1911 question

[Pyscodog]

My gun club had a swap meet and I picked up a 1911 pistol. Its got a Colt slide but an Essex frame. If it was all Colt it might be valuable. But I'm told, now its just a shooter. My question, I'd like to get it CeraCoated and maybe replace the trigger and hammer. Just mild mods for appearance and functionality. Call it like it is, just adding some "Bling". Is it worth the extra cost or should I just leave it alone and shoot it? A local guy does the coatings and he's cheap. Major expense would be trigger and hammer. Just FYI, I'm told I got this pistol really cheap but I don't know if I did or not. After some research, it seems as though there were quite a few pistols built with the Colt slide and Essex frame. If you were lucky you got a good one. This one seems tight with little to no slop. The owner was a club member and said it shot and functioned just fine. Its just not real purdy. Part of me says leave it alone and just shoot it, the other parts says WTH, spends some more money on it. LOL!

 

[rwj]

How thick is the CeraCoating? Being that the slide/frame fit is tight now, you may have to stone the rails after coating to refit the slide.

 

[Pyscodog]

IDK how thick the coating is, but a friend had his done by the same guy and it was a little tight and he had to work it in. He says its fine now though.

 

[Pyscodog]

Here's the old shooter. I think the picture makes it look better than it is. Most the blueing is gone off the slide.

 

[cem]

Leave it alone and shoot until and unless you know exactly what you want and why. Night Hawk makes an interesting more or less drop in trigger assembly for the 1911 - might be installed and moved to another pistol later. The trigger pad itself can be readily changed but sear and hammer replacement is a gun smith job. You can learn to do such things for yourself but by the time you can do a good job you will have gun smith level if specialized skills. Most people who want a Commander style burr hammer want a beavertail safety to go with the whole job.

 

[Pyscodog]

I got to shoot the 1911 this morning. I know absolutely nothing about the back ground of this pistol, who built it or even the members name I bought it from, but it was impressive. When I can shoot 8 rounds in a silver dollar group at 10yds, I'm impressed. LOL, I ain't no pistol shooter. I like to shoot them but have never been very good. Good enough to maybe get myself out of trouble but that's about it. But this old pistol is pretty dang accurate. The more I look at it and now that I've put a few rounds down range, I think fancying it up would be wrong. Its got history and earned its right to look like it does. Think I'm gonna leave it as is and just shoot it. I think if I need bling, I'll do it to my new Glock 17.

 

[SSL]

You did well. Essex was on the short list of manufacturers recommended for enough strength and durability to handle the .460 Roland cartridge. I have had (and still have two) several 1911s built on Essex frames and they all performed perfectly.

 

[Minshooter]

I got to shoot the 1911 this morning. I know absolutely nothing about the back ground of this pistol, who built it or even the members name I bought it from, but it was impressive. When I can shoot 8 rounds in a silver dollar group at 10yds, I'm impressed. LOL, I ain't no pistol shooter. I like to shoot them but have never been very good. Good enough to maybe get myself out of trouble but that's about it. But this old pistol is pretty dang accurate. The more I look at it and now that I've put a few rounds down range, I think fancying it up would be wrong. Its got history and earned its right to look like it does. Think I'm gonna leave it as is and just shoot it. I think if I need bling, I'll do it to my new Glock 17.

An excellent decision for that 1911.
Also see the fine advice on post #5.
As far as blinging a glock, do whatever you like, have fun, and enjoy applying the lipstick.

 

[tobnpr]

How thick is the CeraCoating? Being that the slide/frame fit is tight now, you may have to stone the rails after coating to refit the slide.

I mask the slides so they don't get coated. Made that mistake on my first pistol 7 years ago.

Just did this 1911 yesterday.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Great job!

 

[PigButtons]

If you like it the way it is now, enjoy your find and shoot it to your heart's content.
I got my first 1911 and did put in a new trigger and hammer that improved the smoothness and clean break. Then I polished the sear engagement surfaces without changing the geometry. Now it is still a lower end pistol, but it runs like one of the best. And I'm not a gunsmith, just a good mechanic with patience.

 

[Pyscodog]

I went ahead and had it coated. The slide is Graphite Black and the frame Stone Gray. Turned out awesome. Now I'm waiting on my new G10 grips.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I went ahead and had it coated. The slide is Graphite Black and the frame Stone Gray. Turned out awesome. Now I'm waiting on my new G10 grips.

Wilson combat g10 grips are about as good as there is out there

 

[Pyscodog]

Its amazing how many different grips there are for a 1911. You can spend a lot of time looking. I ended up with some Pachmayr G10's.

 

[troupe]

Your old parts gun turned out great. Enjoy it and shoot it well. A 1911 is a lot of fun to shoot and now you have one that is custom to you, which you will enjoy it even more.

 

[GuitarmanNick]

Looks very nice. Enjoy!
Picked up the same configuration on my 1911. Colt slide and internals on an early Essex frame. It is the most accurate pistol in my small collection, and runs perfectly.
It is also as tight and smooth as any custom 1911, at a fraction of the cost.

 

[Pawnee Bill]

I got to shoot the 1911 this morning. I know absolutely nothing about the back ground of this pistol, who built it or even the members name I bought it from, but it was impressive. When I can shoot 8 rounds in a silver dollar group at 10yds, I'm impressed. LOL, I ain't no pistol shooter. I like to shoot them but have never been very good. Good enough to maybe get myself out of trouble but that's about it. But this old pistol is pretty dang accurate. The more I look at it and now that I've put a few rounds down range, I think fancying it up would be wrong. Its got history and earned its right to look like it does. Think I'm gonna leave it as is and just shoot it. I think if I need bling, I'll do it to my new Glock 17.

Back in the day many match 1911's were built using Essex frames. There used to be a well know pistol smith in El Reno, Ok that built many of them for the top shooters. I can't remember his name.

 

[spike-55]

Back in the day many match 1911's were built using Essex frames. There used to be a well know pistol smith in El Reno, Ok that built many of them for the top shooters. I can't remember his name.

you talking about the guy that worked for Gene Sears??
stan

 

[Pawnee Bill]

I don't know if he worked for Gene or not. I went to his shop and bought an Essex frame from him back around 1987.

 

[Pyscodog]

The new grips arrived and fit great. I like the way they look and feel. Now for some trigger time.