High standard vs Nelson conversion unit

hi people.i have a high standard supermatic trophy with lsp aluminum and ultradot 25 red dot. i like the pistol  but the pistol weight is a little heavy,and for my condition of herniated disc with a low desviation in dorsal spine i have consideration to want in a future a lightweight or balanced weight option,what help me in more precision without affect me,thanks!

Perhaps a S&W 22A some of these were primarily aluminum.

Consider a Browning BuckMark with Tactical Solutions barrel.  Can be superbly accurate, easy to work the trigger down to about 2 pounds and will run almost anything you feed it.  Will be  lighter than what you have or can make out of a 1911 with conversion.  bob

Under a conversion, an alloy frame will hold up well.

As a person who suffers from back, shoulder, wrist, hand and other injuries, my supermatic trophy aggravates those issues, and I think it has more to do with balance and grip size--and the extra weight doesn't help.

A friend used a Ruger 22/45 lite but had very poor performance with it.  That light a pistol really moves around a lot.

I would recommend trying a conversion on your steel 1911 and see how that works for you.  If you still need to shed more weight then work up an alloy lower.

I really believe that this will lead to the most competitive setup that will work for your body.

An aluminum frame based Nelson might well fit your bill.

You can get plastic mainspring housings (colt) and aluminum grip safeties(Caspian) to help further.

Great minds  Rob

Rob Kovach wrote:Under a conversion, an alloy frame will hold up well.

As a person who suffers from back, shoulder, wrist, hand and other injuries, my supermatic trophy aggravates those issues, and I think it has more to do with balance and grip size--and the extra weight doesn't help.

A friend used a Ruger 22/45 lite but had very poor performance with it.  That light a pistol really moves around a lot.

I would recommend trying a conversion on your steel 1911 and see how that works for you.  If you still need to shed more weight then work up an alloy lower.

I really believe that this will lead to the most competitive setup that will work for your body.

thank you rob!

Thanks to all for the help!

The SW-52 wrote:Thanks to all for the help!

I like the nelsons they run a alum slide with a steel sight rib. Marvels run alum slide and alum sight ribs

I was a S&W 41 guy and still am at heart but the madness of it drove me to something new and that was a Nelson Conversion. I loved the feel and weight of a 41. I shot irons only with it. When I switched to the Nelson I found it a bit light. Adding a red dot really made the Nelson more pleasant to shoot in terms of weight and feel. I still like irons but I've been training with the dot and getting quite good with it.

If you need something light weight - a Nelson ought to fit the bill. And you can put it on nearly any 1911 frame / material. The 22 isn't going beat anything up.

Marvel conversions seem to have fallen from favor lately but are great units none the less. As Chris pointed out they're lighter yet than a Nelson. 

Jim

Christopher Miceli wrote:

The SW-52 wrote:Thanks to all for the help!

I like the nelsons they run a alum slide with a steel sight rib. Marvels run alum slide and alum sight ribs

A Marvel rib can be fit to a Nelson.  I have done it twice.

Hammerli X-esses are pretty light, 37oz versus S&W M41 at 41-42oz and a Ruger MkIII Target at 42oz, all in iron sight mode. Hammerli offers two barrel weights if you want the nose heavier. I just mounted a Aimpoint Micro H-1 with Totts tubes and a 11mm Aimpoint mount on mine.

I recently weighed a Nelson Conversion and a Springfield Range Officer to see if the center of gravity was similar. Both have 1" Ultradots on the same rings and both are set up to be identical as much as possible as far as trigger shoe, trigger reach, grips, mainspring housing and beavertail. Both weighed 48oz. The Nelson has a threaded barrel.

I have a RO that I turned into a dedicated lower for the Nelson. I have two barrels and two sighting systems - irons, and dot. So be it EIC or 2700 I'm set in the rimfire department. 

I also bought a Springfield Armory Mil Spec. It will be turned into a wadgun. The extra iron sighted slide left over from the RO will be a second 45 upper for the wadgun. So long as my trigger is set to no less than 4 pounds I'll be set with two frames, four uppers, and I can shoot any EIC or 2700 match. To complete the line up in a three gun box I have a S&W M14-3 for Distiguished Revolver. My bases are covered. Probably in the most economic way I could think of. 

Food for thought.

Tim:H11 wrote:I have a RO that I turned into a dedicated lower for the Nelson. I have two barrels and two sighting systems - irons, and dot. So be it EIC or 2700 I'm set in the rimfire department. 

I also bought a Springfield Armory Mil Spec. It will be turned into a wadgun. The extra iron sighted slide left over from the RO will be a second 45 upper for the wadgun. So long as my trigger is set to no less than 4 pounds I'll be set with two frames, four uppers, and I can shoot any EIC or 2700 match. To complete the line up in a three gun box I have a S&W M14-3 for Distiguished Revolver. My bases are covered. Probably in the most economic way I could think of. 

