I was in my  favorite local gunshop when a gentleman came in to trade a stainless Colt M1991A1. The gun had Novak 3-dot tritium sights and was in very nice shape. The shop gave the guy $375 as a trade in; I offered the owner $400 for the gun and took it home with me.

I wasn't planning on a new carry gun, and I have at least another half-dozen 1911's, so I dropped the gun off at my gunsmith and asked for a combat accuracy job, trigger work, beavertail, extended thumb safety, and, for something different, the Ed Brown Bobtail mainspring housing.

Picked up the gun a week or so later and it's a sweet shooter; put a couple hundred rounds through it when I picked it up and didn't drop any rounds out of the 9-ring on a B27 at 25 yards shooting all those rounds. Most of the shots were 10-ring, with at least half in the X. Not too shabby for an old guy with bifocals.

Anyway, I've been carrying the gun for a week now, and the bobtail mod is the single best mod I've had on a 1911 for carry in 25+ years of carrying one. Nothing has ever made this much difference in my carry comfort and I've tried just about every combination of size, action, barrel length, etc., in those two and a half decades.  I've always gone back to a full size 1911 with an S&A Mag well. But with the bobtail mod, the gun (a full size 1911) has become a more comfortable carry piece, and I had never noticed it was an issue. I'll probably be switching to wood grips (not a fan of rubber ones) but other than that, the gun will be my regular carry, replacing a 1911 built for me by Behlert Custom in 1986.

Total cost, with all the gunsmithing; $700.

NICE!

for $700, i think that its worth it!

Extremely Nice.


Guy buys a Colt for cheap and has a Gunsmith that works for peanuts.

I must not be livin right

Sounds like you stole it.

Nice gun.
BTW, what holster do you use?

Quoted: Nice gun. BTW, what holster do you use?

An old Safariland Model 23 IWB.

Wish they still made them.

Very sharp, wish I could find deals like that.

I like everything except the bobtail.

Nice snare.

Man that is $700 VERY well spent. Nice piece.

very nice money well spent

You know, usually I don't like the look of front slide serrations, and I am no fan of the 1991 billboard rollmark, but I think you just might be on to something here.

It's like putting two negatives together creates a positive.  You may be the first person who has figured out a way to make the 1991 ORM guns attractive.

I agree that the rubber grips have got to go, but I don't think wood is the right thing for these.  I think you should go with some VZ grips to complete the look.

Congrats on your purchase!

If you want to ever sell it..I will gladly send you 750.00 for it!!! Beautiful Colt!!

Quoted: You know, usually I don't like the look of front slide serrations, and I am no fan of the 1991 billboard rollmark, but I think you just might be on to something here. It's like putting two negatives together creates a positive.  You may be the first person who has figured out a way to make the 1991 ORM guns attractive. I agree that the rubber grips have got to go, but I don't think wood is the right thing for these.  I think you should go with some VZ grips to complete the look. Congrats on your purchase!

Ken, I know you don't like front slide serrations and the ORM stamping, but I think this ORM is quite attractive, don't you..LOL

Quoted: Ken, I know you don't like front slide serrations and the ORM stamping, but I think this ORM is quite attractive, don't you..LOL www.fatalityincorporated.com/swong/coltorm.jpg

Frankly, I don't care for the style of that one.  I don't like the ball cuts on the slide, and I don't like the way the serrations are cut back far enough to make the rollmark appear off-center.

Other that that, it's a good looking gun, and is several light years beyond the box-stock appearance.

And I'm a picky bastard anyway.

The front and rear serrations do tend to "frame" the rollmarks that everybody does these days.

Quoted:
I agree that the rubber grips have got to go, but I don't think wood is the right thing for these.  I think you should go with some VZ grips to complete the look.


VZ is one of the few that makes grips for the bobtail. I ordered a set of the black paper today.

Quoted: Quoted: I agree that the rubber grips have got to go, but I don't think wood is the right thing for these.  I think you should go with some VZ grips to complete the look. VZ is one of the few that makes grips for the bobtail. I ordered a set of the black paper today.

Perfect choice. I was going to reccomend those exact grips until I read your post. Please post more pics when you install the grips.