Posted: 9/20/2009 1:00:10 PM EDT
Auction this weekend, I picked up this Colt Lightweight Commander in .45.
What are some good magazines to go with this gun? What is a good used price? This is my first 1911 style pistol, so I do not know much about them. The 2 that I have tried out in the past were enjoyable to shoot. (Para and Rock Island) Update/Edit Got the pistol today, Looks like a Colt LW Commander. The frame looks to be stripped. The pistol is very dirty, and I plan on soaking and scrubbing it. I noticed the hammer will fall, even if the grip safety is not depressed. What can I do about this? I plan on replacing all of the springs, is there anything else I should replace? How hard is it to replace the sights, front and rear? |
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thanks for the replies so far, as I am a 1911 newb.
I wish I had the gun in hand right now to examine it further, but that will have to wait until tuesday. I don't know much about different 1911 models, as there are ton of different kinds out there it seems. I figured I couldn't go wrong with a Colt 1911 for less than $500, and picked it up. |
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For the Lightweight guns, I prefer magazines with the captive follower, like Wilson and Mec-Gar. The blade-type followers will chew up the bottom of the feed ramp over time.
I'm fairly certain that beavertail isn't the stock part. It appears to be a later duckbill type grip safety instead of the narrow, rebated tang grip safety that came standard on the Commanders of that era. More than likely this is why the grip safety fails to prevent the hammer from falling. Someone swapped in a grip safety that was already fit to another gun. You will probably need a new grip safety properly fit to that gun. Another thing that would be a point of concern for me: the finish. It appears the factory anodizing has either been blasted off or covered with some coating. If the former, then the frame is basically a hunk of raw aluminum and it should be reanodized, which will restore the hard surface coating that these guns were designed to use. If the anodizing is still there but covered up with some sort of paint, that should be OK. |
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Quoted: For the Lightweight guns, I prefer magazines with the captive follower, like Wilson and Mec-Gar. The blade-type followers will chew up the bottom of the feed ramp over time. I'm fairly certain that beavertail isn't the stock part. It appears to be a later duckbill type grip safety instead of the narrow, rebated tang grip safety that came standard on the Commanders of that era. More than likely this is why the grip safety fails to prevent the hammer from falling. Someone swapped in a grip safety that was already fit to another gun. You will probably need a new grip safety properly fit to that gun. Another thing that would be a point of concern for me: the finish. It appears the factory anodizing has either been blasted off or covered with some coating. If the former, then the frame is basically a hunk of raw aluminum and it should be reanodized, which will restore the hard surface coating that these guns were designed to use. If the anodizing is still there but covered up with some sort of paint, that should be OK. I concur 110% |
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Quoted:
For the Lightweight guns, I prefer magazines with the captive follower, like Wilson and Mec-Gar. The blade-type followers will chew up the bottom of the feed ramp over time. I'm fairly certain that beavertail isn't the stock part. It appears to be a later duckbill type grip safety instead of the narrow, rebated tang grip safety that came standard on the Commanders of that era. More than likely this is why the grip safety fails to prevent the hammer from falling. Someone swapped in a grip safety that was already fit to another gun. You will probably need a new grip safety properly fit to that gun. Another thing that would be a point of concern for me: the finish. It appears the factory anodizing has either been blasted off or covered with some coating. If the former, then the frame is basically a hunk of raw aluminum and it should be reanodized, which will restore the hard surface coating that these guns were designed to use. If the anodizing is still there but covered up with some sort of paint, that should be OK. It looks and feels like a bare alloy frame to me. Sounds like it not only needs some work, but needs some professional work. Where is a good place to start? Is there a shop I can send it to, that can not only refinish the frame and slide, but custom fit 1911 parts and make the gun reliable? |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
For the Lightweight guns, I prefer magazines with the captive follower, like Wilson and Mec-Gar. The blade-type followers will chew up the bottom of the feed ramp over time. I'm fairly certain that beavertail isn't the stock part. It appears to be a later duckbill type grip safety instead of the narrow, rebated tang grip safety that came standard on the Commanders of that era. More than likely this is why the grip safety fails to prevent the hammer from falling. Someone swapped in a grip safety that was already fit to another gun. You will probably need a new grip safety properly fit to that gun. Another thing that would be a point of concern for me: the finish. It appears the factory anodizing has either been blasted off or covered with some coating. If the former, then the frame is basically a hunk of raw aluminum and it should be reanodized, which will restore the hard surface coating that these guns were designed to use. If the anodizing is still there but covered up with some sort of paint, that should be OK. It looks and feels like a bare alloy frame to me. Sounds like it not only needs some work, but needs some professional work. Where is a good place to start? Is there a shop I can send it to, that can not only refinish the frame and slide, but custom fit 1911 parts and make the gun reliable? A good place to start: 1911 Smiths |