Just in case there haven't been enough Delta Elite projects...

[Tamara]

...lately:

I've had mine now for about a month, and work proceeds apace, handled by Shannon Jennings in TN.

Good things from previous owners:
1) The cheesy factory plastic MSH had been replaced.
2) The factory guide rod and recoil spring had been replaced.
3) The factory grips had been replaced.
4) The front sight and plunger tube had been restaked.
5) The ramp and throat area had been nicely touched up.
6) The factory grip safety had been replaced with a beavertail unit.
7) The factory extractor, which had the tension of al dente angel hair pasta, is gone and has been replaced with a Wilson unit.

Indifferent things:
1) The factory guide rod had been replaced with a full-length unit, 20# spring and shok-buf. I'm not real cool on FLGR's, normally, but that "Sean" dude (10mm 1911 freak that he is... ) convinced me that they may have a small benefit on Deltas. What the heck, I'll keep it.
2) The wood grips are prettier than the factory rubber ones, but not much. I ended up yanking them and replacing them with the factory units, albeit with the frontstrap part cut off and replaced with skateboard tape.

Less than good things:
1) The replacement MSH was an icky, arched cast "checkered" unit from JoeBobCo's House Of Mainspring Housings. It's gone and replaced with a 30-lpi flat Ed Brown unit.
2) The "drop in" beavertail is ghey, and has to go. I see another Ed Brown part in my future.
3) It needs an extended thumb safety if it's going to go into heavy rotation in my carry battery.
4) The standard Colt sights, while equipped with three dots, are less than optimal. I have a scheme to convert a set of Trijicons into a set of "no-snag" CCW sights that are rounded in the proper direction, yet will still allow using the sights for field-expedient one-hand cocking. Watch this space...

 

[WonderNine]

Beavertail?

Do you think it really need the full length guide rod?

 

[Sean Smith]

ghey

You can do up Yost-Bonitz sights like the one on my gun with Tritum, but you have to go with a bar-dot setup instead of 3 dots. On the upside, they are no-snag, have a nice big notch, and are good for the 1-handed clearing deal. Also, Ted's sights are very reasonably priced.

About grips... you can get high-zoot wood grips from Pickagrip.com (Ahrends and Spiegels and so forth), and I hear they will logo 'em up for you, too. Just an idea.

Of course, I can talk about 10mm 1911s all day... and have done so in the past.

 

[Rob96]

The stock sights work pretty well on my Colt. Plastic mainspring housing does what it is suppose to do. I am like you as well, that I don't like flgr, especially the two piece ones. The regular grip safety works for me, but then I am not shooting 10mm, so I don't know if that would make a difference. But truth be told, I would like to add Trijicons to mine also.

 

[BigG]

Welcome to the club! I've got a set of black stocks with logo made from that electronics board I can't think of the name of that they use for knife handles all the time. The one with the cloth layers.

Glad you ain't a pansy like some people!

 

[agtman]

Tamara:

I've been real happy with the Ed Brown parts that were installed on my DE, including the BTGS and the extended thumb saftey (mine's an ambi). 'Course, 90% of the battle is having such parts installed competently.

On the sights, I can't recommend the tritium Novaks enough, especially their "Xtreme Duty" adj rear sight. Low profile and snag-free, like the fixed version, but the XD's adjustability let's you "dail-in" your 10mm load of choice. Great for CCW or target work.

Enjoy your custom Delta (but you owe us pics when it's finished. )

 

[HankL]

What in the world is

2) The "drop in" beavertail is ghey,

I thought I was keeping up with what was available for our favorite, near 100 year old design. Drop in beavertails are ugly but perhaps there is some underlying meaning here that I don't understand.

 

[boing]

I believe it's a phonetic euphemism.

 

[Bergeron]

There can never be too many Delta projects going! I really enjoy seeing what ya'll are doing with these pistols, and have yet to see one that was not wonderfully turned out.

Keep up the good work.

 

[Nightcrawler]

Agree. Beavertails are icky.

Geez, Tamara, why not machine some front serrations onto it and convert it to .45ACP while you're at it?



I kid, I kid. I'm sure it's a great pistol, even with the beavertail.

 

[Tamara]

Nightcrawler,

While I've always thought that beavertails were no great shakes in the aesthetics department, I have to admit that they help my shooting immensely, between allowing a much higher hold on the gun and funnelling my hand into a good grip on the presentation. As always, YMMV...

 

[Nightcrawler]

Tam:

Yeah, I know, but I just had to rib you.

 

[AndABeer]

All these damn Delta posts are getting to me too.

I've one at the smith right now and was quoted nine months though I expect it'll be sooner.

Also have my 5" bull barrel damascus Caspian project there so I should have lots o' pics of 10mm 1911s in a few months.

 

[ElToro]

memo to self....

beat self up one more time for selling Delta, i was 22 i needed the money

 

[kalibear45]

memo to self....

beat self up one more time for not buying it from ElToro when he had it for sale

 

[ElToro]

the worst part is, i know the guy i sold it to pretty well, and he refuses to even consider selling it back at an even higher price !

memo to Colt... make a commander 10mm !