Rebirth of a Kimber

[Fulliautomatix]

A while back I picked up my very first 1911(A1) pattern pistol, a nicely broken in Kimber Custom II.

Exhibit A


Being the mechanical guy I am, I soon had it apart in a pile on my work bench with MidwayUSA open on the browser near by. :lol:

Did some research and pinged a few 1911 enthusiasts I rub elbows with and ordered a new spring set, grips & screws, firing pin, & steel MSH. In the mean time I brought the slide, frame and a couple baggies of parts over to Tyler at Ion Coatings in Menlo, GA. A couple weeks of anxiously waiting... and was able to pick it up at the shop yesterday afternoon. Put it back together last night.

I must say, yet another beautiful thing about 1911 is the simplicity of design. Having only done it once before, I was able to put it back together w/o instructions or parts left over. Ok, slight correction, I had a FPB and spring left over, but that was by design.

Here it is, with a fresh coat of flat dark earth Cerakote on frame/slide, and external parts in graphite black with matched sheen.

New steel mainspring housing

... same gun with light grips.

Now I just need to get it out back and put a box of ammo through it to break in the rails.

Hat's off to Tyler, he does fine work and is great to do business with. I don't hesitate in recommending his shop for any coating/refinishing needs you may have.

 

[Walkalong]

Very nice. I prefer the dark grips. (as if my opinion mattered)

 

[Fulliautomatix]

Very nice. I prefer the dark grips. (as if my opinion mattered)

I do too, it's nice to have confirmation though.

 

[788Ham]

You'se two guys are going to get me started on these 1911 autos, all I've got are revolvers. Fullauto, you've got a very nice arm there, never gave it a thought 35 years ago someone would come up with an idea, as to color them, very nice job, with either set of grips! LOL

 

[Greg528iT]

The workmanship looks great.

I like the darker grips as well. But hey a sale is a sale. Maybe your next one you will do with a darker finish on the frame. in the, I had to buy a new gun to go with the grips I already had.

 

[wojownik]

I have to say, that looks rather nice! Like the darker grips too.

 

[W.E.G.]

I much prefer the way it looked before the paint job.

Sorry.

 

[wh!plash]

Great work on the paintjob. Looks like factory from the pics. I think the only thing keeping someone from mistaking it for a Desert Warrior would be the front checkering.

I have to admit personally I like the look of a well-loved 1911 though. I've been hesitating getting my daily carry refinished too. Its maybe even a bit more carried than your 'before' pics.

 

[Fulliautomatix]

No apologies necessary fellas, we just show our firearms love in different ways. With regular carry in the humid climate here things were starting to oxidize too quickly for my liking. An old school parkerizing was also under consideration for a while, but have heard nothing but good things about cerakote finishes.

The factory Kimber Desert Warrior also has the rail, internal extractor, ambi-safety and lanyard loop on the MSH.

 

[SwampWolf]

I think dark brown or dark green grips would make for a great contrast against the "dark earth" colored finish. Nice looking pistol in any event.

 

[hawkeye10]

Soooo sweeet. I like the dark grips best. Don

 

[1KPerDay]

Nice job, well done. I prefer the "pre" photo also, but that's the beauty of guns. Everyone has a different opinion.

BTW you must have big hands... that thing looks like a toy up there.

 

[bannockburn]

Put me down as another one who prefers the dark grips; just makes for a nice contrast with the Cerakote finish. Looks like a job well done.

 

[Fulliautomatix]

BTW you must have big hands... that thing looks like a toy up there.

Ha, you're the second person to point that out after seeing that photo. I suppose they are big, but I was born wit'em.