Where is such a 1911 available, at any cost?

[Mulliga]

I'm looking for a 1911 with:

1. Full length aluminum frame (or similarly lightweight frame - no polymer, please )
2. Traditional internal extractor
3. No extra firing pin safety of any kind
4. 4-1/4" barrel
5. No weirdness (SA's ILS/firing pin, for example) and as little MIM as humanly possible

AFAIK, #3 rules out Kimbers and S&W. I'm not really in the mood for another Springfield Armory (see #5 - a lot of little "differences" that never quite sat right with me - and the "Made in Brazil" was just straight-up embarrassing). And Colt's lightweights are either XSE (series 80) or CCOs (Gunsite CCO).

Going more expensive, the Baers, Browns, and Wilsons all seem to come in steel.

Maybe a 1970s vintage pre-Series 80 Colt Commander? Or a little-known custom 1911 maker? Or how do I go about building this myself?

EDIT: mods, posted in General, should be in Autoloaders. Sorry!

 

[Jim Watson]

Your problem is a shortage of aluminum frames. Colt, Kimber, S&W and S.A. sell guns on them but they all have disqualifying characteristics on your specs. Baer quit making aluminum framed guns, Caspian quit making aluminum frames (and can't get titanium from Ruger), and Wilson doesn't catalog any lightweight gun except maybe the Sentinel which is a subcompact.

You might call Wilson or Nighthawk and see if they will do a full custom on an aluminum receiver if they have some source of the part. It won't be cheap.

Otherwise, you seem to be limited to haunting the stores and shows for a pre-80 Commander to have fixed up to suit yourself.

 

[ugaarguy]

Mulliga, cost no object, Caspian offers a Titanium commander frame for $375. After that I'm sure Yost, Brown, Wilson, Baer, Stroh, Jardine, or one of many others will happily build that frame up exactly to your specs - for the right amount of money of course. Best bet is to e-mail several and ask for a quote on a gun built to your specs. I'm sure it can be done, just how much more for the alloy frame is the question.

 

[Dave T]

For over 20 years my favorite carry gun was the original Colt Commander (alloy frame). I had 4 of them, because I cracked the frame on the first three. Each one was lightly customized, i.e. sights, trigger work, grip safety & checkering.

I finally learned my lession and currently shoot/carry a Wilson KZ-45 Compact. Yea, it has a polymer frame. That frame has already lasted longer (through more shooting) that two of my cracked Commanders.

The reason several of the major custom gun builders quit offering alloy framed guns is they just don't hold up to a lot of use. The pounding of shooting work hardens the aluminum and it becomes brittle and eventually cracks. Just the nature of the material you're dealing with.

Dave

 

[Otherguy Overby]

Try SV: http://sviguns.com/

 

[Josh Aston]

yep if you have to have the full length aluminum frame, then SV and possibly STI are going to be your only bets.

 

[orionengnr]

#3 does not rule out Kimber

Only the Series II Kimbers.

Find a pre-Series II Pro CDP. Alloy frame, Pre-Series 80 type action (no firing pin or Swarz-type safety), internal extractor. They are the Kimbers that earned Kimber a great rep...the later ones are the ones that undermined that rep.

Note--they are not easy to find, and may not be cheap. There are reasons for this.

 

[Old Fuff]

If you start with a pre-1965 Colt Commander you would have a forged/machined aluminum frame and all "real steel" lockwork. And it would be totally lacking all of the recent "improvements" inflicted on current production. Nice examples are getting hard to find, but they are out there.

You can have any one but mine...

 

[BullfrogKen]

1. Low cost option - Search the gun classified boards and auction sites for a Colt LW Commander made before the series 80 system.

2. Any cost option - Call Jim Garthwaite. He can get the forged aluminum frames you want, and build it for you.


Option 3. - The Colt series 80 modification really is not that much of an issue. I would not buy a new Kimber, either. I can't get around the system they've gone with. But, the Colt series 80 system really is ok. I can live with it.

 

[tenbase]

you could always make your own

 

[TMM]

what about a Taurus? only thing is that the barrel is 5".

~tmm

 

[Jim Watson]

It isn't aluminum, either.
The Taurus website is just wrong.

 

[saspic]

http://www.freepatriot.com/removeseries80.php

This website is where I learned how to remove the Series 80 firing pin safety. All you need is a $4 metal shim from Brownell's. Now I have a "Series 70" Delta Elite (which was never offered)!

 

[ugaarguy]

You might send a PM to deezulsmoke; take a look at this thread http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=214237

 

[45crittergitter]

Baer definitely makes those.