I'm making this thread to document the changes and what the average do-it-yourselfer can expect. This is NOT a professional review and I'm NOT affiliated with any shops, grip makers, dealers etc. I'm just a regular guy that likes to tinker on things and fairly mechanically inclined. I'm going to install a CGW spring kit, VZ Tactical Diamond Zebra pattern grips and Meprolight night sights. I will document the installation of each, before and after experience and whether I feel it was worth it to ME. Everyone is different. As always, make sure your gun is completely unloaded by removing the mag and triple checking there's not a round in the barrel, then field strip.
So, tonight's episode, CGW spring kit.
I bought the spring kit off of CGW site and had it in 3 days. That's quick and I'm thankful. No instructions came, but I found plenty here and a few videos on YouTube. The fire pin block and fire pin springs were easy. Nock out a roll pin, push stop up/in, slide fire pin and spring out, take out stop and spring, change springs then reverse order to reinstall. The hammer/main spring was a little harder, but not bad. Take off grips, get a small punch and push down spring retainer, push pin out, pull mag brake flat metal out/off of spring, release tension slowly and remove spring. Reverse order to reinstall. Easier said than done, but it didn't make me cuss. Watch a few videos and have a little common sense and you'll be fine. Meaning, springs under pressure will go flying if released before secured. I don't own a trigger gauge so I had to improvise. I had an old dial type luggage scale with a max marker so I made an adapter to go from trigger to scale and tested. Pre-spring DA results were on average between 16.5 and 19 pounds. It's very hard to get a steady reading trying to keep every pull the same. The SA results were between 5 and 6 pounds. About what I've read in other reviews. Post-springs results are DA 9 to 10 pounds and single are between 4 and 5 pounds. That's a big difference that you can actually feel. I will still carry this at half cock, but full DA is a LOT better. I'm happy with the $20 purchase and if/when I get another one of these guns, I'll definitely install this kit. The whole process, including writing this post took an hour tops. I plan on shooting tomorrow weather permitting. Stay tuned.
