My Normal Everyday carry gun failed.

[G.A. Heath]

Well, if it had to happen, I guess you can thank your lucky stars it happened on the range and not in a more intense setting.
This goes to show that you should always be prepared to transition to kung fu.

Failures that put the gun out of action are one of the reasons why I practice transitions to another gun, which is always on me.

[terryg]

...but should we change out certain parts on our firearms every 1000 rounds or so?

Maybe---if it's not a Glock.

REALLY?? http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&clie ... =&aql=&oq=

Anybody else click TAM's link and see the picture of the monkey with the Glock??? I think TAM is trying to say something here ...

[WildBill]

Anybody else click TAM's link and see the picture of the monkey with the Glock??? I think TAM is trying to say something here ...

TAM's always trying to make a monkey outta me.

[mgood]

To be perfectly honest I am leaning towards sending the gun to Wilson Combat for new internals and upgrades, although I am open to suggestions for good smiths.

Call Desert Guns in Hobbs, NM. (575) 391-9090.
They can give you the contact info for a very good local gunsmith. Joe . . . something. I think he uses the business name "Lone Wolf Gunsmithing," which you could probably get by calling information in Hobbs. But the guys at Desert Guns can tell you for sure.
Joe used to work for Desert Guns. He studied gunsmithing at the Colorado School of Trade (one of the best gunsmithing schools anywhere). Sometimes he's real busy and may take a while to get to your project. That's the only complaint I've ever heard about him and I recommended him to many, many customers when I worked at Desert Guns. And the same can be said for nearly every gunsmith worth his salt. If his work is in demand, it may take a while.
Hang on . . . I found a refernce to him on another site: http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/GunStore ... sid=100116" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Has contact info and a map. He's practically local to you.

Another guy I know, have shot with, have talked about projects with, is Jimmy Mitchell in Breckenridge, TX.
http://www.bulletworks.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I haven't used him but I have personally handled guns he's built and/or modified and he's very high on my list (like in the top spot) of people to talk to when I get around to having a custom gun built.
He also makes a nifty right-side mag release for those of us who have to shift the gun in our grip to hit the mag realease with the right thumb, this allows you to push it from the other side with your trigger finger without shifting the gun in your grip. That's sold through Dawson Precision, but also avalaible direct from Jimmy. If you're having him work on your pistol anyway, you might consider it.

Benny Hill at Traingle Shooting Sports in Corpus Christi is another great one.
http://www.triangleshootingsports.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
(But one of his guys actually suggested I use Jimmy Mitchell if I'm local to him because he is a very good smith. I'm not local to Breckenridge, but I do get there several times a year.)

Brazos Custom is a very well-known and respected Texas gunsmith with whom I've had no dealings so I only know by reputation.
http://www.brazoscustom.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Virgil Tripp is one of the best gunsmiths in the history of ever. But I'm not sure if he's doing anything but magazines these days. Another Texas smith.
http://www.trippresearch.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Pacifist]

...but should we change out certain parts on our firearms every 1000 rounds or so?

Maybe---if it's not a Glock.

REALLY?? http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&clie ... =&aql=&oq=

Aw, c'mon now. I happen to have it on very good authority that each and every one of those photos (many of which are quite obviously Photoshopped) was taken of a gun with at least 50,000 rounds through it!

[gigag04]

There are a few posts on m1911 and other boards on the MIM parts list for Kimbers to swap out (and other mass produced makers SA, Colt, etc).

Problem is, by them time you get rid of all of the MIM parts, you could've gotten a top tier, all forged gun to begin with. Good luck with your build.

[G.A. Heath]

Due to the nature of the beast, I have decided that the only MIM part that will be retained is the grip safety. This is simply because the probability of a failure there is minimal and I do not wish to deal with having the radius for the grip safety modified. Replacements will probably be parts made from bar-stock and will include the sear, hammer, disconnect, trigger, and thumb safety. Additionally if the gun goes to Wilson Combat I will get their reliability package, and have the slide refinished. In all honesty this gun has seen a few thousand rounds fired though it, and proven itself worthy of an upgrade.. When something breaks on a gun there are two ways to look at it. First is "Oh no, my gun is broken" with the correct emotions for your personality and situation, while the second is "I get to upgrade my gun!" So, because of the way I am, I will drop the cash on upgrading this gun which has already paid for itself as my daily carry. Besides I now get to carry the most down to business 1911 I own (Its a compact). While the Covert is down I choose to carry this little gun because of its history of reliability and its weight.

[The Annoyed Man]

...but should we change out certain parts on our firearms every 1000 rounds or so?

Maybe---if it's not a Glock.

REALLY?? http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&clie ... =&aql=&oq=

Anybody else click TAM's link and see the picture of the monkey with the Glock??? I think TAM is trying to say something here ...

Nah.... I was trying to say that Glocks aren't impervious to breakage: http://frostedbutts.com/images/kB/

Don't get me wrong. When I have had people who aren't enthusiasts ask me what pistol they should buy for home defense, I'll usually recommend a Glock or a revolver of some sort. My wife chooses to carry a Glock 19. I've shot the gun on a number of occasions, and it is a well made gun. However, they are NOT absolutely without problems. I have experienced a couple of jams over the past couple of years with my wife's Glock. I'm an experienced shooter, and it isn't likely that it was due to limp-wristing. It could possibly have been the ammo—which is usually shot using either WWB, Fiocci, or American Eagle standard loads for practice ammo. My son has also experienced at least one jam, and so has my wife. Granted, that is a handful out of easily over 1,000 rounds, but in as much as we keep this gun clean and lubed, you can't blame it on maintenance.

Who knows the cause? All I know is that even though I consider the Glock to be a very reliable and simple to use platform, it isn't perfect either—which is the claim thrown in the face of those of us who prefer to carry 1911 pattern pistols.

[G.A. Heath]

Nah.... I was trying to say that Glocks aren't impervious to breakage: http://frostedbutts.com/images/kB/

Don't get me wrong. When I have had people who aren't enthusiasts ask me what pistol they should buy for home defense, I'll usually recommend a Glock or a revolver of some sort. My wife chooses to carry a Glock 19. I've shot the gun on a number of occasions, and it is a well made gun. However, they are NOT absolutely without problems. I have experienced a couple of jams over the past couple of years with my wife's Glock. I'm an experienced shooter, and it isn't likely that it was due to limp-wristing. It could possibly have been the ammo—which is usually shot using either WWB, Fiocci, or American Eagle standard loads for practice ammo. My son has also experienced at least one jam, and so has my wife. Granted, that is a handful out of easily over 1,000 rounds, but in as much as we keep this gun clean and lubed, you can't blame it on maintenance.

Who knows the cause? All I know is that even though I consider the Glock to be a very reliable and simple to use platform, it isn't perfect either—which is the claim thrown in the face of those of us who prefer to carry 1911 pattern pistols.

To those who drink the perfection kool-aid I have one thing to say: "Gen4"

Now for the explanation: My experience with owning a Glock is less than stellar, in fact I went into it knowing I could have problems with the gun I owned. That gun was a Gen4 pain in the rear. Brand new the gun was less reliable than my Broken Kimber, at least the Kimber would go Bang with every press of the trigger as long as it had ammo, I can't say the same for the Glock.