Re: Show me yours I\'ll show you mine.
Gunsmithing is part and parcel of my firearms hobby. So, a year or two back I, like many firearms enthusiasts who like the Model 1911 Govt .45 pistol, decided to customize, and "hop up" a "stock" pistol. The difference is I performed the majority of the customization myself; excluding only installation of the front/rear sights (don't have the proper milling machine to do the job right myself) and re-bluing (too messy and toxic). The latter two outsourced tasks were done by King's Gun Works in Glendale, California. My tasks included, among other things:
- install/fit new match barrel, bushing, barrel lug and swing link (Storm Lake)
- polish barrel hood and feed ramp
- tuned extractor
- scallop the ejection port
- checker frontstrap (buggered this job a bit, but hey it was my first try ever)
- replaced all pins and springs with Ed Brown & Wolff parts
- complete trigger job: install new skeletonized trigger, match sear, commander hammer, extended safety
- bevel magazine well
- install/fit beavertail grip safety
- added new rosewood grips (for aesthetics)
All in all, about 30-40 hours or work or so (try finding 30-40 hrs of free time with a 3 yr. old! )...but a true labor of love.
Below are pics of the two pistols, both Argentine Modelo Sistema 1927's (the serial numbers were only 3 numbers apart!). A little history lesson is in order. In the '30's the Argentine government approached Colt's Manufacturing in Hartford, Connecticut to license production of John Browning's 1911 pistol (technically the model 1911A1). Well, what ensued were near exact copies of 1911A1 pistols, manufactured under license--and on Colt machinery--in Argentina by their domestic ordnance factory, DGFM. 1911 collectors and historians will tell you that the Argentine licensed-pistol were made as well--if not a shade better--than even the Hartford-made pistols. All are in agreement that the Argentines used a bit more steel (because they weigh a ounce or so more), and arguably better steel!
First, the military version (notice the original Argentine military issue flap-holster and double-magazine pouches in green leather):
And, here's the customized version (in picture: Sinn EZM-2 (watch), MOD CQD Damascus, Galco Combat Master holster):