1911

[Harp]

I carried a 1911(WWII original issue-may have been a Remington contract piece) as standard sidearm
but traded it back for a mint S&W.

 

[52Styleline]

I have a WWI vintage Colt, and a WWII vintage Remington Rand. A few years ago, I took a particularly nicely made (many were not so nice) Colt 1991A1 and made it into a WWII repro. Wherever possible I used authentic WWII parts, removed the "billboard" rollmarks and had a machinist friend reproduce the WWII stampings. Of course, someone who really knows will spot the differences but it's pretty darn close. Since I first carried one in the service, no other sidearm has appealed to me like the 1911.

At one time or another I have owned 1911 style pistols from all of the makers. At the moment, except for the Remington Rand, all I own are Colts.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

Since I first carried one in the service, no other sidearm has appealed to me like the 1911.

That's exactly why I want one .

 

[Erik]

The venerable M1911 is my sidearm of choice. Its of interest to collectors, vintage enthusiasts, and shooters (including too ones) still today.

Colt and Springfield both have more traditional offerings. You do not need to purchase the "repros" to look repro. A blued M1911A1 Series 70 would go a long way toward satisfying idle curiosity, but YMMV.

Real vintages are worth it if you'll appreciate it. I'm guessing most here will.

 

[AeroDillo]

If you have the cash for it (I don't [huh]), it's worth taking a look at the U.S. Firearms Model of 1911. In my opinion, it actually looks better than the Colt reproductions - right down the available government stamps.


http://www.usfirearms.com/cat/1911.asp

 

[Diamondback]

Or, if you're of a more hands-on bent and have the knowledge, you can always make your own from parts or PCR's (typically frames machined to 80% or less complete)--I'm planning to follow this path myself, at least until I gain the knowledge and skill for a true "from raw metal" build.

HomeGunsmith.com's forum has a good-sized 1911 community.

 

[zeus36]

I have a Springfield 1911 Mil Spec with
Custom deep checkered walnut grips, oversize mag release, three 15 round clips.
Picked it up at a gun show for 400 bucks.

 

[Twitch]

No one should have a problem finding a 1911 derivitive from mild to wild in modifications or stock original. For decades they have been at the popular forefront of pistol sporting with many gunsmiths working only on them.

 

[GWD]

Just "acquired" a 1943 M1911 A1

I'm not very knowledgeable about this gun but from the serial number and markings it was made by Remington Rand Co. but here is the caveat, the slide appears to be not original, it actually has "Colt" markings not the Remington Rand markings. How much does that affect it's value?

I'll post some pictures tomorrow.

 

[Diamondback]

Depends--an arsenal-rebuild will hold more value than a Bubba'd mixmaster.

 

[GWD]

Depends--an arsenal-rebuild will hold more value than a Bubba'd mixmaster.

Everything but the slide is "proofed". All of the original markings on the rest of the gun check out fine. Should I keep an eye out for an original "Remington Rand" slide?

 

[Diamondback]

I don't recall what they are, but an arsenal-rebuild will be stamped marking it as such. See this link: http://www.sightm1911.com/lib/history/rebuild.htm

 

[GWD]

Here are some pics

 

[Story]

I'll post some pictures tomorrow.

GWD, sounds like an arsenal mixmaster. You might want to bookmark and read up at http://forums.1911forum.com/ and http://forum.m1911.org/
Good sources for slides, too.

 

[Brad Bowers]

Wasn't it Para that used to make a left-handed 1911 conversion kit? I always wanted one of those, as I got tired of getting smacked by my own shells. I think it was discontinued years ago, though.

Brad

 

[Diamondback]

Don't think so--I know Randall and Safari both made mirror-image 1911s and then there's the weird Dlask 11P1, but a conversion's a lot more difficult than it sounds since, even if you've got all the parts in-hand (good luck finding lefty ejectors and extractors--a homebuild-parts supplier I know has to save up a year or two's orders at a time and have custom runs made!) you still have machining work to drill ejector-mounting holes in the frame and then cut new slide-stop and safety notches in the slide, assuming you're trying to mate a Portside top to a standard bottom.

----------------
Now playing: John Williams - A Whirl Through Academe
via FoxyTunes

 

[PistolPete1969]

Just my .02 cents.......

I own a Springfield Armory "WWII Parkerized" 1911a1. It is a VERY close copy of the original WWII manufactured military 1911's. It has a parkerized finish, wood grips, arched mainspring housing, etc just like an original 1911. The only difference is, its brand new and @$400. I LOVE MINE!!!!!

