Many of you on this forum know or know of Steve Morrison of MARS Armament, who is a member of this forum. Over the past several months I have been exchanging emails and phone calls with Steve in an attempt to nail down the details of a 1911 that I wanted him to build for me. During this process, Steve lived up to his reputation of being a true class act. Before I ever sent him a dime, he took the time to answer my questions about the build and never seemed to tire of emails or calls even though it took time away from his work bench and his life outside of work. After I sent him the funds for my build the communication lines remained open, and I was privliged to be able to discuss not only my 1911 and other 1911's, but also various topics related to shooting, business, and life in general. Steve kept me informed on the progress of my build... Then one day I got an email from him with a rather large attachment:
This 1911 is based on a Colt 1918 "Black Army" which is a variation of the WWI reissue that Colt released a year of so ago. This variation is supposed to be a reproduction of the 1911 Colt made in 1918 with a Black Oxide finish as opposed to the brushed blue of the earlier release of the WWI guns, which a had the WMK in the serial number instead of the current suffix "WWI." Since I am somewhat nostalgic, I opted for a build based on the 1918 Colt instead of the more popular choice of the new Series 70. I wanted a basic 1911 with the essential modern refinements such as Heinie sights, beavertail grip safety, a medium tactical thumb safety, medium lightweight trigger, and of course quality parts properly fitted. The features Steve offered in his package named the "Axiom" fit the bill perfectly with the only real addition being the flush muzzle crown.
The features Steve offers in the Axiom package are as follows:
All parts inspected and hand fit
COLT forged frame and slide
COLT cold hammer forged barrel
COLT Commander hammer
MARS tool steel sear
MARS heavy duty, fitted firing pin stop
MARS solid aluminum or STI carbon fiber trigger
MARS forged plunger tube bonded to frame
MARS reliability package w/long life, corrosion resistant spring kit
MARS Gen 1 Integrated Lanyard Attachment Point mainspring housing
Novak cross dovetail front sight with tritium insert and white outline
Heinie Slant pro low mount rear sight with widened notch
Custom contoured thumb safety
High grip beavertail with memory pad- (grooves/no grooves)
Beveled magazine well
Smooth, reliable trigger pull
Dehorn of sharp edges for carry
Parkerized finish per U.S. MIL SPEC DOD-P-16232F Type M
Includes COLT factory box, manual, lock and 2 magazines
Although I have not fired any rounds through it yet, I could not be more pleased with the end product so far. I cannot wait to take this pistol to the range and have no doubt that it will perform as well as it looks. So, I thought I would share my excitement and some pictures.
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