1911 Project: Before & After

Looks nice indeed, didn't think it would clean up that nice. But enough about your computer. You can still see some minor pitting on the right side, but minor and it does look really nice. I'm jealous. I think you said before that the insides were clean, how well does it shoot?

     That looks like a darn nice 45 to me !  If it proves reliable and it probably will, it is a first class defence arm and a great plinker, If it does not prove reliable buy some good clips. Buy the way I have 3 ot four chip Mcormick, clips that my commander does not like. It liked them fine till I had it rebuilt on a caspian frame. But now it works to perfection with the metel form magazines they make the mags colt suplies with there guns. Wilson mags are suposed to be first rate.

   ...tj3006

 

Wow, Marcus !!!  That did clean up nice.  My compliments to your smith.  Hope she's a shooter for ya.  >>  korey

I gotts disagree with spot.

     Thats a nice job for sure but I looked at a new series 70 colt and they still do a great job. !

  ...tj3006

Mr. King - The pics I posted are just this particular pistol refinished as is. The 'smith did polish to slide flats, which turned out fairly well. For what he charged me I didn't even expect him to do that! I expected it to come back with an overall matte finish but was pleasantly surprized that he did a little more work on it.

I do have fairly big hands and I have been shooting original type Colt 1911's, that is those with the short tang grip safeties, for a number of years and have never been "bit". That said, I do have a 1911A-1 type grip safety with the longer tang and even another with the "beaver tail" profile that I could drop into this pistol, if necessary. I even have a Commander style hammer and an ambi-safety set-up in the parts box from when I had a much larger assortment of 1911's. I just wanted to keep this pistol as stock as possible, and the cost down, to make a nice "plinker", without too much outlay.

Here's a pic of a circa 1915 original Colt 1911 Commercial Government model that I also have:

Regards, Marcus.

Kingpin wrote: NL, that last pic you posted is most interesting to me. You wouldn't want to sell it would you? A pistol like that is always on my shopping list as a keeper. I probably wouldn't even shoot it, as I have several that I put through their paces regularly. I would like one just like that to put away in the "non-shooting" collection, along with the others. If you EVER decide to part with it, just let me know, I will get all the paper work needed to get it out of Canada. A truly nice pistol, thanks for sharing it with us.......................Kingpin

Mr. King - Thanks for the offer. This pistol is a "keeper" for me, too. Although, I do put a mag thru it once & awhile. Early Colt Government Commercial models are fairly common in Canada as Canadian officers in WWI were allowed to purchase/carry their own handgun. As Canada got into WWI right in 1914 it was the Commercial models that they purchased. Often they will have British or Canadian proofs on them. Here is the bottom of one of my WWI lanyard magazines with the Canadian military proof stamp:

Just as in the USA now, original Colts are also commanding substantial prices in Canada. They are getting harder and harder to find, as most go to collections. I picked this one up 3 summers ago for a very reasonable amount and do plan to keep it.

I used to have quite a collection of Colts... here's a pic circa 1997...

The bottom four on the right are all WWI era Colt 1911's. One was a 1918 Colt US Army military the other 3 were 1914 vintage Colt Commercial models. 'Course of all the above I only have 3 of these left [ a 1968 Colt Commercial, a refinished 1942 USGI Colt frame with Series '70 topend and a 1943 USGI Remington-Rand] and the other two are the ones in the above pics in this thread. I'm still interested in acquiring original Colt 1911's, when & if the price is right...

Regards, Marcus.

Edited by North Logan