Food for thought.

in your RO,the conversion is drop in?? i will buy one and use the same 1911 wadgun frame,because i want to save $$$, or in a future buy other Range officer and use the lower for .22.

SW-52 wrote:

Tim:H11 wrote:I have a RO that I turned into a dedicated lower for the Nelson. I have two barrels and two sighting systems - irons, and dot. So be it EIC or 2700 I'm set in the rimfire department. 

I also bought a Springfield Armory Mil Spec. It will be turned into a wadgun. The extra iron sighted slide left over from the RO will be a second 45 upper for the wadgun. So long as my trigger is set to no less than 4 pounds I'll be set with two frames, four uppers, and I can shoot any EIC or 2700 match. To complete the line up in a three gun box I have a S&W M14-3 for Distiguished Revolver. My bases are covered. Probably in the most economic way I could think of. 

Food for thought.

in your RO,the conversion is drop in?? i will buy one and use the same 1911 wadgun frame,because i want to save $$$, or in a future buy other Range officer and use the lower for .22.

RO's came (or come) with either a 30# or 28# hammer spring. The conversion will work with that IF you shoot high velocity 22 ammunition. If you use standard velocity 22 ammunition or even slower then a lighter hammer spring will be needed to insure reliability as well as an 8# recoil spring from NCG. Factory recoil spring from Nelson is 9#. 

Here's the problem with using a lighter hammer spring in a RO frame used for both 45 and 22 - the stock factory RO comes out of battery way too fast with a lighter hammer spring and your groups at 50 yards will suffer for it. IF however you have your gun properly rebarreled then this will solve the "coming out of battery too fast" issue and you can use a lighter hammer spring. 

I've been through all this madness already. 

Is the Nelson a drop in fit? Yes. Slides right on and tightens down.

I just got a Range Officer and am waiting on delivery of a Nelson conversion.  I will ask Nelson for a 8-pound recoil spring.  

I am aware that Springfield uses a much heavier hammer spring, and a titanium firing pin.  You say you used a much lighter hammer spring.  Did you just use a standard hammer spring?  Did you change the firing pin to a steel one?  

I see comments by some people that changing the hammer spring to something lighter improved their trigger pull.  Was that your experience?

NuJudge wrote:I am aware that Springfield uses a much heavier hammer spring, and a titanium firing pin.  You say you used a much lighter hammer spring.  Did you just use a standard hammer spring?  Did you change the firing pin to a steel one?

I see comments by some people that changing the hammer spring to something lighter improved their trigger pull.  Was that your experience?

I left the stock RO firing pin in the gun and the stock (or standard power) firing pin spring. Don't use an extra power firing pin spring in the RO. Won't work with the factory firing pin. 

I tried all the different poundage springs for the ILS mainspring housing. They were Wolff springs. None worked reliably with the Nelson and standard velocity ammunition. Then I switched to a standard mainspring housing - an old arched Mil Spec one I got free from some one here. I again tried everything from the heaviest to the lightest. I found the 19# hammer spring works very well in the Nelson but so does the 20#. And I prefer the indentation the 20# leaves in rimfire detonation more than 19#. Extra peace of mind knowing I've got just a little extra impact with the hammer. Needed? Perhaps not but I like the idea. 

The difference between the 30# factory hammer spring and a 19# hammer spring in terms of trigger pull difference was around three quarters of a pound. Hammer spring makes little change to the trigger pull unless made in drastic increments. It lightened the pull. It did not make any it smoother.

Jack H wrote:

Christopher Miceli wrote:

The SW-52 wrote:Thanks to all for the help!

I like the nelsons they run a alum slide with a steel sight rib. Marvels run alum slide and alum sight ribs

A Marvel rib can be fit to a Nelson.  I have done it twice.

Hello Jack I have a question 

I love the Nelson but I like the bomar rear sight Marvel uses , was the rib drop in or did it require fitting and if it required fitting what was done?

Rich

Here is the Marvel rib on a Nelson.  Baer lower by Roddy

It's a threaded Nelson with an OPA comp
22 grooves cut by Randy at CPC, Leupold rings
One extra hole in rib (at rear) by Roddy.  The front hole lines up. 
A little filing on the rib left rear corner to fit the radius in the slide
And (not actually needed) a little chamfer at the extractor cut in the rib.

Remove the pin in the rib, the two screws are plenty to hold it especially if you bottom tap the barrel holes and use screws fit as deep as you can.  No locktite is needed on mine

This is a well traveled rib.  Came from Marvel to Oregon.  Then to Randy and back home.  Then to Roddy (Roddy is only 10 miles away so that trip was a commute.)