So forgive me if I have offended the 1911 gods, but my first pistol was an RIA 1911 tac. I know, I know, phillipino piece of junk. It was quickly replaced by Glocks as I began to do more serious shooting.

Now I am getting a hankering to return to the 1911, and I am wondering if it is possible to do so with the gun I currently have. For the record, it has just north of 1k rounds through it (I'd estimate 1300 or so) totally trouble free.

However, the finish is crap (very poorly done Nickel), and I question the longevity of some of the internal parts. I haven't been able to do a full detail strip of the gun as the ambi safety (a part I would be totally happy to do away with), but I am doubtful that most of the internal bits are up to par. They've done fine with 1k rounds but I'd like to work this gun up to be able to take a little more than that.

So, first things first - who should I be looking at for a refinish, and what kind of job should I look at to replace the nickel, and what should I expect to pay for it? I don't want to break the bank on something like Robar - I'd rather spend that money on smithing than on the finish - but something decent like hard chrome from a respectable outfit would be nice.

Secondly, I would like to get it done up by a decent gunsmith at some point. I have read that many gunsmiths will not work on the foreign pistols (which strikes me as odd given that most SAs are still built on brazilian frames...). What is the rationale behind this? are there any who would take my gun that are worth spending coin on? I probably won't want to go all out - just have it cut for decent sights, probably replace the internal parts that need it, etc...

Let me know if any or all of this project is foolish. I am really only looking into this for the pistols' sentimental value - if I wanted a truly nice high end 1911 I'd look at a WC or something similar, but I want to be able to do this in pieces, starting with the finish, so that in a couple years I have a decent 1911 that I would be comfortable carrying and that would be the basis for a second 1911 purchase further down the line.