I bought it new in early 2006 and have since put @3000 rounds through mine without a hitch. It has the original style "hardball" fixed sights, so it takes getting used to.

If you are seriously looking for an original style 1911 I would wholeheartedly recommend one. For the money, they are well worth it.

Like I said, just my .02 cents

 

[DutchIndo]

You can tell we're all Old School shooters by our choice of Caliber. I've never really sold out to the 9mm fad but I do want a BHP. The smartest thing I did was the extended Beaver Tail. No more hammer bites but now it won't fit my WWII vintage hip holster. Bummer is ammo is crazy now 16.00 just for Wolf ammo.

 

[STW]

Here's a vote for the comfort of the arched mainspring housing. I've switched one of my Colts back and forth between the OEM arched and flat housings and definitely prefer the arched. But people are different and the dutchman clearly likes the flat spring better. Most histories of the 1911 issue pistols show the arched mainspring housing as a feature added sometime before the second world war began, IIRC, a modification from the WWI issues with their flat housings. This is something that can be changed out by anyone who is careful and not afraid of tools--does not require gunsmithing. And housings of either type can be bought at any gun show in the US. So can ambidextrous safety levers, triggers, and grip safeties, and grips, all the usual easy customizaitons, as well as barrels, slides, receivers--everthing to build your own. Just wish I could find a left handed WWII style holster.

My own preference is Colts in basic military spec, especially with serrations only on the grip end of the slide, without the extra serration set out on the end. I like both commander size (4.25" barrel) and full size (5" barrel) but prefer the shorter commander size because it doesn't really have any drawback, and because my favorite, most reliable 1911 happens to be that size. This favorite Colt has never jammed, and has the ring hammer, arch housing, sharp walnut grips, flat blued finish (like Parkerized but not), and mil-spec (non beaver tail) grip safety. It happens to be a Series 80 (includes an extra interior automatic drop safety) but has such a smooth trigger that I can't find a reason to object.

Springfield Armory models are just as nice and have good mil spec models, but Colts are Colts. Whatever you get, make sure it's reliable and if it likes to jam (some 1911s are finicky) get it to the gunsmith. Kimbers are also at the top of the food chain but I never warmed to them for various reasons. I had an Auto-Ordnance which was just fine, but the quality of forged over cast metal matters eventually. The better 1911s really show when compared. But 1911s are generally expensive handguns because of the all the parts that have to be forged, so it's understandable that people want something more affordable despite the shortcuts. The Para-O 1911s are so nice that I'm glad they also make single stack versions because the thin profile of a 1911 is one of the reasons many like shooting them.

45 ACP is a pleasure to shoot--I have written those same phrases Hoosier Daddy used when I've described shooting the big slow round. 45 has a boom rather than crack/flash and a long slow shove on your shoulder rather than... Well, let me say that whenever I feel like shooting .357 magnum, I just hold my arm out and have a friend hit it repeatedly with a baseball bat and that satisfies my interest. Even though it's a big round, I'm more accurate with .45 ACP than 9mm too. My daughter likes shooting 45 ACP too for the same reasons.

 

[Mr. Clark]

Hello all. I've been lurking for several months and finally got around to registering. Good thread here. I'm a big 1911 fan. I've owned over 30 over the years, mostly stock GI pieces. I personally prefer the 1911 over the 1911A1. The flat mainspring housing and longer trigger just seem to fit me better. The change from flat to arched housings took place in 1924 with the introduction of the A1 model. Also introduced was a shorter trigger and scallop-cuts to the frame just to the rear of the trigger. There were also subtle changes to the thumb safety, slide stop, and hammer spur over the years. A great many 1911's were rebuilt by the military so it is fairly common to run across 1911's with A1 parts. I'm presently down to just two .45's at the moment. Ones a 1917 manufactured 1911 and the other is a 1952 dated Argentine Model 1927. The 1911 is my favorite. It's a sweet shooter and feeds anything I run through it. Since I'm a WW2 reenactor, I've also done a drop-in blank-fire conversion on it. The Argentine is a new acquisition I picked up in a trade. It's all matching and correct except for the magazine, but someone refinished it in an ugly, green Metalcol finish. The stuff to really hard and I'm trying to figure out how to strip it off without abrasives. I spoke with a fellow in Arizona who applies the finish and he believes my only solution is bead-blasting. I'm going to try submerging the parts in a acetone bath for about a week or two. As soon as I get a new camera I'll post some pics.
Anyways, good to finally be aboard and I'm looking forward to chatting with other vintage firearms fans.