads to problems.With the last 30? years of plastic guns I wonder how long they will hold up. I know old school, guns where metal and no plastic? parts back in the 1900's~1950's.
Hammerhead
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The only part that would concern me would be the extractor. That's a no compromise part on a 1911 IMO.
I've seen a MIM part break, wasn't on a 1911, it was on a S&W M&P 9mm, can't remember if it was the slide release or safety lever (wasn't my gun). Snapped like a pencil. I didn't know anything about MIM at the time, but I recall being surprised by the texture at the break, it was granular, not solid like metal. I have 2 1911's, one is an older Mil-spec (12+ years old) that I don't think contains MIM parts, and one is a newer Kimber Pro-Carry with MIM bits. I can feel a difference in the MIM parts on the Kimber compared to the Mil-Spec, especially when thumbing the safety lever on or off. The Kimber safety feels and sounds "plasticky" for lack of a better word. The safety on the Springfield feels and sounds much more solid. Maybe I am just imagining things. I am not knocking the use of MIM parts, especially in areas of the gun that are not high stress, but on a carry gun like my Kimber, I am not comfortable with a MIM safety and slide release and plan on replacing those ASAP.
Try this test: Cut two, 3 inch pieces of 5/16 water hardening drill rod. Heat one piece to 1333 degrees F., (it will be red and will not be attracted to a magnet at that temperature), quench in water. Heat the other piece well above 1333 degrees F. (just below melting point), quench in water. Now put both pieces in a vise and break with a large hammer. You will see that the first piece will be a dull grey color and without large grain structure. The piece that was over-heated, will have the course grain structure you described. Therefore, it would seem that the broken MIM part may have been incorrectly heat treated, and the fact that it was produced by MIM may not be a factor at all. The only way to know for sure, is if someone who understands the correct processes were present to observe the batch that had the defective part when the process was performed.
Hammerhead
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I don't haver a problem with MIM.
If it were an HK, Sig or Glock extractor, MIM wouldn't bother me because they are relatively short, beefy parts. But a 1911 internal extractor relies on it's spring like qualities and is long and thin, two areas that MIM is not ideal for.
If it were an HK, Sig or Glock extractor, MIM wouldn't bother me because they are relatively short, beefy parts. But a 1911 internal extractor relies on it's spring like qualities and is long and thin, two areas that MIM is not ideal for.
I've also spoken at length with two metallurgists who agree. Their explanations were detailed and solid.
Nonetheless, the internet has chimed in, and we're led to believe that MIM parts cause canker sores, psychosis, spontaneous tail growth, and all sorts of other maladies. Their evidence? Something some guy saw once.
The current debate is similar to the backlash when S&W and Colt started using stainless steel. We were told that it was too rigid and would crack, and that it wasn't rigid enough and would crack. Stainless guns were a fad, and nobody would have them five years past inception.
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