I don't know if this is technically "gunsmithing" per se, but it is talking about swapping out a part on a pistol, so I figured that here was as good of a place as anywhere else.
To give a bit of background, back in 2020 I got the itch for a new 1911 pistol, and one upgrade that I really wanted on whatever pistol I chose to get was a magwell. A lot of 1911s are offered with a magwell, so it didn't limit my options too much, but it did limit them. I ended up choosing a 2020 Dan Wesson Valor - one of the changes they made with the newer version was to add a magwell.
Not long after that I came across a deal here on the MD Shooters Classifieds for another Dan Wesson pistol, the Silverback model. The Silverback didn't have a magwell, but otherwise it was my favorite pistol. It was very very lightly used - the original50 rounds through it when they got it, then it went back in the box where it lived until I got it. With it being 2020 and my birthday vacation getting cancelled due to Covid lockdowns, my wife bought me this pistol as a substitute 50th birthday present. Yeah - she's a keeper!
I started getting the idea that it would be nice to add a magwell to this pistol, so after a bit Google-fu, research, reading, and looking for recommendations on a Dan Wesson FB group, I decided on the Stan Chen SI (shooter installed) magwell. I chose this over Wilson, Ed Brown, etc, and it ended up being a convenient choice because after I'd ordered it, I discovered that the magwell included on my 2020 Valor is actually the Stan Chen SI magwell as well. It's a bit more expensive than other offerings - most are $100 or a touch less, and this one was $149 - but I felt the extra $50 was worth it.
Installation was pretty straightforward, although I will say this - if you've never pulled apart those parts of a 1911, pay attention to all of the pins, pin directions, and observe how everything goes together. I made the mistake of turning the pistol frame in my hands after I'd removed pins causing a couple of things to shift.
The first thing that happened was that the plunger assembly - the assembly containing the slidestop plunger, plunger spring, and the safety plunger - flew out when I pulled the safety off. Fortunately it didn't go far and it stayed intact, but it did cause me to have to figure out the correct orientation. The second thing that happened was that the sear spring fell out, and that has a specific orientation and location that I had to figure out - not difficult because fortunately I am mechanically inclined, but a consideration nonetheless. The last thing that happened was that the mainspring housing pin retainer (bottom pin in the mainspring) fell out of the spring, and initially I didn't know where it had come from. It didn't take me long to figure it out, but it did take me a minute to look things over to see where it was supposed to go.
Even with those minor mishaps, the total time it took to add this magwell mainspring housing was probably less than 15 minutes, and the end result is that I have added a magwell to this pistol that I really like. The other thing that I learned is that I don't have to let a magwell be a limiting factor on any future 1911 purchases - if I want it to have a magwell, there are some very solid drop-in offerings that are pretty affordable.
I was surprised that it has a touch of overhang at the front - I wasn't expecting that, although to be fair, when I looked at the fitment on my Valor, there's a touch of overhang on that one too - not as much, but it's there. It could be smoothed out, but then I'd destroy the finish on it, and it's fully functional, so it's not worth doing IMO.
Part of why I created this thread is because I couldn't find a lot of information online about this modification - a fair bit of talk, but not a lot of pics, so I'm adding some pics to this first post, and I'll add other pics as requested, both on my Valor and on this. Here's a before, after and a closeup pic of the little bit of hangover at the front of the magwell - I'll add another pic later sans magazine that displays it a bit better.
The next mod for this pistol is to see about maybe adding an ambidextrous safety - maybe. I'm still researching to see if there are drop-in options that are decent.
To give a bit of background, back in 2020 I got the itch for a new 1911 pistol, and one upgrade that I really wanted on whatever pistol I chose to get was a magwell. A lot of 1911s are offered with a magwell, so it didn't limit my options too much, but it did limit them. I ended up choosing a 2020 Dan Wesson Valor - one of the changes they made with the newer version was to add a magwell.
Not long after that I came across a deal here on the MD Shooters Classifieds for another Dan Wesson pistol, the Silverback model. The Silverback didn't have a magwell, but otherwise it was my favorite pistol. It was very very lightly used - the original50 rounds through it when they got it, then it went back in the box where it lived until I got it. With it being 2020 and my birthday vacation getting cancelled due to Covid lockdowns, my wife bought me this pistol as a substitute 50th birthday present. Yeah - she's a keeper!
I started getting the idea that it would be nice to add a magwell to this pistol, so after a bit Google-fu, research, reading, and looking for recommendations on a Dan Wesson FB group, I decided on the Stan Chen SI (shooter installed) magwell. I chose this over Wilson, Ed Brown, etc, and it ended up being a convenient choice because after I'd ordered it, I discovered that the magwell included on my 2020 Valor is actually the Stan Chen SI magwell as well. It's a bit more expensive than other offerings - most are $100 or a touch less, and this one was $149 - but I felt the extra $50 was worth it.
Installation was pretty straightforward, although I will say this - if you've never pulled apart those parts of a 1911, pay attention to all of the pins, pin directions, and observe how everything goes together. I made the mistake of turning the pistol frame in my hands after I'd removed pins causing a couple of things to shift.
The first thing that happened was that the plunger assembly - the assembly containing the slidestop plunger, plunger spring, and the safety plunger - flew out when I pulled the safety off. Fortunately it didn't go far and it stayed intact, but it did cause me to have to figure out the correct orientation. The second thing that happened was that the sear spring fell out, and that has a specific orientation and location that I had to figure out - not difficult because fortunately I am mechanically inclined, but a consideration nonetheless. The last thing that happened was that the mainspring housing pin retainer (bottom pin in the mainspring) fell out of the spring, and initially I didn't know where it had come from. It didn't take me long to figure it out, but it did take me a minute to look things over to see where it was supposed to go.
Even with those minor mishaps, the total time it took to add this magwell mainspring housing was probably less than 15 minutes, and the end result is that I have added a magwell to this pistol that I really like. The other thing that I learned is that I don't have to let a magwell be a limiting factor on any future 1911 purchases - if I want it to have a magwell, there are some very solid drop-in offerings that are pretty affordable.
I was surprised that it has a touch of overhang at the front - I wasn't expecting that, although to be fair, when I looked at the fitment on my Valor, there's a touch of overhang on that one too - not as much, but it's there. It could be smoothed out, but then I'd destroy the finish on it, and it's fully functional, so it's not worth doing IMO.
Part of why I created this thread is because I couldn't find a lot of information online about this modification - a fair bit of talk, but not a lot of pics, so I'm adding some pics to this first post, and I'll add other pics as requested, both on my Valor and on this. Here's a before, after and a closeup pic of the little bit of hangover at the front of the magwell - I'll add another pic later sans magazine that displays it a bit better.
The next mod for this pistol is to see about maybe adding an ambidextrous safety - maybe. I'm still researching to see if there are drop-in options that are decent.
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