R1 Remington Standard GI

[Magnumite]

Always desired a Remington R1 Gi type pistol. The R1 parts I had used were good, got excellent results with two slides I used. Other projects priorities negated getting one. Good price sample came along.

A cursory inspection revealed a decent used sample. Some aspects of the exterior finish was nice, bottom of magwell/housing and rear of slide and frame were well blended. Finish is nice. There was something about the grip safety and thumb safety…. A bit of haggling and I handed them the plastic.

Objective was to finish a using grade, reliable blaster. Costs kept down but could spend a little if the foundation was sound.

We modifiers, builders, whatever we are see a sink purse in every project. Sometimes we need to slow so we can see it for what it is. Sometimes we don’t see the forest for the trees.

Upon picking it up after the required Maryland waiting period I shot it. Initial impressions and observations.

• triggers was not good at best. Huge drag on inserted magazine;
• shot well to 17 yards…nice 1 1/4” pairs. At 25 yards the group opened up to 2.5-3.0”. May well have been me the reason the groups opened up. Still not bad for a blaster;
• well centered firing pin strikes;
• typical GI grip safety tang in the web of my hand, though not near as uncomfortable from a couple other bargain brand GI types. Remington saw it prudent to well round the tang corners, edges. Cudos to Remington;
• sights shot to the left. Well, could have been previous owner regulation.

Some pics…

 

[Magnumite]

So went home for a close tear down and inspection.

Barrel and Slide
Slide is a nice part… Nothing else to say.
The sights are usable sights…especially with the dots blacked out.
Slide/bushing and bushing/barrel fit were good.
Barrel hood to breechface was excellent…no clearance
Barrel was long linked. Typical on R1’s I had previously examined.
Lower lug flat to pin edge definitely on small side….084”.
Bore was nice. Muzzle chamfer uniform.
There maybe a machined firing pin stop in it.
Extractor examination revealed a very factory type appearance. The only hangup was the feedramp bevel at the bottom of the extractor grrove was too far up the groove. It would drop cases on bench with barrel in link down position. It would also drop a couple on my noggin while shooting and crush a couple case mouths during ejection occasionally. Failed an ejection doing the 10-8 ejection test.


Frame
Why doesn’t (didn’t) Remington polish off the mold seam line going down the center of the front strap?
Slide to frame clearance was around .0035”. Easy to live with that for a blaster.
Trigger track was wonky, very tight in the middle, front to back.
Machining in the Series 80 lockwork pocket was mountainous, more Appalachian than Rockies.
Now for the trees blocking my view of the forest…the frame grip safety cutout radius under the tangs was cut way too far into the frame. The thumb safety pin holes were ground/polished into. I just didn’t see it. I am still pulling my foot out of my backside. That was a game changer in how far I would go with this project.

Small Parts
Slide stop and other parts are mim. Good mim. The slide stop was sized .1995”. That works.
R1 triggers are nice, just not match dimensioned. Too bad…I like them.
Love the GI type thumb safety…had to sand off the mold seam line.
Hammer. The hammer. The R1 hammer. Well made part structurally. BUT, the hammer hook is positioned on an altered geometry. The hook face line is to the inside of the hammer pin bore…not to the outside as most other hammers.

Pics of the frame radius.
Pics of the hammer face geometry with a straight piece of steel aligned with hammer faces of both R1 and a SA hammer.

 

[Magnumite]

So, I was off to the races. Long story short I had to file down and true the trigger tracjs. Stoned the lockwork cutouts in the frame…especially the S80 lever system cut out. Two sears later trigger work was usable. Did the usual play reduction to the stock trigger. More to be done to refine this 3 pound 14 ounce pull.

Barrel…I remembered something I had in the archives. A takeoff SA barrel from an Operator or TRP. It was removed from the original pistol because of the ‘high’ round count…2,500 rounds on this one. Very inexpensive barrel purchase. Anyway, I was correct, fitting needed to install the barrel in this pistol…upper lug groove, sides of hood and a link. Corresponding select fit hushing finished the task. A slightly larger slide stop with a .2005” diameter put the lock up at pert near perfect. Hand held 25 yard groups at 2” got my approval. Sights remained untouched, well centered but about 2.375” low at 25 yards with same ammunition.

I remodeled the grip safety to spur configuration and the thumb safety to match the frame radius. I do like the pistol despite its singular flaw.

 

[Doco Overboard]

Looks like a nice pistol.
Did you try the stick test on it?

