First 1911

I've been planning on a 1911 purchase in the next few months but had to bite on this 70 series that popped up at the gun shop. Haven't really studied into the Colt 70 series beforehand so any input for things to check / look out for would be appreciated.
I love the character this gun has with the worn look, and even though I'd probably never do it, would anyone suggest having this refinished? Or (as I'm guessing it would be) leave as-is for original value?

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p205/stringtwelve/DSC_0238.jpg
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It looks like you pulled it out of grandpa's old WW2 footlocker.

If I were going to have my 1911 refinished, I'd show them a picture of your's and tell them "Make it look just like this".

I'd keep it as-is.

I prefer a well used but not abused look, personally.

I love how your 1911 looks.

I concurr. I'd leave it. I like it's look. I do understand how a nice NEW finish looks. so.. check the serial number see how old it really is. see if there is some really rare feature to it that makes it really valuable.
Otherwise, it's YOUR gun, you can do anything you want. A black ceramacoat would look sweet, add a Ed Brown bob tail.. OH wait.. never mind. :D
Shoot it, clean it, oil it, repeat.

Save your money for ammo and shoot the snot out of it. You won't have to worry about 'hurting' your freshly refinished gun that way. Plus, like you said, it has lots of character as it is. Enjoy it!

There has already been a lot replaced on that gun. Just looking quickly here is what I see.


Beavertail
Bushing
Trigger
sights
Thumb safety


So if you want to change things out you are not going to lose value. It is a shooter not a collector. If it shoots and you like the way it looks leave it. If not send it out for a refinish job....

Congrats and welcome to the world of 1911s.

Great looking 1911. A keeper for sure.

Looks fine. If you want to refinish it, but can't justify it because it's "just looks"......Then look into finishes that are more useful than just shelf queen looks.

Look into Melonite or Hardhat. Both offer Glock like resistance to wear and corrosion. Severns Hardhat includes fitting and lapping the slide to the frame.

I'd have them swap to a better Ed Brown grip safety, Wilson hammer & Sear, at the same time. Big $$$ refinishing is best done after your finished customizing the gun to your hands. No point in pouring refinishing money into a stock gun that's worth less than the finish.

I thought the bushing looked aftermarket, didn't even look at the beavertail, yep sure enough, good catch rellascout.

but wait, still doesn't change my opinion.
shoot it, clean it, oil it, repeat

That Colt has a great look to it, I'm a huge fan. It appears to have seen good use but its not beat up by any means - just perfect. So I personally wouldn't even think about refinishing but thats more a function of me liking the appearance so much rather than worrying about the value.

A much more knowledgeable Colt guy will probably chime in but your gun has many upgrades, some of which can require a new finish. The sights, trigger, grips, thumb safety, beavertail and barrel bushing don't appear original to my eyes. Also the ejection port is possibly lowered but definitely flared. The flared ejection port and beavertail can often require a refinish so its possible the gun was refinished once before a long time ago. Now I'm not a Colt historian but I don't think any of these came as a factory package from Colt so these were likely done after the gun left Colt.

Anyway thats just my take on it, could be wrong but either way I really like this gun. Not sure what you paid for it but it would be welcome addition to my safe.

Here is a pic of my Combat Commander in factory form so you can see the differences. Neither is better than the other in my opinion, just different.

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy15/txhorns80/IMG_0035.jpg

Congrats on your first 1911, you picked a good one!

There's somethng about the "working gun" look. If it shoots, it's good to go. I might even pay to have my Colt look like that! Welcome to the 1911 universe!

(sigh)

I'll try.

First things first, you need a reference book on the 1911 platform. IMO this is the best one ever printed:

http://www.amazon.com/Colt-45-automatic-shop-manual/dp/B0006EOLP0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1301500646&sr=8-3

Maybe more contemporary folks over on 1911forum.com can recommend something still in print. Buy a pack of A-Zoom snap caps while waiting on your book.

