Posted: 5/14/2012 4:39:53 AM EDT
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So I went and picked up my 1911 from a local smith this weekend, after they had it for 6 weeks. I have been so anxious to get the gun back, cause I know this place does great work, and I have seen some of the 1911's that come out of there. Gun I brought to them was a bone-stock Springfield Armory Range Officer. The only mod that was done was to add grip-tape to the front-strap (done by the previous owner). The gun shot great in it's stock form, but I wanted to make it better...
Here is a before pic of the gun: 
On the list of things to do to the gun were: - Install new tritium fixed sights - Checker front-strap & undercut trigger guard - Install S&A one piece mag-well / M.S.H. - Blend mag-well to frame - Install new grips (slimline) with new bushings - New internals (all tool-steel components) & tune trigger to 4 1/2 pounds - Bead-blast & hot-blue the frame Got a call from them after 5 weeks & 5 days, and picked it up this past weekend which made it 6 weeks (dropped it off with them on the 31st of March). I am super happy with the job they did. Absolutely amazing work, and highly recommend these guys. Unfortunately..... I don't have any pics of it yet. I didn't want to take crappy pics of the work with my camera at home, so during my lunch break, I will be taking pics with the work camera in our photo-booth, so stay tuned 
Oh, and I work at a company who holds a current FFL, so walking around with a handgun is not a big deal, in fact, people come over asking about it and drooling over stuff that employees bring in LOL UPDATE: Just got pics taken and uploaded online. Hope you guys like them. 
Build specs, that I know, are as follows: - Grips, bushings & screws from VZ, grips are the black-cherry ETC's (parts supplied by me) - Rear sight is a Harrison Custom, single tritium lamp (provided by me) - Front sight is a Dawson Precision unit (provided by me) - Mag-well is a Smith & Alexander one-piece unit, checkered & flat (provided by me) - Trigger appears to be an STI Nylon "anti inertial firing" trigger, long curve (provided by them) - Unknown hammer (provided by them) - Unknown internals (provided by them) Judging by the trigger, I would guess the internals are STI or some other higher-end company. Trigger is so much nicer now, no more take-up and the break is so smooth and crisp now. Can't wait to take it out and shoot it now. You can't really tell from the pics, but the gun has a slight two-tone to it now. The frame is a deep blued and the slide is stock parkerized. The slight color difference really looks good in my opinion. Eventually, I want to get the top of the slide serated, so it will be refinished blued to match the frame at some point. ETA: The slide is allot smoother and tighter now in regards to the slide-to-frame fit. I don't know if they did anything to it, or if the bead-blasting of the frame (for prep of bluing) was enough to slicken it up a little. Either way, it feel so much nicer now. |
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Can't wait to see the pictures! Can you take/post some pics of the blended magwell? Yes, I will take pics of the blended mag-well, as well as close-ups of the other things they did. Quoted:
Tag for pics of Jo-Jo's work. Yes, it was Jojo's who did the work. Very excited to have the gun back, can't wait to shoot it. Quoted:
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What is supper happy? Is it similar to dinner delirious?
I am supper happy with the job they did. Was meant to say "super" LOL, stupid typo. |
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If you had them do all that work you should have had them fit and blue a barrel bushing as well. The slide to bushing fit is nice and tight, and the barrel to bushing is tight as well. I can get it off by hand, but it is tight. It's not as tight as a Les Baer or Wilson Combat, but it is good. Plus I kinda like the stainless on the end, to compliment the stainless barrel and hammer. Thanks all for the compliments! I really love the outcome. |
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Thanks again for the kind words guys.
Phase 2 will be to blend the back of the slide with the back of the frame (there is a slight mis-match), blend the extractor with the slide, blue the slide, and possibly serate the top. I don't know when this is going to happen, as I really like the gun now and don't want to give it up again. I wasn't a huge fan of the nylon trigger when I first got it, as the rest of the gun is metal (minus the grips). I figured STI knew what they were doing when they made the trigger, and it has to be a good unit for Jojo's to put it in the gun. It is a little slicker than the serated aluminum one they pulled out, but not bad enough to cause issues. The only thing I do not like about the gun, is the sight cut. I wish it was a standard Novak cut, so I would have a larger variety of sights to choose from. I got the gun in a trade, and would have gotten hosed on it if I traded it in, so I just bought the Harrison and lived with it. I am very pleased with the Harrison rear sight, so all-in-all, I am not too upset. Plus if I ever decide to use the gun as a range-toy / competition gun, I always have the option to throw the old adjustable sight back on, which is a nice feature. And as for the checkering, from what I was told, it was hand done. I too was amazed at how good it came out, and the more I look at it, the more impressed I am. This truly was top-notch work. |
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OP - I am sure the work is exceptional from Jojo's. Don't sweat the STI trigger. Jody put the same trigger in a gun I had them build for me a few years ago and like the rest of the gun, it has been trouble free and without a second thought. http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr216/Karl_Lazlo/Public/01edit_resize.jpg http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr216/Karl_Lazlo/Public/1911.jpg Thanks for the input and good to know about the trigger. I am not sweating it now. I did at first, because it wan't metal, but the had a reason for choosing that trigger over all the others, and I trust their choice. Good to know that I won't (or at least shouldn't) have any issues with it. |
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Thanks for the input and good to know about the trigger. You're welcome. but the had a reason for choosing that trigger over all the others, and I trust their choice. Good to know that I won't (or at least shouldn't) have any issues with it.
FWIW, I spec'd every single part on the gun they built for me. Except the actual trigger, as I deferred to Jody's experience with only the length being specified. Like I said, I couldn't be happier with my gun and it's service life thus far. As you can tell with the finish, the gun has seen A LOT of rounds in the 3.5 years I have had it and doesn't show any signs of slowing down. |
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Quoted: Quoted: OP - I am sure the work is exceptional from Jojo's. Don't sweat the STI trigger. Jody put the same trigger in a gun I had them build for me a few years ago and like the rest of the gun, it has been trouble free and without a second thought. http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr216/Karl_Lazlo/Public/01edit_resize.jpg http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr216/Karl_Lazlo/Public/1911.jpg Thanks for the input and good to know about the trigger. I am not sweating it now. I did at first, because it wan't metal, but the had a reason for choosing that trigger over all the others, and I trust their choice. Good to know that I won't (or at least shouldn't) have any issues with it. That same design used to be sold as a Chip McCormick Carbon Fiber trigger. Judging by the one that has been in my Combat Elite since the mid 90's, you'll never have an issue with it. |
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Serious defensive weapon you have there! Great job!
I swear I don't know why SA doesn't just stop putting those Bomar/LDA type sights on their guns. I have had two SA 1911s with those sights and both were complete crap. fell apart while shooting. Good choice on the Harrison's on your rig. Well done all around! |
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Serious defensive weapon you have there! Great job! I swear I don't know why SA doesn't just stop putting those Bomar/LDA type sights on their guns. I have had two SA 1911s with those sights and both were complete crap. fell apart while shooting. Good choice on the Harrison's on your rig. Well done all around! Thanks for the kind words. It is currently on me right now, as this is my main CCW. And who said a fighting gun can't look purdy? 
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Well, the RO was intended as an entry model for competition, and Bo-mar type adjustable sights are preferred by a lot of competitors. I agree with the quality (or lack thereof) of the SA sight (a rebranded Champion, most likely). The hinge pin walks out on them unless thoroughly staked, but aside from that, I haven't had problems, and never had a problem with real Bo-mars.
The STI trigger is preferred by Richard Heinie, among others, so no worries on that count. Nice gun, OP! 
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