[Guest]

With Neisse's ongoing thread about his Charles Daily I though I'd jump in with my project.

I recently traded a high speed, low drag, new in box, competition tuned SW99 in 356TSW & 9mm with 500 rounds of 356 TSW Ammo for a real pistol.. a new, all steel Springfield Micro-Compact. Now this wasn't a "loaded" Micro and is... well, was just Parkerized with standard GI part through out. The only "after market" part on the gun were a set of Novak Tritium sights.

Well, if figured now that I'm in the steamy swamps of mid FL I needed a new carry gun. Something lighter and smaller then my GSP. The Micro all most fit the bill. I got with our gunsmith, who has an affiliation for 1911s, and told him I needed some things done to the gun. My only requirement was that he handle other customer's guns first... I was in no hurry for the gun... I told him to think of it as a side project. I told him "Good things take time, better things take longer" and I like better things.

The first thing I did was get 400 rounds of ammo and go out to the range and break the gun in. The web btwn my thumb and forefinger now sports a scar from where the standard grip safety tang recoiled into it over the 1.5 hour shooting session.

After that the Micro was completely disassembled and everything was put in the Ultrasonic Cleaner and cleaned. The pieces and parts were then put into Blue Bags and off I went.

My next stop was to Home Depot for a sent of files and emery cloth......

 

[Guest]

Over the next two nights, while sitting around, I tried my hand at Dehorning the Micro. While Dumb, I'm not stupid and I removed small amounts of metal with each swipe. (oh, a note, a brass cartridge case with the bullet end crimped together and "squared" make a perfect file tooth cleaning tool (tip received from the Smith)).

I dehorned first with the large 8" Bastard Cut Mill File where possible, then followed that up with the Needle Files where needed.

Every edge of the Micro was dehorned with the execption of the back part of the frame and slide (more on this later)... this was to be left to the Smith.

Once the proper amount (as determined by me) of metal was removed with the files I then "blended" these with first 80 grit then 150 grit emory cloth.

 

[Guest]

While I was hacking away with the files needed parts were put on order. The following stock parts were being kept...

Slide
Frame
Barrel
Guide Rod
Springs
Slide Release
Mag Release
Sights

The below listed parts have arrived from Brownells

Nowlin Oversized Trigger
Gunsite Low Thumb Safety
Ed Brown Perfection Sear
Ed Brown Flat Main Spring Housing
Ed Brown Hard Core Match Hammer
Ed Brown Hard Core Extractor
Ed Brown Memory Grove Beavertail.

..... I think that covers everything....

 

[Guest]

The Smith has already fitted the trigger and started work on the Beavertail while waiting on the Gunsite Safety (they originally sent a Stainless one... I wanted a Carbon one).

Now that the right one is in he will fit that along with the main spring housing, beaver tail, extractor and everything else that is contained/protrudes from the back of the gun. His plan is to make one continuous, smoooooooth line (read transistion from part to part) from the top of the main spring housing to the bottom of the rear sight.

Once that is complete I'll get the gun back for final dehorning/blending (interour of the exposed hammer hole, thumb safety lever, etc) to my liking. Then it will go back to him for for final fitting of all the parts.

 

[Charlie Petty]

Oh my God! Do they have any shrinks down there?

But I'd sure like to know the sucker fine upstanding citizen who took the .356. I've got a couple- along with a really neat bridge- that need good homes.

 

[Guest]

Now the hard part. One of our regular Members at the Range is a Dentist. He has been trying his hand at refinishing and his first attempt was his Beretta in Gun-Kote. He has gotten quite good at this... the first gun he brought in to show us I though had been done by Birdsong. The others he has done all look GREAT!

Doc says it is all in the prep of the parts to a good finish and, him being a Dentist, is extreamly good at preping things.

He can make almost any color imaginable. The Micro will end up as a Two-Tone gun. I'm leaning towards the look of a Kimber Tactical (mostly because it is Tactical..... NOT!) [IMG=left]http://www.kimberamerica.com/images/pistols/tacticalultra_II.jpg[/IMG]

The Frame will be a Mate "Gray" with the Slide and all external parts being Mate Black. The Front strap of the frame will be 3M No-Slip material (I'm too cheap to spring for checkering and also it will be black adding more contrast).

Well, that is my on going project as it stands at this point. Will up date when things progress... but remember... better things take longer, so it may be some time before there a follow on post.

 

[Guest]

But I'd sure like to know the sucker fine upstanding citizen who took the .356.

This fine upstanding citizen is a extreamly good firarms business man known very well by myself and Travis. He got a "boat load" of the Micro Compacts at blow-out pricing from Springfield and were offereing these at sale pricing.

Being the good "Company Man" I am I offered to trade him, straight up for the high speed, low drag, new in box, competition tuned SW99 and ammo.

It was a win win situation. I paid nothing for the SW99 POS and got a real gun. He got a POS high speed, low drag, new in box, competition tuned SW99 & ammo that he could move at a higher price then the Micro. (though it took longer then he thought it would to find a sucker! <G>).