You'll be well served by knowing how to completely dismantle, clean and inspect the entire gun. I'd suggest at least a gunsmithing screwdriver (the best fit for the grip screws, yes?) and a brass punch to remove the mainspring housing to prevent damaging the pin or the frame.

With the basic field strip you've done, inspect the extractor and ejector for wear; look at the breech for any signs of brass smearing (someone using overpressure loads) on the steel, look for a clean, uniform tip on the firing pin in a clean, round hole in the breech face.

On the barrel, soak it overnight in Hoppes and then clean it until you can clearly see the lands and edges in the rifling. Be patient, spend extra time using a copper solvent if becesary - but please, try and leave the steel bore brush alone. You're looking for rust, nicks in the rifling, scratches (indicators of a sandy round or some such, stored in a humid environment, etc).

I use Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber in the large can. Hose the stripped components and scrub with an old toothbrush. Be in a well-ventilated area, please?

Use just a couple drops of ordinary gun oil (total) on the slide and frame rails, and give the barrel bushing a swipe with the wet Q-tip before doing the same for the lugs on the top of the barel and their corresponding points inside the slide. Use a toothpick to ensure the firing pin moves freely inside the slide assembly. No binding or grit? Good.

Load two snap caps into the magazine and cycle the slide. Engage the thumb safety, but [I]don't[I] engage the grip safety. Using little more than moderate pressure, see if the hammer will fall when the trigger is pressed. No? Good. Disengage the thumb safety and repeat the test without engaging the grip safety.

Grip the gun in a normal firing position and disengage the thumb safety. Patiently, gently apply pressure to the trigger, sensing any trigger creep, lurching, etc. The hammer should fall around 4-6 pounds unless it's been modified, and the trigger release of the sear should be a complete surprise.

Cycle the slide with some enthusiasm to validate the correct function of extractor and ejector. Examine the clean snap cap for any nicks in the rim, scratches in the wall of the case and nose of the red aluminum. Look to see that the polymer insert in the primer pocket has a centered strike (it may be difficult to see with just one pin strike).

Repeat the test above. When the slide is cycled this time, verify the slide locks open, and verify the mag release button doesn't bind when operated.

This should be enough to get you started. Get reputable, well-qualified, professional instruction into the basics of the draw, range safety, and see if you can get lucky enough to have that individual be a 1911 addict. When in doubt about anyone's credentials, trust your gut. Avoid shade-tree gunsmiths.

Looks like you have a sweet shooter. Field strip and clean it after every trip to the range and detail strip, clean and inspect it at least every quarter.

I recommend either:

http://www.slip2000.com/

or

http://militec.com/

Have fun, slow down and keep us informed, okay?

So if you want to change things out you are not going to lose value. It is a shooter not a collector. If it shoots and you like the way it looks leave it. If not send it out for a refinish job....

I agree with rellascout's logic but with one caveat: in deciding on whether to have the pistol refinished or not, it might depend on how much you paid for the pistol in the first place. If you got it for a really low price, adding the cost of a refinish might still make the final cost to you a bargain. If you paid more than you "should" have (whatever that is :confused:), the cost of a good refinishing job might make the total cost of the project more than the pistol is worth.
In any event, as others have said, the modifications already done pretty much takes the pistol out of the realm of serious collectors, so you can pretty much do whatever you want to to the gun without the worry of altering its original finish or configuration.

A-Ha!

Kunhausen's book may yet be in print!

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=199119

$28 well spent.

Jerry Kuhnhausen book is still in print: http://www.gunbooks.com/

It is a great resource.

Hey, I'm not through my first pot of coffee yet! And I'm on enough painkillers for my shoulder to soften up a wild boar!

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=13805/Product/JERRY_KUHNHAUSEN_THE_COLT__45_AUTOMATIC

I'd replace all the pins & springs (Ed Brown 1911 rebuild kit), drop in a Kart barrel (with the fit kit), go with a full-length recoil spring rod and Wolff spring, and really, really check the hammer/sear/disconnector contacts. Most of that is stuff I wouldn't recommend to a new 1911 owner and the paece may not need any of it to be a great shooter for thousands of rounds.

