My new 4.25" 45ACP

[SharonAnne]

I picked up my new 4.25"  45ACP yesterday. It is an American Tactical Inc.  Though named "American" it is made in the Philippines. The finish is dull blue slide with a matte blue frame.  Basic blade rear sight, square post front tenon sight. It has a very well fitted beavertail grip safety. The thumb safety is basic GI. The trigger is long and black. The mainspring housing is flat and serrated. Grip scales are some kind of plastic and checkered.

Fit is very good. There is no slop in the slide/frame fit. The barrel does not move when pressed down through the ejection port. The biggest thing is the trigger pull. My trigger finger is getting a workout with an average pull of 6.5 lbs.  That equals the pulls of my Para P14-45 plus my open division 9x23 plus another 2 lbs. Yikes! Oh, the hammer is a true Commander style. It has a hole but no slot. The slotted hammer that most call a Commander hammer was first used, IIRC, by gunsmith Steve Nastoff around 1980.

Having purchased a Timney trigger pull gauge I now know the pulls on all of my firearms and got a few surprises. My Para 9x23 that I thought has a 1.5lb pull has in fact a 2 lb pull.  My Para P14-45 has a 2.5 lb pull. I was very surprised at the pull on my AR15. I don't know what parts are in it, having purchased it used. The pull runs from 2.75-3.0 lbs.

[williamlayton]

I tend to like light but sharp break---it helps when you get old and the tremors set in.
I used to like heavy but sharpreak when I had nerves.
All of this is an admission that I don't shoot as good as I once did----if I ever did as well as I think I did.  
I vote light---if you are asking for vote or light if you are asking for opinion.
2 1/2 half is really pretty light--if it explains my thought on what I think is light.
I have condrumdum in my thinking spot today.
Blessings

[williamlayton]

I really do not have dislike of foreigh steel as long as it is good foreign steel.
I don't dislike cast but MUCH prefer plate for construction---hammer and forged if that is  more clearer (Texas talk there  ).
Blessings

[Old Syko]

Sharon the funny thing is my son just picked up a copy of the very same gun in previously owned but new unfired condition.  It also came with an extra Wilson barrel and bushing.  The poor boy had strayed for some years and thought he had developed a penchant for HK handguns of every imaginable configuration.  After taking the wraparound Hogue grips from one of my guns and a bit of shooting time he has realized the error of his ways.  His first words were "Wow, I forgot just how good I could shoot." Now it's not that the ATI is such a good gun, it's that for him it was just a step back to the basics which is something we all need on occasion.  We get too accustomed to all the bells and whistles and finery that is available and lose sight of what is important.  Long story short, it's a really good piece for the money.

[Mikey]

A girl with a gun can have more fun and it sure sounds like you are gonna have fun.  Let us know how it shoots, after you tweak the spring to reduce that trigger pull somewhat.......

[SharonAnne]

I have detail stripped the new pistol.  There are no discernable machine marks. Every surface is smooth.

I am working on finding the source of the high poundage. I will let you know when I have it sorted out.  So far I am very impressed.

[SharonAnne]

ok, I made a few changes. I installed an EGW titanium hammer strut. It was a bit of trouble. I had to remove 0.005" from each side of the strut to fit in the hammer slot.  Not having a mill I had to resort to the old stand by, the Dremel tool. Using a Dremel to thin titanium was a bit of work. The steel strut was 66 grs. the titanium strut weighs 20grs.

I replaced the mainspring with a  chrome silicon 17# unit. In the Brownells article by Jack Weigand he says he uses an 18# mainspring so I am not far off. The mainspring is topped with an EGW titanium cap.

The stock leaf spring was replaced by a Cylinder & Slide 'light' leaf spring.

I tried something new on this pistol. GunButter oil and grease were used. The grease went on the hammer hooks, slide rails, slide locking lugs and barrel legs. I used the GunButter oil every place that needs oiling.

Without tweaking the leaf spring I now have a crisp trigger pull of 4 1/2-4 7/8#. I will leave it alone now as this will be my primary carry pistol.

I am pleased.

[williamlayton]

I have always avoided gunbutter and grease. Why this change and are you satisfied--well, er---WITH using these lubs.
Blessings

[SharonAnne]

I decided to give Gunbutter a try because it is used by a couple of the top female shooters in USPSA that I really respect.  Can't say if I like it or not. I have not been to the range yet. As far as the 'grease' it looks and feels like a heavier oil. It is no where near as heavy as any grease I am familiar with.

For years I used a mixture of 50/50 Break Free / Lithium grease. This recipe is what Jerry Barnhart told me he used when I had a private lesson.  I stopped using it since it was very messy and I did not see any benefit over Break Free oil.

The Gunbutter 'grease' comes in a syringe and you can control exactly how much you use. As I said, it is more like heavy oil. I do not know at what weight the break is between oil and grease.

William why have you avoided the Gunbutter oil and grease?

[SharonAnne]

after a few hundred dry fires the trigger pull has settled into the 4-4.25# range. very nice.