Posted: 1/30/2003 11:08:31 AM EDT
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There is a used Commander at a local store for $495, and I'm thibnking about getting it. It's a Series 70, satin nickled fininh that is kinda rough, but the thing that I'm wondering about is the extractor tunnel. It isn't there!! Either it wasn't there, or a 'smith remover it!! When you look at the slide from underneath, you can see the extractor. is this stock or not? |
You mean like this...  Some of the Commanders (mostly early ones) and Gold Cups had what were referred to as “lightened” slides. For whatever reasons Colt machined out the left and right side of the cartridge pick-up rail for additional weight savings. It wasn’t much of a weight savings and it’s no longer done. If the gun is in good shape $495 sounds like a fair deal. Do you happen to know the serial number or range? Is it an “LW” prefix or suffix? |
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Yes, Colt made a good many of these guns with this part of the slide cut out...I have owned two over the years and seen many more. Nothing to worry about. The finish can, of course, be changed, but you should know that many 'smiths do not like working on or trying to refinish nickled guns because the nickle finish must be removed by reverse electrolosis...which most who do not offer nickle finishes do not have any way of doing, so they must send it out to be "unplated". Thus, a refinish job will cost you more from most gunsmiths than if the gun was blue, etc. |
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Not a LW, but the serno is 70SC325**. The Satin finish has some pitting and rust stains, but I didn't see any cracks or anything elas major wrong with it. Edited to add that it appears to be a '74 gun.. Edited again to add that it looks like that slide AJ, And to also add that I'm going to put a deposit on it later!! |
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I have used Bon-Ami and a scrub brush on that satin nickel finish with pretty good luck. It was on a NIB Commander that the box had gotten wet for some time and the nickel took on the texture of the styrofoam box. It looked hopeless but turned out nice. Maybe try that if you are going to refinish it anyway? Also, cold blueing will darken those sights, just doing the ramp on the front and the back of the rear, if the gray bothers you too much. And always haggle the price or at least get them to sweeten the deal with a box of ammo or something else you can use. Nice weapon, I wish I had kept mine. |
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Went and picked it up today. Had the 'smith where I work tear it down, and it's all bone stock. Looks like it was exposed to alot of dame wearher, or stored somewhere wet, and has some surface rust under the grips, inside the mag well, around the MSH, and on the plug, but nothing serious. Trigger is a little heavy. Shot 70 rounds of S&B through it, and the only mag problems I had were with my Wilson 47D!!! I was shocked!! The round jammed against the upper chamber the first time, and had 2 FTE's with a round going into battery. The empty never left the slide, so it wasn't a stovepipe. Needs the extractor tensioned. Got hit square in the forehead by one case! The grip safety HAS TO GO!!! Got a good bit of hammer bite in the webbing of my hand, so my 'smith is gonna put a Wilson drop-in beavertail in it. Over all, I like the gun, and am gonna put some TLC into it. And I think that it will go to Lauer Custom for a tiger stripe finish!! |
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Not too bad. Was a little shy after my webbing got raw, but still pretty good. It shoots a hair left, but I'm gonna put new Colt sights on it anyways, so it'll have to be rezero'ed. Just can't decide between dot or not!! As for the rust , I don't think that I'll be able to get it all off unless I get it refinished. When it gets stripped, what are the chances of the rust reoccuring? |