Learn the platform backwards and forwards first, then know the details of that pistol via a good loupe and a luxo lamp.

I bought my first 1911 40 years ago. I had to sell it to pay medical bills 14 years later, but I know there's nothing like the real thing. . .

Very nice find! And as for me, I wouldn't change it a bit, it's current look adds character to a fine piece of history.

What causes that purplish finish you sometimes see on old blued guns? Some take on that hue, while others don't. Anybody know why?

I really appreciate all the input and advice. I'm planning on taking it for a test run at the range this afternoon so I'll let you know how it does.
As to the finish, it's staying as is. I'll also be picking up the book(s) recommended to get me started along with a Ed Brown rebuild kit and a die set for the LnL progressive. Now I can do something with all that .45 brass I've been scavenging.

Thanks again. :)

+1 on the Shop Manual

What causes that purplish finish you sometimes see on old blued guns? Some take on that hue, while others don't. Anybody know why?

It has to do with the heat treatment on the steel. It is the result of the heat treating, the metallurgy of the steel and the bluing. Sometimes the combo yields a bluing which turns purple over time. You see it a lot on the HK P7 guns. The slides turn purple or plum in color.

NO full lenfth guid rod not needed Might put in new recoil spring other wise shoot it and leave as is. I bought a 1941 Colt USGI in 1980's needed a new barrel Now Remember these weren't collector gun yet . I had new barrel installed and up graded to King fixed sights.. I still have pistol and its still going strong .

Does anyone know what the "Sports West" stamp is for? This is also on interior of the slide.
When I Google "sports west 1911" and variations thereof, the closest thing I can find is this post http://www.thefirearmsforum.com/showthread.php?p=484208 where the poster says he wants his 1911s customized by "Ikey Starks of Sports West in Denver". But the trail ends there as nothing comes up for a Sports West in Denver...

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p205/stringtwelve/DSC_0259.jpg

May have been a 'smih shop that's gone out of business. Your original bushing was a collet-type, if it's a Mk IV Series of 1970.

It looks good as it is, and has two of the mods / features I'd like if I go down the 1911 road: a decent-sized beavertail, and a ring hammer. The first for hand comfort / safety, the 2d because, well, I like ring hammers ;)

How does it shoot?

timothy

So took this one out for the first test run and it functioned flawlessly with two different cheaper FMJ ammos. It seemed to like Hornady TAP as well. Below are a few more pics from the shoot and more internal details. Its been a while since I shot the handguns (been playing with the ARs) so I think I can tighten the groups even further. It does seem to be shooting 2-3" to the left at 15yds.

Typical pattern at 12-15 yards.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p205/stringtwelve/DSC_0025.jpg

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p205/stringtwelve/DSC_0015.jpg

Extractor
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p205/stringtwelve/DSC_0012.jpg

Frame wear.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p205/stringtwelve/DSC_0005.jpg

Still a beauty.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p205/stringtwelve/DSC_0018.jpg

Very nice!

That barrel may be the handiwork of a shadetree gunsmith - but as long as your groups remain that nice (just tap the rear sight s smidge with a brass punch) I'd call it good and have a tough time wiping the smile away!

:D

very nice.

Have you shot it much?

Frame wear looks slight and not recent. However, look at your slide stop and see how shiny the center is where the link rides.

Look at the barrel lug tips. From the photo it seems one tip has broken off. Not saying anything is wrong, just observing photos. Reality may be different.

Barrel has seen better days. It may be totally functional, still.

Great overall find! Hope it doesn't take much to be tiptop once more.

The barrel lugs look fine, may just be the camera angle. I may put a new one in eventually.

I have an Ed Brown rebuild kit coming to replace the pins and such. New Baer extractor and disconnect as well.

I've notice the thumb safety isn't functioning, whether by design or damage I'm not sure so I'll have to see what I can do there as well.

So far I've only run 100 rounds through it. I'm in a small town in NM so finding local FMJ is tough, that's why there are 1000 FMJ bullets on their way for my scavenged cases.