Dug relic 1911 restoration (Pics and Video) (Page 1 of 8)
Posted: 7/26/2012 8:33:47 PM EDT
[Last Edit: AJAX22][Edited]
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I just wanted to share....
This early 1911 was recovered buried in mud in Tennessee along an old bootlegging road. I believe she can be made to fire again without replacing any major components. I've been making video's and taking pictures documenting the process of bringing her back to life. Here is the photo that made me fall in love with her. 
Here is what she looked like when I first saw her in person. (apologies for the camera orientation, I need to fix that) 
After the first go around with electrolysis 
Here's what the electrolysis looks like when its running 
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| Interesting hammer on that gun. |
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Since it is cocked and locked, I assume that there is a round in the chamber.
The headstamp might help determine when it was lost. The metal is in amazingly good shape considering that the grips have rotted away to nothingness. I can see a gun surviving like that in a dry, sandy region, but in Tennessee? Where did the cartridges in the magazine go? |
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Originally Posted By AJAX22:
I checked the chamber with a bamboo skewer... no live cartridges are present... It looks like she was shot dry and then thrown (or fell) hard enough to jar the slide stop and snap her shut And to push the safety lock into the up position. Not impossible, but strange. Oh well, at least it happened some time in the last 94 years. Could it be Alvin York's missing M1911? Probably not, what are the odds of some one stealing a pistol on a troopship, and then ending up in the home state of the soldier who he stole the pistol from. Then again, it might have happened. Probably not, but it might be some thing to check. It had to go some where. |
| Very cool project! Can't wait to see more updates! |
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Originally Posted By zaskar017:
Originally Posted By chibajoe:
Interesting hammer on that gun. Why do you say that? Looks to be a 1918 hammer (old wide spur). |
Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
Before you judge someone, walk a mile in their shoes...
That way, when you do judge them, you will be a mile away, and they will have no shoes.
Before you judge someone, walk a mile in their shoes...
That way, when you do judge them, you will be a mile away, and they will have no shoes.
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Originally Posted By chibajoe:
Originally Posted By zaskar017:
Originally Posted By chibajoe:
Interesting hammer on that gun. Why do you say that? Looks to be a 1918 hammer (old wide spur). Which is consistent with the other M1911 features. Including the double heart magazine well cutouts. They started cutting them that way to save machining time. I am no expert by any means, but I would say that it is indeed 1918 production. |
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Awesome!
If it was an old war dig, I would be kinda sad but this is just one that got tossed or lossed, I think this will be awesome if it actually functions. Definately will be checking back on this 
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Trigger, mag catch, sear.... All out of the gun now |
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Holy Crap!
Nicely done! Good save on this! It wouldn't surprise me if it ran just fine once it's all apart and cleaned! Cosmetically it's toast, but mechanically, the internals seem to look really nice in the video! The barrel is probably toast though 
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"Oh, bother," said Pooh, as he pulled the pin on another grenade...
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I don't know..... Its possible the barrel may still be shootable...
My 1991A1 spent ten years in evidence soaking in blood and wound up with amazingly deep pits in the barrel and chamber.... I thought I would have to swap the barrel before shooting it, but we put it in a jig and it works just fine.... several thousand rounds through her and counting now... 
Its surprising how much abuse a Browning design can take. |
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Nice!
Personally, I'd look at that, with all it's cosmetic damage, and figure that would be a prime candidate to send off to a group of proper 'smiths for a retro-ish custom rebuild. Something like the old YoBo 1* basic package (dehorn/bob the hammer, larger sights, action/reliability work, refinish of course..that's about it). Something to bring the old blaster ready for another century of service. Hopefully on the right side of the law this time 
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"Oh, bother," said Pooh, as he pulled the pin on another grenade...
"The rest of the world thinks Americans are arrogant, and to be fair...fuck you." Adam Ferrara, Top Gear US
"The rest of the world thinks Americans are arrogant, and to be fair...fuck you." Adam Ferrara, Top Gear US
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Neat find. If only it could talk.
For the early 1911 experts, a couple of questions, I don't recall ever see a ring on a msh lanyard ring. Does anyone know if this was common practice with any one branch of the military? Law enforcement? Did any of the commercial models ship with a lanyard ring or only USGI? |
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Originally Posted By GLG20:
Neat find. If only it could talk. For the early 1911 experts, a couple of questions, I don't recall ever see a ring on a msh lanyard ring. Does anyone know if this was common practice with any one branch of the military? Law enforcement? Did any of the commercial models ship with a lanyard ring or only USGI? It might have actually been a part of a lanyard that rotted away...at least, that's my suspicion... |
"Oh, bother," said Pooh, as he pulled the pin on another grenade...
"The rest of the world thinks Americans are arrogant, and to be fair...fuck you." Adam Ferrara, Top Gear US
"The rest of the world thinks Americans are arrogant, and to be fair...fuck you." Adam Ferrara, Top Gear US
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Originally Posted By Evil_Ed:
Originally Posted By GLG20:
Neat find. If only it could talk. For the early 1911 experts, a couple of questions, I don't recall ever see a ring on a msh lanyard ring. Does anyone know if this was common practice with any one branch of the military? Law enforcement? Did any of the commercial models ship with a lanyard ring or only USGI? It might have actually been a part of a lanyard that rotted away...at least, that's my suspicion... 95% chance of beingcorrect. Could have been an early 1900s 1911 halaalization maybe?
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This is a picture of a US&S 1911A1 that is owned by John Holbrook. He mentions that it was found in a barn. "It was full of grease and the insides are OK." He further states that he fired a box of GI hardball through it and it worked fine. He mentions he did replace the front sight. The OP's thread is really neat. It will be a good one to follow. 
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| Awesome thread, might wanna check the area where the pistol turned up for a body or two. Who shoots to slide lock and tosses a gun away unless they don't want to be found with it for some reason? |
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Originally Posted By AJAX22: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtUBZARLAfI I managed one more night of electrolysis in the new setup, but the electrode plate is totally shot I need a new sacraficial electrode Video looks blank to me... ETA: Sound only. |
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Originally Posted By TuskenRaider:
Good job Bro. Tell us more about the gun that sat in blood for 10 years please. Sure, Its a neat little toy, I'll make a video of it when I get home. It was sold by the police department to a dealer who put it up for auction.... I found it via a thread with a link to the auction, and consensus was that it would never fire again.... so... I bought it to prove them wrong, went through her and cleaned her up... now she goes bang quite regularly. I have a collection of guns that people didn't think would ever fire again.... I really love resurrecting the ugly ducklings that people don't think will work. I have a Mini 14 stainless that spent 10 years on the bottom of a lake... she now goes bang and is surprisingly accurate.... I also have an 870 receiver that was found in the rafters of a barn that I'm working on turning into a functional gun... just last week I bought a ruger blackhawk in 41 mag that was corroded badly in alaska (I'm still working on getting the full story on that one). and a few other less interesting ones scattered about. I have pretty guns too... but I enjoy the project ugly ducklings the most... I'd almost rather tinker on guns than shoot them. |
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