New Pic. of Old Gun

[polygonal]

My S.A Mil-Spec. Still one of my favorites. Gotta love it because it never ever had a problem after 7-1/2 yrs of shooting all kinds of HPs and truncated cone. Keep the chamber and ramps polished like chrome.

[collim1]

Looks like you need to shoot it more. There is almost no wear at all:)

I dont even see a idiot mark, mine has one and it is only a year old.;f

[Robert McLeod]

How can you tell from that pic if it has an idiot mark?

By the way very nice looking gun!

[calveryc]

Forgive me but what is the idiot mark?

[trio]

many people will scratch the frame when installing the slide stop while reassembling a 1911...

[polygonal]

My gun has been touched slightly with a blueing pen. Around the edges at the points that wear by holstering and drawing. Otherwise the gun is pretty clean. I baby all my guns. The other side has a light scratch mark that didn't go through the blue so it's not noticable usless you hold it up to the light but it is from installing the slide stop. The picture came out better than I expected for such an old used gun and that's why I posted it. It's my tribute to the 1911 and thought I'd share it. Nothing like a piece of military weaponry in your hands. Here it is in it's favorite holster. Comp-Tac Paddle.

[RED64CJ5]

Very nice! The condition of that pistol shows that you take very good care of it.

[polygonal]

I am very proud of my Mil-Spec because I customized myself to be 100% reliable with all ammo including Hollow Points, semi-wad cutters and truncated cone. I was lucky enough to stumble across an article written by John L. Marshal. I was on an FBI ammo info. site and found it in a link. It writes in detail how to customize your basic Mil-Spec using files and a dremel tool. It's not for everyone to be sure but if your handy with tools and have patience while working you can customize your own gun. It worked perfectly! Did this a couple months after buying my 1911. It would occasionally jam with a certain type of hollow point and regularly with any truncated cone. I had to create a beveled edge on the inner roof of the chamber where it meets the slide. This slight bevel eliminates a catch area where truncated cone ammo or semi-wad cutters catch. Used dremel then sandpaper then polish. Also had to slightly reshape the edge of the barrel feed ramp where it meets the chamber. This edge is slightly sharp and needs to be rounded off without changing the angle of the feed ramp. "Got to be careful there". Had to polish the frame feed ramp also without changing the angle. Had to polish the inner roof of the chamber where the bullet tip first hits the roof. This area should be polished like glass. When the tip of any bullet hits it'll just straighten right out because of the smoothness. I had to file and create a "Very" slight bevel at the bottom portion of the ejector where the rim of the case comes up into place. This assures proper grip on the case by the ejector every time. This part was tuff because it is such a small area to create a 45-degree bevel. There is actually two bevels to be made here at the two intersecting points. Polished the already lowered and flared ejection port. Polished the lugs slots in the slide so that the barrel falls right into place each time it re-engages the slide. Bought a new heavy duty Wilson Combat recoil spring #18 (heavier than the stock one) and a couple Wilsion Combat mags.(They also have heavier springs.) I also have a couple of the higher quality Chip McCormick Mags that have been flawless as well. These modifications worked great. Have had zero malfunctions in 7-1/2 years and counting. I do keep the feed ramps and chamber polished as regular maintenance. This worked so well I did similar work on my Berretta Tomcat .32 and my Browning Buckmark .22 with the same results…No more malfunctions. I now keep the ramps and chambers polished on my Glocks and Sigs as well. Very light polishing by hand with a gun patch and polishing compound will do on the ramps and chamber.

To boil it down I re-throated the barrel, polished the feed ramps, modified the ejector, de-burred the slide and got a heavier recoil spring and new mags with heavier springs.

I did a little cosmetic work on this 1911 also. I re-painted the grips with a rubber compound paint that facilitates a more positive grip. I did the criss-cross thing with black and green rubberized paint to mimic Kimber and other designs. I polished the exterior of the chamber just for looks and the barrel tip (the part that shows) and the Bushing. This is now my tactical .45 A.C.P. 1911.

[freepatriot]

Originally posted by Robert McLeod
How can you tell from that pic if it has an idiot mark?


Exactly. We would have to see the other side of the gun for that.

[polygonal]

Originally posted by scottauld
Exactly. We would have to see the other side of the gun for that.

Here's the other side of my 1911. It's not as pretty as the right side but there's no really visible dummy mark. Like I said I did ever so slightly mark the slide and frame with the slide lock a couple times but it's hard to see. Mostly just wear from holstering. Shoots like a champ though. One other little trick I did was to put a little gummy material in the groove that the bushing locks into. This gives the bushing a very tight fit as if it were match grade. Keeps my shots nice and tight even at 25yrds. The gummy material is called stay puddy. It's found in craft stores and is used to stablize pictures on the wall. Just a littel dab will do. It doesn't disolve with cleaning and doesn't leave the channel. Works great. Until I can afford a real match grade 1911 this will have to do.