My how times change

[Whiskeyhotel2020]

Both of these are 1911-a1s from Springfield Armory. The left one was bought in the early/mid 80s. The right one was bought after 2000.

The one on the left was started off mil-spec (I don't think there was any other options in the govt model size). It was taken to Omar Casey out of Az for a trigger job and Bomar adjustable sights mounted. This was the first firearm I remember shooting. I was 6 years old that was 37 years ago. I own it now and it was the first big bore my oldest boy has fired.

The one on the right came with the ambi safety, front cocking serrations, and night sights from the factory. There has been under 1000 rounds put through this firearm. The grips are from Sid Ryan done approximately 5 years apart. This was purchased because my dad was into the old west (before the wild bunch stages were a thing) and wanted to put a two gun rig together.

I wish I had a picture of the rig he put together. It was a Kirkpatrick marshal belt and 2 Bianchi #50 Chapman high ride holsters. Hence the matching grips. One worn strong side the other worn cross draw. He didn't see a need for mag pouches considering there was a whole other loaded gun to go to.
.
The rig now is part of a display Mom put in front of the living room window. Along with his favorite boots, his glasses, pictures of mom and dad together, the flag from the VA, and various pieces of nostalgia from dad's days in the Corps. One of these days I will scrape up the dough to have a proper rig built for what my boys call "The Twins". One that would bring a smile to his face.

I have the firearm that has been in every house that I called home. That I have watched my dad put on and do countless dry fire drills with. It was the .45 that sparked a passion for the world of shooting. I will pass "The Twins" on to my boys hopefully with the stories I have shared to go with their own memories.

 

[bannockburn]

Whiskeyhotel2020

What a great story! I picked up a Springfield Armory M1911A1 sometime in the mid to late '80s, mainly with the thought of having it customized like your Dad did. I remember at the time I could have had it in .45 or 9mm., blued or parkerized and that was about it as far as the basic G.I. version went. I opted for the .45 and the parkerized finish.Around this time I decided to go back to school so customizing was put on the back burner for many years.

Then we had kids, a bigger house, new cars, and no money left over for the M1911A1. Eventually most of the manufacturers started to build their own custom guns so it was easier to buy something already to go rather than wait for a custom builder to make one for me. Still have that M1911A1 in it's original configuration along with it's box and paper work. This is what your Dad's gun might have looked like before he had it customized:

 

[Whiskeyhotel2020]

Whiskeyhotel2020

What a great story! I picked up a Springfield Armory M1911A1 sometime in the mid to late '80s, mainly with the thought of having it customized like your Dad did. I remember at the time I could have had it in .45 or 9mm., blued or parkerized and that was about it as far as the basic G.I. version went. I opted for the .45 and the parkerized finish.Around this time I decided to go back to school so customizing was put on the back burner for many years.

Then we had kids, a bigger house, new cars, and no money left over for the M1911A1. Eventually most of the manufacturers started to build their own custom guns so it was easier to buy something already to go rather than wait for a custom builder to make one for me. Still have that M1911A1 in it's original configuration along with it's box and paper work. This is what your Dad's gun might have looked like before he had it customized:
View attachment 952532

Yep that is what it looked like for about a week. From what my dad told me is that Omar was a farmer that did gun smithing as a hobby and was local which is why he went to him in the first place. I believe Omar was a fairly well known smith around Yuma. I know that the Bomars look like the grew on the slide and the trigger still breaks crisp at around 3.5 pounds. Oh and back then it had a set of pachmayr grips that wrapped around the front of the pistol grip.

 

[Whiskeyhotel2020]

The old man was a little disappointed when I chose Kimber over Springfield. I now have two full size Kimbers on in .45 the other in 10mm. I would love to hear his sarcastic remarks about how if it doesn't start with a 4 and end with a 5 it's wrong. Even though he started to gather quite a few 1911 chambered in 9mm.

 

[bannockburn]

Whiskeyhotel2020

Back when I grew up M1911A1s were relatively scarce as were Colt Governments and they were always chambered for .45 ACP. Never even saw one in 9mm and only occasionally in .38 Super. The 9mm. version was definitely the red headed step-child of the 1911 family in those days. Then Springfield Armory came along with their 1911 at a very affordable price (I seem to recall seeing ads for them in the gun magazines for $249), and were quickly snapped up by shooters and custom gunsmiths alike.

 

[whughett]

Early in my quest to own as many guns as family budget would allow I bought a M1911, no special thing about it type, from a LGS. I could not hit the barn door from inside the barn so I dumped it and a few years later when money was more plentiful and bought a series 80 GoldCup. Out of the box I could hit the bar door but as with many of my auto loaders I couldn’t hit as well as it can shoot. Many rounds and years later when the slide seemed loose it was returned to Colt for service. They tightened the slide and opened the injection port a bit, polished the feed ramp and returned it. Gratis.

Now 40 odd years later the Gold Cup is still in my procession and still hits the barn door on occasion.

After reading on several occasions a favorite authors account on a Arkansas lawman who favored the 38 Super in a 1911 style I get a hankering for one but have never pulled that trigger.

