tight
Hey Charlie,
Got a call from a buddy the other day. His neighbor brought over a 1911 that he had taken apart for cleaning, but couldn't get back together, due to arthritis in his hands. This old gent was a great big guy, probably in his mid-80s, and had been a state trooper for 22+ years. He had shot on some kind of composite team made up of highway patrolmen, Army Guardsmen, and Air Guardsmen. The pistol in question was pretty neat....it had a GI lower, with Rock Isand proofs. The strap was stippled, and the whole thing had been blued , over an old parkerizing. So it was a sorta of pleasing blue park job (I have a couple of guns that I had that done to, and it is attractive.) I don't know what make the bottom was, as I can't tell 'em apart. The top was a commercial Colt, and I'd say it was from the 40s. It had what was left of the deep shiny blue. It also had big block sights, like the ones on my old High Standard Sharpshooter. Flat mainspring housing. Wooden checkered grips, no diamonds. I don't remember seeing the pony.
The different thing was the barrel bushing. It came with a wrench. Never having been a match shooter, I had never handled one of those. It was so tight that it took two of us to get it all back together. I had to hold the gun, and keep the plug pushed down, and my pal had to do the wrench work with that bushing.
Is that necessary, to have something fit that closely?? Now the old-timer wants to go out shooting, but I am holding him off til this ugly summer gets over.
I was just curious about that tight bushing. I don't think that I would care to monkey with something like that. But then again, I don't shoot match, either.
Your comments, please. Did this sound like a GI-armory built piece to you?
Regards,
Jim
Hey Charlie,
Got a call from a buddy the other day. His neighbor brought over a 1911 that he had taken apart for cleaning, but couldn't get back together, due to arthritis in his hands. This old gent was a great big guy, probably in his mid-80s, and had been a state trooper for 22+ years. He had shot on some kind of composite team made up of highway patrolmen, Army Guardsmen, and Air Guardsmen. The pistol in question was pretty neat....it had a GI lower, with Rock Isand proofs. The strap was stippled, and the whole thing had been blued , over an old parkerizing. So it was a sorta of pleasing blue park job (I have a couple of guns that I had that done to, and it is attractive.) I don't know what make the bottom was, as I can't tell 'em apart. The top was a commercial Colt, and I'd say it was from the 40s. It had what was left of the deep shiny blue. It also had big block sights, like the ones on my old High Standard Sharpshooter. Flat mainspring housing. Wooden checkered grips, no diamonds. I don't remember seeing the pony.
The different thing was the barrel bushing. It came with a wrench. Never having been a match shooter, I had never handled one of those. It was so tight that it took two of us to get it all back together. I had to hold the gun, and keep the plug pushed down, and my pal had to do the wrench work with that bushing.
Is that necessary, to have something fit that closely?? Now the old-timer wants to go out shooting, but I am holding him off til this ugly summer gets over.
I was just curious about that tight bushing. I don't think that I would care to monkey with something like that. But then again, I don't shoot match, either.
Your comments, please. Did this sound like a GI-armory built piece to you?
Regards,
Jim
