The 1911 Handgun Picture Thread

[gaijin]

Fun project.
Just remember what Patton said about MOP Grips. : )

[Diamondback]

Fun project.
Just remember what Patton said about MOP Grips. : )

Yeah, but the pearl grips on this one ended up being because two parallel projects reconverged. (The original plan was WWII fiber and Parkerize; the other project was a writer friend challenged me to spec out a pistol I'd build for one of her characters, which I used my existing work as a springboard on, and then my gal chimed in and insisted that I combine the mechanicals of the original with the aesthetics of the offshoot.) Intended finish is a dark metallic teal, kind of like if you took a '57 Bel Air, dressed it up a little and then added a sinister twist.

Funny thing, the whole driving concept on a 7" magnum longslide was to create a pistol that if Uncle Frank had been sent back to 1944 with it to kill Nazis for Patton again, his old boss would be asking "who built this for you and how soon can he build me one?" (Patton was unimpressed with .45s after he was introduced to .357 Magnum, but I'll bet a .450SMC would have changed his tune nicely, especially with the improved ballistics from 2" more barrel.)

[sadmin]

[Ned Christiansen]

Another cracked barrel came my way recently. Not sure if this was stainless, I'll dig it out and check, but this was not a squib. This was this barrel's way of saying, "I've HAD it! Thirty years of nothing but pin loads with a power factor of 205 to 215? I quit!!"


This one was stainless, a BarSto installed in 1991. Pinloads claim another victim. This barrel probably has about 30000 on it.


A recent custom 1911.

Cradled in what is probably part of the grandpa of the tree I took the Osage Orange from for the grips. A fencepost that was likely put in the ground in the 1920’s; taken out in the 2000’s. The gun's S/N is laser engraved into the barrel..... most of it is cloned out here.


Osage Orange grain sometimes is so dense that at first the grips look like orange plastic. But it's really quite striking once the personality starts to come out.

[gaijin]

Very nice classic 1911 Ned.

I remember years back working a set of Osage stocks for a m19 S&W.
I hadn’t worn a mask while finish sanding the stocks and obviously breathed in a lot of the dust.
Felt like I had Bronchitis for a few day after that.

[Diamondback]

Ned, any advice for maximizing longevity with hot loads? The build I'm working on is a .450 SMC, and while it's supposed to be less battering than .45 Super I'd bet it's still a bit stouter than pin loads. Operational concept is ACP regular or +P for "normal" training and EDC, SMC for Serious Work.

[gaijin]

I’d offer this;
I run JMBs original Flat Bottom Firing Pin Stop and heavier Mainspring in a .38 Super running really hot loads.
Really heavy recoil springs are counter productive in that they slam slide into battery considerably more forcefully, which negatively affects rate of fire/controllability, while not providing as much recoil battering as most think.

[Diamondback]

Thanks, Gaijin. At this point on a 7", so far we're looking at a 20lb recoil spring and 23lb mainspring, and assuming shock-buffs changed regularly as part of routine inspection and maintenance. Heavy duty FP stop too.

[gaijin]

The now common radiused Firing Pin Stop provides a mechanical advantage for slide cocking hammer.
The Flat Bottom FPS negates that advantage, effectively slowing slide velocity, as slide must work harder to overcome the flat bottom of stop.
While this is obviously a fairly minor thing, it helps.
It can certainly be felt when racking slide by hand, which is main reason the radiused FPS is used now. Easier hand cycling.

[Ned Christiansen]

What gaijin said. And make sure the barrel is stopping its rear movement but impacting high on the lower foot, and not low. That can cause the foot to break off or tear out.