6 Practical Modifications You Can Make with These Handgun Parts

Anyone who has a handgun is going to be periodically flooded with recommendations from the self-proclaimed “authorities on a subject” or upgrades, alterations or replacements that they should make to their handguns. These experts promise better performance, better reliability and improved aesthetics. Sometimes they’re right.

We’re not telling you that you need to make any of these upgrades with the associated handgun parts, but the truth is that some of them will bring a lot of value to the shooting experience. Some of them are pretty cool, too.

1.New character and flash with new grips

Whether you’re shooting a 1911 or some aging revolver, old wood scales get dark and wear down after a few years of shooting, even with proper maintenance. Oils, sweat and dirt from your hands will get into the wood and change its color forever.

This is a double edged sword. It doesn’t mean that you need to change the scales or pistol grips as long as you continue to take care of the scales, and there is a duality of mindset regarding the matter. Some gun owners actually like the way their handguns look with this “antiqued patina.” Others find it ugly.

If you love it, then leave it be. If you want an upgrade, check out some of the handgun scales and grips we offer here at Sarco, Inc. you could be well on your way to a new pair of ivory grips or a brand new walnut pistol butt.

2.Add a new recoil spring

For pistol owners, the spring that actuates the slide is a critical component of the fluid movement of the action. The thing about these springs is that they are usually extremely cheap and can be replaced pretty easily, so going to the range with a pistol with a worn out spring is just a ridiculous proposition.

A new spring will make your pistol cycle more smoothly and more quickly. It’ll be like handling a brand new gun. In fact, this is one of the quickest and most cost-effective upgrades you can make to a pistol, especially if that pistol has an old or waning spring. Also - keep the pistol clean. That will also affect how readily the action cycles.

3.Solve ejection problems

Have you ever experienced a stovepipe jam? It sounds interesting, but it’s a giant pain. It can be caused by a few different problems, and if you get one, it may mean something needs to be replaced.

Other problems in addition to ejection problems include extraction and feeding problems. Sometimes old casings will extract but not eject. Sometimes they don’t eject and the slide attempts to slam a live round into the back of a casing that remains in the chamber. Sometimes the action fails to feed though the chamber is empty.

In many of these cases, the issue can be remedied by replacing or repairing the extractor, ejector, or both.

4.Replace a barrel

You might think that the barrel is one of those static pieces of the gun that doesn’t ever change or need to be replaced, just kept clean. That is far from the truth.

Every round you send downrange, wears out the barrel a little bit. This happens to a very fine degree even on a smoothbore but really it matters in rifled barrels, like most handguns. Every round that engages the lands of the rifling wears them down a little bit.

Over time, muzzle velocity and accuracy will start to suffer. Eventually, a worn down barrel will fail to place groups as it used to. When that happens, you’re off to the gunsmith or you need to get a new barrel and replace it yourself.

Of course, it’s not always a replacement. Sometimes it’s a matter of upgrading to a match-grade barrel right from the start.

5.Replace sights or add optics

It’s bad enough that some pistols are sold with plain iron sights, and worse that some used guns are sold without sights at all, just threaded holes in the top of the barrel or receiver where the sights should be or once were.

There are handgun parts and adapters out there that will enable you to mount a rail for optics to the top of your receiver, and some adapt to the front of the trigger guard.

Solving the basic problem, however, is much easier. All you need to do is get some sights for your model and replace them where they should be. By the way, you don’t need to opt for plain iron sights. You can go with night sights or other hi-viz sights if you want. Who’s stopping you?

6.Solve hammer hangups

One more modification you can make with our collection of handgun parts is an upgrade to your hammer. Some hammers are sharply angled and protrude bulkily from the backs of handguns. These can catch on clothing or holsters, which is both inefficient and dangerous. However, many models can be upgraded with new, slimmer profile hammers that are just as effective, less likely to catch on anything, and way cooler looking.

These are only a few of the upgrades you can make to your favorite handgun; there are many more. To learn more about other cool mods you can make with miscellaneous pistol and handgun parts to a variety of other popular handguns from the top manufacturers like Glock, Colt, Smith & Wesson, Remington and many others, give us a call at 610-250-3960.