Posted: 12/27/2003 11:54:13 AM EDT
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An older series 70 Custom. Frame was parked and coated with teflon/moly bake on finish. Slide had the front serrations removed, and now sports teflon-nickel plating. The teflon-nickel is an industrial finish that was never meant to look nice, but is supposedly as durable as you can get. A local company does it for the auto industry, so I gave gave him the slide to could see what it would be like. Its kinda odd to look at, but I'm more concerned with durability than pretty. Its not silver, its not grey, its not shiney, but its not dull. It looks like plastic. Either way I like it and no one else has one :-)  
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Snuck out to my friends indoor range, and squeezed off 20 rounds. The first 10 got the windage set, the second 10 hit about 1" high. Good enough for me, but I still shoot my Glock 21 better. Here's the last 10 shots, Firing offhand (using both hands) at about 40', 5 shots at a time. The grip seems too skinny(compared to my Glock), I think I hava an old set of Hogues I can put on.  It doesn't look as nice, but it feels better. 
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I think it looks great. It appears to be a hard chrome, which is quite durable. Ask the person that did it if it was "baked" in an oven. Reason being to remove hydrogen from the steel resulting from the chroming process. Called "hydrogen imbrittlement" as the name implies, your slide may be brittle. If I understand correctly, time also eliminates the hydrogen, but much slower. I had an early Ruger MKII done, way before they had stainless versions. Sandblasted frame and reciever, polished the barrel, it looks unreal. |
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Funny you should do this post. I was just looking at one at the funshow yesterday. A bit ugly for a Kimber the gun looks durable as hell and has all the bells and whistles. At the show, it was competitively priced and a good couple hundred less than the all SS. Like I said it caught my eye and interest so is about as good a recommendation I can give for a firearm I haven't fired. Tj |
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If John Browning wanted Teflon-nickel plating... Just kidding.  Nice work, Steve. Shoots well, too. Did Schuster do the machine work? |
Correct, but since It already had the FCS I may as well. I'm still of the opinion that no "new" 1911 should cost more than $500.00 Next time we go out, bring your Ed Brown, Wilson, and RRA (As I call them "over priced pretty pistols"). I'll bring my 1943 Remington Rand which will be just as reliable, and shoot the same size groups, just as fast:-)  Yes, Schuster took the things off the front. |
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Touche! I'll bring them...January 4th. But the cat is coming out of the bag, Sir. You are a much better shooter than I, or any of our cohorts. So the results will be a bit slanted. I am willing to bet, though, that you can shoot my RRA into groups that will rival you-know-who's .22 rifle. ;-) Speaking of which, I have 500 flawless rounds- without cleaning-through the RRA. I'd like to get to 1000... D |
One more time I found an old GI MSH in my bucket O'parts, which I prefer and makes more to hold onto.
Thats pretty good for an ultra tight competition model with adjustable target sights, that you carry to the range and back in a Crown Royal bag. If Ohio ever gets CCW, you'll need to find someting a little more forgiving while keeping in the .45ACP family  |
Hey, what I keep in my Crown Royal bag is my business. You know that if any one of my guns proves to be less than reliable, it's off to the gunsmith or the chopping block. Period. And I begged you to beat the hell out of my customized mil-spec, but you refuse to clean it. Good God, man, my name isn't Todd! ;-) As far as a carry gun goes, that is a Colt Series 70 that is at my gunsmith's. I am paying for perfection in anticipation of the acknowledgement of our Second Ammendment rights. D |
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For what it's worth IMHO, the 1911 if Mil Spec minimum by design is a tank of a gun regardless of brand. The better ones look nicer and have a crisper trigger as well as a bit better feel and recoil. You pay for the extra's but to some of us, it's worth it. If cheap and reliable were our only critera as shooters we would all shoot revolvers. I have three 1911s ranging from bottom end inexpensive to top of the line and respect and like all three. Tj |
But I want a 1911! My $500 comment was tongue in cheek. My first 1911 was a Gold Cup, which I shot 10s of thousands of rounds through, until it literally wore out. I'd love to shot it again, but would be too expensive to properly reassemble. The barrel is shot out, the slide to frame fit is gone... The point I always like to make to my customers is "Its the singer, not the song". If one customer spends $1,000 on a firearm, and another spends $300 on a firearm and $700 on practice ammo, guess which one will put more holes in the black at the end of the day. Rifle or pistol; every day I see people buy "the best" to start while "good enough" is overlooked. But hey, be honest this is a hobby its not about practicality. Kinda like the practicality of owning a car with 2 turbos! |
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"I'll bring my 1943 Remington Rand which will be just as reliable, and shoot the same size groups, just as fast:-)" Yeah if you found one that a USAMTU armorer pieced together in his spare time. Besides, when's the last time a Remington Rand hit $500 or less? (esspecially in that condition.) A good 1911 has to cost about $650 these days. and if you can find a good GI 1911 it will no doubt run you about the same. I got a used Kimber custom Royal for $625 but that's close enough. |