1911 info ?

[Guest roamer]

gi have a colt series 70 1911 in 45. acp. i would like to add a beavertail gripsafety would this takeaway from the value of the gun ? i would also like to change the trigger & hammer & tighten the slide . anybody know any good smiths around chatt that i can deal with personally without just droping it of at someones gunshop for the smith to pick up & hope for the best !!! this is my baby!!!! thanks for any help or input:popcorn:

Edited May 11, 2008 by roamer

[R1100R]

Where are you located?

[Mark@Sea]

i would like to add a beavertail gripsafety would this takeaway from the value of the gun ?

Yes, it would lower the value. Are you considering this for your own comfort, or for looks? If you've tried a pistol with a beavertail safety and you like it, well heck, go for it.

i would also like to change the trigger & hammer & tighten the slide

Best thing you can do to tighten your groups is get a new barrel bushing - a tight one that will require fitting. You can do the fitting yourself, though. Tightening the slide can be done a couple of ways, both of which can ruin the gun if done improperly, even if done by someone who has a shop and a 'gunsmith' sign (ask me how I know that). If the barrel has excessive play at the rear when the pistol is in battery, you may consider installing a longer barrel link. Be mindful of the lockup of the barrel lugs with the cutouts on the inside of the slide at the top.

Trigger and hammer are gonna require a good 'smith that can properly stone the parts for a safe, reliable trigger pull. Any graduate of the Wile-E-Coyote school of gunsmithing can get a light trigger pull (and thousands do, every year), but keeping it safe and functioning for more than 1 or 2K rounds requires a bit more expertise. As a certified WECSOG I know what I'm talking about, here.

I've only got about 20 years experience with these pistols, no doubt an ezpert will tell you differently. Your pistol, your call. If you decide to try fitting some of these parts yourself, first thing you're gonna need to do is find your dremel tool, and throw it out the nearest convenient window.

[Guest atomemphis]

The guy in Dowdle Sports on Germantown Rd is good - Ed Mason Gunsmiths. That's if you are in Memphis.

Fancy hammers can be found by Ed Brown, Wilson Combat, and the really fancy ones are made by SVi/Infinity.

Play around M1911.com for more info.

[Guest Grout]

The post below on 1911 gunsmiths has your Chattanooga info.Also this forum has a search feature.

[Guest CleanSeries80]

+1 on what mark said about the bushing. most of your accuracy as far as fit goes is in the barrel to slide lug fitting and barrel to bushing fitting. if that fit is poor, accuracy WILL be poor

[Guest roamer]

thanks for info

[Guest gcrookston]

I would recommend Clark's. Though not local, they are excellent. Their guns also come with a life time free tune-up policy. They've been building and accurizing 1911's for about 50 years and I have owned several.

Although such work usually detracts from the value, Clark work can be partially recovered in resale.

http://www.clarkcustomguns.com/services.htm