 

[Magnumite]

what is the stick test?

 

[Doco Overboard]

Its a method for determining recoil characteristics and link pin fitting.
You insert a stick or dowel into the bore and while grasping the slide and frame while manipulating the pistol you can feel the fitting.
You put pressure on the dowel with the heel of your hand while manipulating the slide while holding the pistol between two hands and make it float.
Gus Fisher teaches it.

 

[Magnumite]

I do something like that. Using a modification of the one hand charging with the web of one hand on the grip safety and my fingers over the slide. I then retract the slide slowly back, feeling the fitting character. This one just makes a little resistant ‘pop’ (felt) when starting slide retraction.

When examining a pistol tor the first time I hold it upside down, pull the slide back about .003”-.005” out of battery with one hand. With the other I lightly push up on the barrel hood to feel for freeplay. More a clearance test than anything else.

I’ll try your method….always ready to learn. I see what you are doing…free floating the barrel. Kind of like one of the barrel timing tests modified except force is applied to the slide through the dowel.

I tried it. You can feel this ‘tracking’ on the pin. Even yried small sized slide stops…you can feel the difference in fit.
Thanks!

 

[Doco Overboard]

I do something like that. Using a modification of the one hand charging with the web of one hand on the grip safety and my fingers over the slide. I then retract the slide slowly back, feeling the fitting character. This one just makes a little resistant ‘pop’ (felt) when starting slide retraction.

When examining a pistol tor the first time I hold it upside down, pull the slide back about .003”-.005” out of battery with one hand. With the other I lightly push up on the barrel hood to feel for freeplay. More a clearance test than anything else.

I’ll try your method….always ready to learn. I see what you are doing…free floating the barrel. Kind of like one of the barrel timing tests modified except force is applied to the slide through the dowel.

I tried it. You can feel this ‘tracking’ on the pin. Even yried small sized slide stops…you can feel the difference in fit.
Thanks!

You got it. I place the stick/ dowel inserted into the muzzle from the left because I'm right handed. The stick is long enough to be contacted by the heel of my left hand.
You float the barrel just like you said and work the slide with your other (left hand) hand and you can feel the disjuncture.
Fit link pins until the roughness goes away and then you just reduced recoil because the way the entire mechanism operates as as a whole.
The old man knows a thing or two about US weapons systems and when he writes something I pay attention.
M1's 14's 45's Civilian clones and ammo etc. Doesn't cost anything to learn as long as we maintain an open mind.
Thanks for providing your insights into these pistols.

 

[Magnumite]

You got it. I place the stick/ dowel inserted into the muzzle from the left because I'm right handed. The stick is long enough to be contacted by the heel of my left hand.
You float the barrel just like you said and work the slide with your other (left hand) hand and you can feel the disjuncture.
Fit link pins until the roughness goes away and then you just reduced recoil because the way the entire mechanism operates as as a whole.
The old man knows a thing or two about US weapons systems and when he writes something I pay attention.
M1's 14's 45's Civilian clones and ammo etc. Doesn't cost anything to learn as long as we maintain an open mind.
Thanks for providing your insights into these pistols.

You made some good points. Your insights are huge, as well.

I hang out on a couple 1911 forums. Those top tiers smiths are incredible. They not only discuss the 1911…one lesrns out to think it just by osmosis.

 

[Magnumite]

Well, shortened the front sight.
Redid the thumb safety plate, there was a blemish in it.
Dimpled the mainspring housing rails to tighten up its fit on the frame.

The trigger pull…when reassembling, the sear can get lodged and must be pushed to the left side of the pistol to unlodge it so the trigger can be pulled. First I ever encountered on this occurrence. It can increase trigger pull weight intermittently but doesn’t stop the trigger pull nor the hammer dropping. I’ll investigate this further.

Accuracy 3 shots, 11 yards, 1” group… decent. 5 shot group at 25 yards…1 3/8” group. Then backed it up (for most part) with anoth similar group just a bit of stringing. A third group on top of that about same as first group size in about the same place. I am not fond of Blazer brass ball in 45 ACP but this pistol likes it.

 

[Rockzilla]

looking good there Mag. Great work as always. More thoughts and ways to include in some builds its always good to have a different set of eyes and hands

-Rock

 

[Magnumite]

looking good there Mag. Great work as always. More thoughts and ways to include in some builds its always good to have a different set of eyes and hands

-Rock

Thank you…and…
Team work!