Eightball
Member
Alright, so I have a 5" Kimber Tactical Custom II. This last winter, it was my "winter CCW" piece, just to try CCWing a 1911. It worked.
Anyhow, this summer, I have a couple of options for the thing, and I'm not sure what the "correct" order would be in which to complete them, as I don't know which would affect the other.
One option: My Kimber's an old external extractor model. It's not given me any problems like you hear about with the 4" and 3" models. Possibly, though, I might see what Kimber could do for me in regards to "swapping" top ends. That being said....it "ain't broke", and it's decently accurate, and I'm worried that it might wind up either A) costing some money or B) screwing up the accuracy to fix what (to me) isn't a problem. This is purely just me doing some musings.....as it "ain't broke" on my firearm.
The more relevant options, and the reasons for this thread: Refinishing and a trigger job. The trigger's got creep, and I want it fixed up, so a trigger job is in order (I'm thinking Clark Custom here, but am open to suggestions). From what I understand, Kimber parts work well for trigger work, so that could cut down on some of the cost (once again...the parts ain't broke....).
However, I'm also thinking of getting the pistol refinished. I bought it used, and there's some notable holster wear on it at the usual locations. The slide is some crazy hard metal, and won't take cold bluing (I've tried), so I'm thinking of possibly getting the gun refinished. I hear good things about the durability of Melonite, but cannot find any information/costs for the process. I also hear good things about Robar and NP3 coating. Another catch: my gun has an older two-tone look that I kinda like, and kind of want to keep; I don't want this thing to turn into another "all black" 1911. The frame is an aluminum alloy, so I don't know how that would affect possible options for a refinish job. If I went with melonite....can they "color" it so that it would keep the grey look of the frame, and make the slide that nifty black color? Does melonite, robar, or NP3 work well with an aluminum alloy, and can they futz with the color to keep the "two tone" bit?
And so....my plans for the pistol this summer are to get a trigger job, and possible refinishing. That being said.....which should come first? Do I get the trigger job done and "out of the way", and hope that a refinish wouldn't affect it? Should I get the refinish done first, just to be on the safe side? I cannot decide, and don't know which option makes the most sense to pursue first. Please help.
I'm open to suggestions on where to look for which processes (trigger job, melonite refinishing, robar refinish, NP3 refinish, other refinish).
And, just to get a sense of the "two tone" look I'm trying to keep (and an idea of some of the holster wear), pictures!
Note the wear on the extractor---similar wear is on the front of the slide:
Other side:
Indoor picture, you can see some of the wear on the frame's finish (though the slide is a .22 conversion):
Anyhow, this summer, I have a couple of options for the thing, and I'm not sure what the "correct" order would be in which to complete them, as I don't know which would affect the other.
One option: My Kimber's an old external extractor model. It's not given me any problems like you hear about with the 4" and 3" models. Possibly, though, I might see what Kimber could do for me in regards to "swapping" top ends. That being said....it "ain't broke", and it's decently accurate, and I'm worried that it might wind up either A) costing some money or B) screwing up the accuracy to fix what (to me) isn't a problem. This is purely just me doing some musings.....as it "ain't broke" on my firearm.
The more relevant options, and the reasons for this thread: Refinishing and a trigger job. The trigger's got creep, and I want it fixed up, so a trigger job is in order (I'm thinking Clark Custom here, but am open to suggestions). From what I understand, Kimber parts work well for trigger work, so that could cut down on some of the cost (once again...the parts ain't broke....).
However, I'm also thinking of getting the pistol refinished. I bought it used, and there's some notable holster wear on it at the usual locations. The slide is some crazy hard metal, and won't take cold bluing (I've tried), so I'm thinking of possibly getting the gun refinished. I hear good things about the durability of Melonite, but cannot find any information/costs for the process. I also hear good things about Robar and NP3 coating. Another catch: my gun has an older two-tone look that I kinda like, and kind of want to keep; I don't want this thing to turn into another "all black" 1911. The frame is an aluminum alloy, so I don't know how that would affect possible options for a refinish job. If I went with melonite....can they "color" it so that it would keep the grey look of the frame, and make the slide that nifty black color? Does melonite, robar, or NP3 work well with an aluminum alloy, and can they futz with the color to keep the "two tone" bit?
And so....my plans for the pistol this summer are to get a trigger job, and possible refinishing. That being said.....which should come first? Do I get the trigger job done and "out of the way", and hope that a refinish wouldn't affect it? Should I get the refinish done first, just to be on the safe side? I cannot decide, and don't know which option makes the most sense to pursue first. Please help.
I'm open to suggestions on where to look for which processes (trigger job, melonite refinishing, robar refinish, NP3 refinish, other refinish).
And, just to get a sense of the "two tone" look I'm trying to keep (and an idea of some of the holster wear), pictures!
Note the wear on the extractor---similar wear is on the front of the slide:
Other side:
Indoor picture, you can see some of the wear on the frame's finish (though the slide is a .22 conversion):
