Gun Parts to Replace on Your Rock Island 1911 Pistol

Say you’ve got a “modern classic” Rock Island 1911 pistol like a GI Standard or RI EFS Stainless Steel 1911 with wood grips.

They’re both great guns from the factory, and come covered by a lifetime warranty. Rock Island stands behind its firearms.

But could these Rock Island 1911 pistols be better?

Absolutely, with the following upgrades.

Rock Island 1911 Pistol Sights

Some 1911 style pistols are made with fixed iron sights - but the Rock Island 1911 pistol (EFS Stailess Steel) in question? It has mounted dovetail cut front and rear sights.

What does this mean for you? Well, you (probably) don’t need to go to a gunsmith to swap the sights. And if the plain-jane iron sights just don’t get you going, well, you can easily switch them.

Fiber-optic 1911 sights are a great choice here. Provided they’re dovetail mount compatible, it’s a pretty easy switch, and fiber optic sights are great in low-light conditions.

Another great option is a set of tritium night sights. Tritium, which has a half-life of 12 years, will glow in the dark for years and years, giving you the ability to improve your accuracy - even in pitch blackness.

An added bonus is that, iron sight replacements, on the whole, are very affordable when compared to many other gun parts.

Full-Length (or Heavier) Guide Rods

If you like the way your Rock Island 1911 pistol shoots, leave it just the way it is. These are some of the most popular 1911 clones in history for a reason.

But, if you want to do all you can about muzzle flip, throw in a new guide rod before you get a compensator.

For one, you may need a gunsmith’s help with a compensator; for another, a guide rod is more affordable and actually will help with muzzle flip.

A replacement made of tungsten is a good choice. Tungsten is denser (which makes it heavier) than steel. This extra weight at the barrel end of the gun helps improve handling and also helps keep the muzzle down.

This keeps your sights on target, corrals muzzle flip, and enables faster, more accurate follow-up shots.

Recoil Spring

Not that there’s anything wrong with the recoil spring that comes with a Rock Island 1911 pistol, but if you’re replacing the guide rod, the next gun part upgrade that makes sense is the spring.

A heavier god rod and spring combo can really change the way a gun handles and shoots. The spring, particularly, can improve the “snappy” nature of the action’s cycling, and a heavier spring will also probably last through more cycles than a lighter one.

A heavier spring also has the potential to speed up cycling time, all else considered.

If those reasons were not compelling enough, consider this: recoil springs usually cost a few dollars at most, and if you’re replacing the guide rod, replacing the spring takes basically no extra work.

A Threaded Barrel

Some Rock Island 1911 pistols have threaded barrels. Others do not. One may very well be a good investment.

Why? Because .45 ACP is a great round to run with suppressors, and you’ll need a threaded barrel if you want to use one.

Also, if you plan on attaching another muzzle device, like a compensator (which can help with recoil) or a flash hider (which can aid in concealment) you will likely need a threaded barrel, too.

Extended Mag Releases

The mag release on most Rock Island 1911 pistols is not a gun part that inherently needs to be improved upon or replaced.

All the same, if you want to do every little thing you can to shave time off reload speeds, a quicker mag drop is in order - and that might necessitate replacing the mag release with an extended version.

A Better 1911 Mag

Alright, so it’s not technically a gun part. That we get. But we also have a better 1911 mag, perfect for most single stack 1911 pistols, that is simply suprerior.

Our 1911 mags are manufactured on a computer-controlled high-speed link press and welded by a computer-controlled argan arc welder; the welds are so smooth you can’t even see them.

The mag bodies are nitrocarburized, the followers are rounded, feed lips are parallel, and the 1911 mag features a dimpled design which more easily overrides the mag catch for a smoother mag load.

They’re compatible with many aftermarket 1911 pistols, including many single-stack Rock Island Armory pistols - and they’re less than $7.

If that’s not a Rock Island 1911 upgrade, nothing on this list is.

Looking for a Gun Parts Kit?

These are some of the top gun parts we suggest switching out if you want to upgrade your Rock Island 1911 pistol.

If you’re interested in building your own 1911-style pistol (or something else) check out our collection of gun parts kits.

Take a look through our pistol and rifle parts and gun parts kits and if you don’t see what you’re looking for, get in touch with us at 610-250-3960.