 

[bannockburn]

whughett

After reading on several occasions a favorite authors account on a Arkansas lawman who favored the 38 Super in a 1911 style I get a hankering for one but have never pulled that trigger.

I had a couple of buddies that were true .38 Super fanatics and they turned me on to the cartridge. At the time Colt Governments were sort of hard to come by in .38 Super but it seemed like Commanders and Combat Commanders were readily available and that's what we use to go with.

Years later I was reading an article in a Gun Digest I had where the author was extolling the virtues of the .38 Super and then made mention of the fact that it was vey easy to convert a .38 Super Government to 9mm. All you needed was a 9mm. barrel assembly and some 9mm. magazines and with a little if any fitting, you were good to go with shooting 9mm. in your gun!

As this was the pre-Internet days and .38 Super ammo was typically hard to come by locally, the 9mm. conversion to my Combat Commander was a welcome addition to my collection, as well as making for less expensive range sessions.

Unfortunately I had to sell that Combat Commander and I went for a number of years without a gun in .38 Super. Then one weekend while walking the aisles at the local gun show I saw a Colt .38 Super on a dealer's table. It was a new and very affordable Commander with a matte stainless slide and silver Cerakoted aluminum frame. I couldn't get my wallet out fast enough and shortly thereafter I ordered a complete 9mm. assembly from Storm Lake Barrels and some Colt 9mm. magazines from CDNN. The barrel fit just fine with out the need for any fitting and the whole thing worked to perfection!

 

[Whiskeyhotel2020]

I don't have any experience with .38 super. From what I've read it is under rated as a street round.

 

[bannockburn]

Whiskeyhotel2020

For a number of years factory .38 Super ammo was loaded on the light side as there were older guns that fired the .38 Auto (or .38 ACP), cartridge but could also chamber the more powerful .38 Super round. These guns (Model 1900 and 1902), were not designed to handle the extra pressure of the .38 Super and might come apart and injure the shooter if used in these guns. Current .38 Super +P factory loads have plenty of horsepower on tap as some Buffalo Bore loads (115 gr. and 124 gr. JHPs), can reach between 1300 to 1400 fps.

 

[nofendertom]

Almost all of the IPSC shooters I knew in the mid 1980s would use an after market barrel (Wilson or such) claiming that they were more accurate and reliable
because they head spaced on the case mouth rather than the semi-rimmed Colt barrel.

 

[bannockburn]

nofendertom

I remember those old Colt barrels that head spaced on the rim. Some ammo could be right on target while another brand could be all over the map! Once you found a certain brand of ammo that had the right rim size for your gun (and in return gave you decent accuracy), you saved every last empty case you could find, scouring the floor of the range for them! These cases were to be cherished and carefully handled as you would reload them again and again until they couldn't be used anymore. Thankfully with the Bar-Sto barrels head spacing on the case mouth, Colt saw the light and those old barrels eventually became a thing of the past.

 

[nofendertom]

Never had a .38Super---too involved with .45 1911s and .45 Revolvers. The OP's Springfield mil-spec is done up the same as my IPSC Colt---could have been twins !

 

[Whiskeyhotel2020]

My dad always wanted to have a Bar-Sto barrel fitted to the Omar Casey but the thing shoots great and he figured if it ain't broke leave it alone.

 

[Old Dog]

Whiskeyhotel2020

What a great story! I picked up a Springfield Armory M1911A1 sometime in the mid to late '80s, mainly with the thought of having it customized like your Dad did. I remember at the time I could have had it in .45 or 9mm., blued or parkerized and that was about it as far as the basic G.I. version went. I opted for the .45 and the parkerized finish.Around this time I decided to go back to school so customizing was put on the back burner for many years.

Then we had kids, a bigger house, new cars, and no money left over for the M1911A1. Eventually most of the manufacturers started to build their own custom guns so it was easier to buy something already to go rather than wait for a custom builder to make one for me. Still have that M1911A1 in it's original configuration along with it's box and paper work. This is what your Dad's gun might have looked like before he had it customized:
View attachment 952532

Man, I had that exact gun -- the pre-Mil-Spec -- bought it at SoCal Guns in San Diego in 1991. Had some King's "Hardball" sights (white outline rear, white post front) put on it and some Pachmyr grip panels and it was my favorite 1911 for years.

 

[rdnktrkr]

I have a stainless Springfield and love it, I've been looking at changing the grips but besides that I like it as is, I rarely carry it only bringing it out when we have our bbq/range day and then use it sparingly

 

[Charlie98]

My first 1911 was a Colt stainless... and it wasn't much of a pistol; it suffered from the poor QC '80's era Colts are known for, so I sold it... for a Springfield stainless government model. It was quite a pistol... it was tight, far tighter than the Colt, and shot well. It did have one little 'issue'... it liked to fling brass at my head. I got so I would wear a baseball cap with the brim pulled low as a brass deflector... although one did sneak in, wedge itself between my eyebrow and shooting glasses, and give me a little 'branding.' I called it The Wretch after that... and eventually sold it off... to my brother, who never had a problem with it, and still has it today.

Knowing now what I didn't know then, I could have fixed it with a new extractor, but back then I was afraid to take it apart. It still has the same extractor...