Springfield 1911 Originals: The Parts That Wear Out First

If you have a Springfield 1911 original in your collection, the good news is that you have one of the most coveted handguns ever made. The bad news is that it’s probably fairly old (many Springfield 1911s for sale are), and chances are it may have seen a lot of service and not so much maintenance. 

Fortunately, 1911 handguns and their clones tend to be steel-framed, tough-as-nails handguns that don’t have a lot of parts that are failure prone. And, being handguns, there’s little to no chance you’ll ever shoot out the barrel no matter how many rounds you put through it. 

All the same, it pays to know how to make some basic repairs, as well as to know what parts are prone to failing before the others, which in this case can more or less be narrowed down to a fairly short list.

So, with that being said, here are 4 of the first parts that will most commonly wear out or fail first on a Springfield 1911 original. Remember this list of parts that can fail whenever you’re looking at a collection of Springfield 1911s for sale. 

The Recoil Spring

This is one of those 1911 parts that will commonly fail, to the point that it’s not unheard of and actually should be expected after so many rounds. 

The recoil spring is responsible for returning the action to battery after the slide has moved to the rear and extracted the spent shell, before feeding a new one into the chamber. As you might expect, the recoil spring takes a lot of abuse. 

Even so, you should expect a high-quality recoil spring with a good temper to last through at least a few thousand rounds. Estimates naturally vary, but most suggest that a quality recoil spring should last anywhere between 2000 and 5000 rounds. Springs can fail sooner, but it’s also just as likely that with proper care, your recoil spring will last more than 5000 rounds. 

It’s also a fairly easy fix. All you need is a new recoil spring and the knowledge of how to remove the slide from the handgun, which is necessary for even a basic cleaning. With the slide removed you can remove the guide rod and recoil spring, and install a new one. 

The Extractor

Extractors are prone to breakage as they, like recoil springs, get subjected to some serious stresses during cycling. 

Fortunately, 1911 extractors are not in short supply, as gun parts manufacturers know this. There are just two important notes.

First, you should learn to clean your gun if it is having problems extracting and you suspect the extractor itself may yet be operable. A lot of fouling around the extractor claw or around the chamber may be the culprit here, not a failed extractor.

The other thing is that you should invest in a tuned extractor, which is an extractor that has been modified to improve performance, namely reliability. Compatibility with your Springfield 1911 original is one thing, reliable performance is another. 

Firing Pin Spring

Just like the recoil spring will fail after several thousand rounds, you should learn to expect the same thing from the firing pin spring.

Your main sign that the firing pin spring has fatigued or utterly failed will be light primer strikes, or basically no strike at all which results in failure to fire the gun. 

Fortunately, the firing pin spring is a fairly basic and affordable part to replace, and like extractors, there are many 1911 firing pin springs available.

Another note is that the firing pin itself can also fail, so be aware of this. If it’s not the spring, you will want to learn how to replace the actual firing pin as well. 

Magazine Spring

While this is not exactly part of the Springfield 1911 original itself, it is a critical part without which the gun will not function as intended. 

A weak or fatigued magazine spring will not reliably feed rounds, which will manifest as a variety of failures to feed or jams. 

Also, this is probably the easiest Springfield part on this list to replace. All you need to do is remove the follower and spring from the magazine, then place the follower on the top of the new spring, then place the spring back down into the magazine tube. 

A replacement as easy as this will instantly restore the functionality of a magazine that has suffered a fatigued mag spring. Remember this before you buy a whole new 1911 magazine. 

Shop Springfield Parts for 1911 Pistols and More 

Whether you’re here for a Springfield 1911 for sale or just need some Springfield parts to make repairs to a gun you already own, we can help. We carry a wide range of gun parts for popular platforms and 1911 parts and accessories are well represented in our online collections. 

Take a closer look through what we offer and get in touch with us if you need help finding a specific part you don’t see listed, or just if you have questions about gun parts and compatibility.