Another Before & After Colt 1911

Been busy with another "before" & "after" Colt 1911 [1911A-1] project... Acquired another old 'beater' 1944 USGI .45 that obviously had spent too much time in a soggy leather holster at some point. Trip to the 'smith for a clean-up and refinish... will make a nice plinker.

Before:

After:

I'm a sucker for an old Colt!

Regards, Marcus.

Triggerguard wrote: I have a love/hate relationship with folks that do that to fine old guns. I hate that they do it, but I do love getting bargins because someone gave the gun a bad case of ugly.

TG  - I totally agree. I'd never refinish an oldie like this, especially a USGI, if it was "original" finish when I found it. This particular one has the "SA" stamp on the right side of the frame so it went in for an armoury rework at some point in time. The finish on it, as I received it, was a very dark parkerized. Much darker than the GI arsenal refinishes, so some previous owner in it's almost 60 year history already destroyed any 'collector' value. Now somewhere's in all this someone also stored it in a soggy leather holster so that the front of the slide on both sides was seriously pitted.

I did get a bargain on this 'oldie' though. It's fully functional and as tight as when it came off the assembly line in 1944. I have a 'smith that can work magic on these. I only asked that he leave as much as the script visible on the slide as possible. That's why there is a little light pitting still visible at the rear near the serrations. The other side is nicely done (as there is no script on it).

Before:

After:

With a new Colt barrel & bushing it will be like having a brand new Colt pistol.

And even better with a Colt National Match barrel installed:

Much better looking in the after photos NL.   Here's hoping it shoots as good as it looks.  

Gunrunner wrote: Much better looking in the after photos NL.   Here's hoping it shoots as good as it looks.

Yeah, it does...

24mod12 wrote: Get a 22 conversion for the 1911 cheaper shooting and very accurate the opne I purchased came from Wilson in Arkansas. My 1911 cost me $13.95 from the NRA when I was a student at the Univ of AZ in 1962...

Excellent advice... Here's my Colt .22 Conversion Unit on a 1942 vintage USGI Colt frame:

Regards, Marcus.

cOOL pICTURES.

I like my Kimber real well, but its got no place next to a buncha Colt pictures.  Dang, now I got the urge to go shootin' but its supposed to rain fer days.

The PARA is the same as my son's pistol.  Real well made guns.  Made by warmed over john bulls up north.  Close to bein' 'merican made.  Got no use fer foreign guns, although I'm in denial about my jap Browning '71.

Must be a sign of age that I'd rather see a bunch of ol' pistols than picturs of big titty wimmins.