I was just wondering if there are any 1911 smiths out here on the AR forums. I have an old pre-WWII Colt I am wanting to get tuned up into a shooter. Any links to websites would be appreciated, or phone numbers of anyone you guys would recccommend. I'm not looking to turn it into a competition gun, just want it to be a decent shooter, which it is NOT at the moment.

You might get that .45 appraised first. It may be better to sell that one to a collector and get a new .45 that is already tunde up, and have money left over.

The quickest solution is to first replace the barrel bushing with a "competition barrel bushing".

The best sort is that which needs to be reamed out so that your gun just functions and then a little bit more.

Anybody that does that work will explain what is meant by that in simple terms.

You can keep your old bushing and even with luck have the competition bushing reblued to match the rest of your gun.

This will usually reduce your group size and is probably the quickest most cost effective "quick fix".

Then maybe consider just a new factory barrel. Again with your competion bushing that usually does the trick and you can keep the orogonal barrel too.

The last is not what I would advise. But it is done. By those than know better than I how to do it properly. That is to "squeeze" the slide to fit tighter on the rails of the frame.

Ouch! I would neither do it nor advise it as it is not reversible. If anyone suggests it...just don't!

Competition barrel bushing....I used to use "Micro Bushings" in the UK is probably all your pistol needs.

I will never sell this one, it was brought home from WWII by my grandfather. I have had it since his death about 20 years ago. Mainly I think it needs tightening up and a decent barrel, but i could be wrong.

Barrels aren't usually the cause of poor accuracy. I had a 1911 from about 1913. The bore of the barrel looked like the inside of a rainwater downpipe.

It would shoot ten round 2" groups offhand at twenty yards all day and every day. Why? Because whilst the barrel was in a poor state through not being cleaned the barrel bushing to barrel relationship was good.

quote:

I have an old pre-WWII Colt

Do not shoot it. Those old frames & slides have been known to crack in several places. If that happens the gun is about worthless compared to its present value. Keep it for the historical piece that it is. 1911 shooters are available everywhere.

Wile not being a "fan" of the 1911, I recognize one damn fine battle weapon. You must decide..do you want a reliable "battle weapon" of a tack driver with 80% reliability. Oh...some may argue with the realibility percentage I mention...but you get the idea

1911s ... not 1911A1's are the fellas that might be most likely to crack (usually the slide). Have lost an couple like that (don't worry, they were not from complete original weapons).

If the slide does not wobble on the frame too much, I'd recommend a new "drop in" barrel from a good maker and a Briley spherical bushing. If the slide is really loose on the frame even that won't help much. Having the slide tightened will reduce the pistol's tolerance to dirt and crude. Can still be reliable if not used in sand, etc.

Duane's comment is about right ... once you get into the 2" at 50 yard pistols (and yes the do exist) you have something of a finiky beast unless built by a top notch smith. Even theirs won't run buried in crud.

Well, with the factory barrel and bushing in it, it will dang sure feed and go bang every time, but I am not exaggerating when I say you would be doing good to keep all of them in a 10" circle at 10 yards.

Many years ago when I first got it and i was young, I came across a National Match barrel and bushing pretty cheap, and slipped them in it. Accuracy improved quite a bit but was still not good by any strech of the imagination. Reliability went to crap. Of course, I knew/know nothing about correct fitting of the barrel/bushing/link pin and I am sure many of my troubles lie there.

I ran the serial number at one point and I believe it is around 1918 mfg or so, but am not sure. I will try and post a pic of it later. I love old guns, but I still fail to see much use in one that won't function the way it is supposed to. If it would even hold 6 or 8 inches at 25 I would be happy.

Here it is.

quote:

Originally posted by JTPinTX:
I was just wondering if there are any 1911 smiths out here on the AR forums. I have an old pre-WWII Colt I am wanting to get tuned up into a shooter. Any links to websites would be appreciated, or phone numbers of anyone you guys would recccommend. I'm not looking to turn it into a competition gun, just want it to be a decent shooter, which it is NOT at the moment.

That's a classic! I would recommend at the very least, a good cleaning and inspection, resetting the extractor tension, a recrown, then take it out and see what she does. If you are planning on shooting anything other than round nose ammo then the barrel will likely need to be "troated" and polished.

With all due respect, what is a classic, the gun or the question? According to the serial number it is a 1818 or 1919 model.

I know how to strip one completely, and it has been cleaned well. Auto pistols are not my thing though, and I have no idea what to inspect it for other than obvious things. I could handle a recrown, but have no idea what you are talking about on tuning the extractor.

