Nothing quite like an old Colt... they all tell a story, some are shorter than others and some more interesting than others but in any case all of these guns seem to have a bit of a story. I’m sure if this gun could talk it would have a story too and being “born” in 1943 it had the potential to have been lively one. Yet no matter how good, it seems all stories must come to an end but when this gun came across my bench I knew it was time for a new chapter.
Some would say that it’s a sin to build a custom on a base gun like this, especially considering that aside from a few dents and dings it was in excellent shape when the customer sent it to the shop... judging from its pre-build condition it appeared that this gun may not have had an interesting story after all. Were it the last ‘living‘ example of a USGI Colt I may have hesitated for a second before I put the file and Foredom to work but in the end the customer had a vision for what he wanted and this somewhat unique base gun played a major part. Still others would have you believe that a USGI gun of this vintage makes for a ’poor candidate’ or is a horrible base gun altogether. I suppose that can be true depending on the specific gun but like most Colts, whether it be from 1943 or 2003, they all require a little bit extra effort and a bit more work here and there. Truth is that’s the fun part of building on Colts and since this gun seemed like it had yet to get its fill of adventure I was happy to accommodate and hopefully add a bit to its story.
This gun is also a “twin” or more like a sequel to a hard chromed gun I built for the customer back in 2007. The hard chromed gun rides in his duty holster and he thought it would be neat to make this one a back-up of sorts. As is typical with builds from our shop I started with a weld-up frame and slide fit and from there fit up a Kart barrel and EGW barrel bushing. All lines were straightened and the gun was detailed, the front strap and mainspring housing were hand-checkered at 30lpi, the mag-well was beveled, the slide was bordered, and the slide top was flattened and serrated in our curved arrow pattern featuring two points. The slide is topped with our Professional Grade sights with 3-dot tritium inserts and the slide rear is serrated at 50lpi to match the rear sight. An S&A grip safety pivots on an EGW machined thumb safety, the mag-catch is slightly extended and angled back, and best quality internals are used throughout such as a Wilson Bulletproof extractor and ejector, Wilson hammer, and tool steel sear and disconnect. Rounding out the gun is a polished the blue finish and Spegel Cocobolo stocks. I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story, enjoy...
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Paulinski
Bookmarks