 

[Charlie Petty]

Be sure and let me know when he runs out of ammo.

 

[TBeck]

This fine upstanding citizen is a extreamly good firarms business man known very well by myself and Travis.

I said hello to him last Sunday and passed on a hello to you. Still riding the Segway.

I was giving the brother-in-law from Maryland a tour of a gen-YOO-eyne Pinellas gun show. I sent him home with an application packet for a FL CCW license and an urgent need to convince his girlfriend her future lies in the Sunshine State. Now Mom has a son and a son-in-law who are conservative gun nuts. Life is good.

Love the project gun but I do have one question. Why do you want a carbon steel safety? It will rust in a heartbeat. I would think stainless would stand up better to swamp air.

 

[Guest]

He passed it on when he called to see if still had something in stock.

The reason for a carbon one was for the interest of finish uniformity. Doc wasn't sure it would be exactly uniform (color wise) if different steels were used.... so just to play it safe I went with the carbon. Hopefully Gun-Kote will be all it is advertised to be and protect the gun from rust.

 

[neisse]

VERY nice piece, Schmit.

I've been wanting one of those SA Micro's as well. Do you mind if I ask from whom you got it, how much, and if he still has some left? I think they'd be great project guns for carry, as you're doing.

I like my Chuck Daly, but I think it's just a BIT too big yet for my body size. I wanted to keep the full mag capacity of the full size 1911, yet be able to carry it OWB in a pancake holster (the 5" are just too long for me to carry). While I can conceal it, it takes even more effort than usual, as the long grip frame sticks out somewhat. New mags helped (I got brand new Metalform's today direct, without the bumper pads), but haven't elminated the problem completely.

PM me if you don't want to have the info posted for everyone to see.

Thanks

 

[Guest]

I got it from the store I work at - Shoot Straight in Orlando FL. I actually paid nothing for it as I traided a gun that was given to me by the owner of a company I used to work for. I think we were selling them for $429 or something like that. This is hard to remember as we always have specials running... the owner will buy a boat load of something, get great priceing cause of the volumn, and then pass the saving on to the customers. Oh, and no, they are all gone... those went fairly quick.

 

[SpecialEd]

Schmitt, is the GSP you mentioned one of those beautiful guns that Gunsite sold right from their own smithy? The ones with the caspian slide/frame and the rosewood grips, etc.,?

Ed

 

[Guest]

Nope, I've got one of the early ones (produced in the early 90s) on a Springfield Full Sized by Ted Yost.

It is a little long in the tooth but it still feeds everything I put in it, functions greatly, hits to point of aim and has a GREAT trigger.

 

[Guest]

Well, over the last week or so I've been looking around for grip panels for this gun. In keeping with the final two tone look the grips needed to be black and gray. I also want to use slim line grips... checkering/grip security is a must.

I was down to two sets of grips,,,

#1 - Wilson Slim Line Dimond Wood

#2 Carbon Creations Double Dimond Black Grips (photo shows the black & Blue grips)

... That was until I stumbled across Alumagrips!!!!!

I've got a mail into Alumagrips to see if they can make me a set of slim line grips with a laser engraving of "Gunny Troll" (Note 1) on each panel. I figure my full sized has the initials for "Gunny Schmit's Pistol" engraved on the side so I may as well "individualize" this gun also. :wink:

* < See Avitar > Gunny Troll, Copywrited 2002 by Paul Kirchner, used under expressed permission of Artist, causen that be me.

P.S. Just received ( > 1/2 hour response!!!) a answer (well kind of) back from Alumagrips. They have new checkered thinline AlumaGrips with an oval that the image may fit in... unfortunitly he is leaving for a Show in a half hour and won't be able to try the Gunny Troll image on the oval to see until he returns.

Stay tuned...

 

[Guest]

The advantages of being proficient in Paint Shop Pro

A magic wand copy by brightness here, a paste there, add an invert to negitive image and a mirror, move to grips and...... now lets see if it can be done in the real world.

 

[SpecialEd]

Schmit you are truly a man of discerning tastes! When do you think this project will be finished?

Ed

P.S. is this what you do when you're supposed to be working?

 

[Charlie Petty]

Yeah... entirely too much free time :lol:

 

[Fernando Coelho]

You think this is bad, you should have seen him at Triton :mrgreen:

 

[Guest]

Ed, Don't know when it will be finished... Better things take longer don't ya know. And I'm on my weekend now.. I work Saturday thru Tuesday and have Wednesday thru Friday off.

Charlie & Fernando, seeing you both know me well you know I like to stay occupied. Having 3 kids and a Grandkid at home during the day isn't enough!! :roll: This is just a distraction that needed to be done to finish up this project. Now if it can be done everything will be accomplished except the execution and final assambly.

I can now devote my time to a couple of other (for profit) projects.

Oh, and I've updated the grip design....