JTPinTX,
Take a look at some of the work done by a poster here on AR thet goes by Chuck1911. Here is some of his work as posted on this site.
http://forums.accuratereloadin...411006221#5411006221

This may be a place to start.
Doug

quote:

Originally posted by JTPinTX:
With all due respect, what is a classic, the gun or the question? According to the serial number it is a 1818 or 1919 model.

I know how to strip one completely, and it has been cleaned well. Auto pistols are not my thing though, and I have no idea what to inspect it for other than obvious things. I could handle a recrown, but have no idea what you are talking about on tuning the extractor.

How can you interpret "That's a classic" to mean anything other than a reference to the gun in the picture??? Your question certainly isn't a classic! Similar questions are posted here all the time.

Since it is the last thing to touch the bullet, the crown on the gun in the picture is probably beat to hell and needs to be re-cutting before you will know how well it will group. The extractor is probably loose as well which can cause feeding problems. A 1911 smith can adjust that at the same time he does the crown. Then go shoot it and see how it performs.

quote:

Originally posted by JTPinTX:
I was just wondering if there are any 1911 smiths out here on the AR forums. I have an old pre-WWII Colt I am wanting to get tuned up into a shooter. Any links to websites would be appreciated, or phone numbers of anyone you guys would reccommend. I'm not looking to turn it into a competition gun, just want it to be a decent shooter, which it is NOT at the moment.

Terry Tussey
Tussey Custom
24 Moonlight Road, Unit A
Mound House, NV 89706
(775) 246-1533

Terry is the best 1911 man there ever was. He does guns for Hollyweird types, law enforcement, et cetera. Do a search on him...

http://www.tusseycustom.com/making.htm

That IS a real 1911 ... and there ARE likely to be heat treating issues with the slide. May well crack if shot much!

I would recommend that it be left as is ...

I'm sorry Westpac, I apologise. I have been spending some time on another forum here lately where you would have to ask that question. That is why I put the "with due respect,' not to trying to be smart at all, because I have read alot of your posts, and I do respect you and your work. I am sorry if I have offended you, it just hit me a little funny and I wasn't sure what you meant. That is one thing about the internet, it is easy to misunderstand peoples statements.

I am not looking to shoot it alot, but would like to be able to take it out now and then and be able to hit something with it if need be. Right now it pretty much falls in the spray and pray category.

And BTW Westpac, thank you for the complement, it is a nice old pistola.

No problamo!

Don't make the mistake of valuing that gun based on whether or not it shoots tight groups. Don't value that gun on the fact that it is a classic. DO value that gun on the fact that it was your grandfather's!!! Anything you do to it will make it less of your grandfather's and more of your own. But....this is just my opinion and we all know that with my opinion and a buck fifty, you can still get a large coffee at McDonalds.

I sure wish I had something of my grandfather's...well, not counting his genes.

MKane160

quote:

Originally posted by MKane160:
Don't make the mistake of valuing that gun based on whether or not it shoots tight groups. Don't value that gun on the fact that it is a classic. DO value that gun on the fact that it was your grandfather's!!! Anything you do to it will make it less of your grandfather's and more of your own. But....this is just my opinion and we all know that with my opinion and a buck fifty, you can still get a large coffee at MacDonalds.

I sure wish I had something of my grandfather's...well, not counting his genes.

MKane160

I agree. In 1984 I took my dad's 1950 Model 70 without him knowing and had it made brand-new again-- reblued so dark it looks black, stock finished out to look like liquid glass, new buttpad, et cetera. It's a beautiful rifle. I thought I was doing a good thing. He saw it and his eyes fell. He didn't want anything done to it. He bought it used in Alaska in 1953 and hunted with it for several years up there. The stock was still in good condition, but most of the finish had seen better days. The steel was grayish-- all the bluing had worn off or whatever happens to it had made the barrel and action kind of gray. The buttpad was all chopped up. I took it and essentially took what it was away from him. He said he'd lost an old friend, and that it was my rifle, then. Well, he still has it in the gun cabinet back home-- right next to his Model 12 that hasn't fired a round since 1976. I shot that one. I doubt he's fired it since about 1964. It's worn and gray like the Model 70 was. It will stay that way...

Listen to AZ Pete. These old warhorses are selling for more than new Colts in some cases and a great deal more in a few.

Maybe I missed it but who made it? I have my Dad's 1911 from WWII, it was made by Ithaca

I never touch it except to shoot it once a year & clean it

It was made by Colt.

I talked to Tip Burns last night and I am going to sent it down to him and have him look at it. He is going to see what he can do to it without altering very much that can't be changed back, and keep the original parts to go back in it if I want. He did ask me if it was blued, and told me if it was to leave it alone. I told him no, that it was one of the ones that had been refinished before the war. It wears the old style greenish parkerizing, but the hammer and slide stop are still blue.