Find a quality smith and get a quote. Be prepared to spend some money.
so you bought a colt "milspec" and want to transform it
what's it take. how would you, in stages, modify it to be your ultimate 1911? im thinking something along the lines of an alchemy prime elite
1. checkered front strap
2. magwell
3. beavertail
4. ambi safety
5, new trigger
6. new sights, maybe flat top, French border, etc.
do you do it all at once? do it in stages? just forget the idea and buy the alchemy when you can afford it?
1. checkered front strap
2. magwell
3. beavertail
4. ambi safety
5, new trigger
6. new sights, maybe flat top, French border, etc.
do you do it all at once? do it in stages? just forget the idea and buy the alchemy when you can afford it?
1 - 17 of 17 Posts
I figured as much. but does it all have to happen at once? can you upgrade as you go?Find a quality smith and get a quote. Be prepared to spend some money.
More than half of your list requires a new finish. Once you are in line with a satisfactory gunsmith no sense in holding back.
That makes more sense. I might be better off buying something a little closer to what I want and then save up to have something built down the line.
Shipping is also a concern. It’s not cheap to send a pistol back and forth.
With that list, the refinish that goes with your work and the rest of the internals you'll replace while it's there, you'll be into it for the cost of a Prime Elite. Might as well just start there.im thinking something along the lines of an alchemy prime elite
Things must have gotten harder. Many years ago I bought a pair of old nickel plated Colts, a 45 and a Super from the thirties. I added a mag well and beavertail, a new trigger, fitted a Swenson Ambi and drop in barrel and bushing to each. Parts courtesy of Brownells. The only thing I paid someone to do was new sights. Shot the Super for quite a few years of IPSC. I sold the 45 to a friend who wanted to try the game. Just this year, I retrofitted the Super with the original take off parts. Have to see if I can get someone to replace the original sights. I'm no gunsmith, and not in a technical trade. The only tricky part was fitting the safety, files, Prussian Blue and trial and error. Other than the sights, no change to the guns. Of course, they were just old guns then, today, quite collectible, I'd have cleaned them, shot them and left them unmolested.
if you have a local shop so you don't get eaten up by shipping charges, you could stretch it out. But your items 3,4, and 5 should be done together, all the internal parts interact.
And don't do it to real mil spec, an original Army surplus pistol is worth more than a lot of new guns.
And don't do it to real mil spec, an original Army surplus pistol is worth more than a lot of new guns.
Buy a Gold Cup Trophy to start in stainless....upgrades are a great start.
What is the value of the Colt roll marks to you? There isn’t a right or wrong answer here, but it may be more advantageous to buy a gun featured the way you want than to have a Colt rebuilt.
A potential variable of a Colt build is small parts quality. How many of the factory small parts are good to go, for you?
Also keep in mind that while there are “a la carte” shops, there are also a lot of shops that won’t want to work on a gun that’s already been worked on.
In terms of stages, here is how I would go-
1.) Reliability - This can take a variety of forms, and I know how I’d like it done, but pretty much any shop with “a la carte” reliability ought to be able to get you to a good place.
2.) Ergonomics - the “milspec” hammer and beavertail are beautiful, but I need modern here. I also prefer flat mainspring housings and long, smooth, solid, curved triggers
3.) Sights - as you prefer
4.) All the “extra” - how extra do you want this gun to be? Pretty well anybody can items 1.) - 3.), but every shop will do the extra it’s own unique way.
A potential variable of a Colt build is small parts quality. How many of the factory small parts are good to go, for you?
Also keep in mind that while there are “a la carte” shops, there are also a lot of shops that won’t want to work on a gun that’s already been worked on.
In terms of stages, here is how I would go-
1.) Reliability - This can take a variety of forms, and I know how I’d like it done, but pretty much any shop with “a la carte” reliability ought to be able to get you to a good place.
2.) Ergonomics - the “milspec” hammer and beavertail are beautiful, but I need modern here. I also prefer flat mainspring housings and long, smooth, solid, curved triggers
3.) Sights - as you prefer
4.) All the “extra” - how extra do you want this gun to be? Pretty well anybody can items 1.) - 3.), but every shop will do the extra it’s own unique way.
I was in the same position. Thought about having a Colt built. Then I saw an ACW PE that looked to have what I wanted. Bought that instead. Glad I did. Don't think I would have been happy with the Colt, unless it was built by Burton, Yost, or Harrison. That's a whole different price point.
Honestly it only makes sense to do it all at once. This is not like an AR where you can swap parts at will with a very good chance of things functioning at a drop in level of fit. I also think getting a gun set up the way you want instead of sending the gun to a gunsmith makes more sense.
most of the well known reputable smiths have build backlogs lasting years.
personally I hate mag wells and front strap checkering but to each his own.
something like a les Baer SRP will have all the things you list and can be bought right now, likely at a price a little to a lot less than what a smith would charge to do it.
most of the well known reputable smiths have build backlogs lasting years.
personally I hate mag wells and front strap checkering but to each his own.
something like a les Baer SRP will have all the things you list and can be bought right now, likely at a price a little to a lot less than what a smith would charge to do it.
Interesting comments - have you had a bad experience with front strap checkering ?Honestly it only makes sense to do it all at once. This is not like an AR where you can swap parts at will with a very good chance of things functioning at a drop in level of fit. I also think getting a gun set up the way you want instead of sending the gun to a gunsmith makes more sense.
most of the well known reputable smiths have build backlogs lasting years.
personally I hate mag wells and front strap checkering but to each his own.
something like a les Baer SRP will have all the things you list and can be bought right now, likely at a price a little to a lot less than what a smith would charge to do it.
Keep looking at the used listings and buy a pistol with all the features already.
As others noted, it costs a mint to be shipping a handgun back and forth to a smith for piecemeal work.
There are two big considerations, too. First, you would want all parts that interact with each other, like the ignition parts, to be fitted at one time. Second, any work on the frame and slide (plus any other parts if you're having small parts finished to match, like DLC or hard chrome) should be done at once so you only need to refinish the gun once, as that's expensive.
If you start with a Colt and put enough work in it to have it be an Alchemy, then you'll be in it for the price of an Alchemy.
On the other hand, you'll have a Colt that's equivalent to an Alchemy, and a lot of people might say that the Pony has a certain je ne sais quois that a Nighthawk, Wilson, or Alchemy frame and slide don't have, even though those latter parts are better quality when stock. Sometimes people say this like it's a bad thing, like - oh, you should have just bought an Alchemy for that money. But it's also a good thing in the sense that you spent similar money and now you have comparable guns, so really that's now purely a preference about which you like more.
The only tricky part with the Colt is that well known smiths have well known waiting times, and that's longer than the Alchemy wait, which itself is not short. And less well known smiths are, well, unknown quantities.
There are two big considerations, too. First, you would want all parts that interact with each other, like the ignition parts, to be fitted at one time. Second, any work on the frame and slide (plus any other parts if you're having small parts finished to match, like DLC or hard chrome) should be done at once so you only need to refinish the gun once, as that's expensive.
If you start with a Colt and put enough work in it to have it be an Alchemy, then you'll be in it for the price of an Alchemy.
On the other hand, you'll have a Colt that's equivalent to an Alchemy, and a lot of people might say that the Pony has a certain je ne sais quois that a Nighthawk, Wilson, or Alchemy frame and slide don't have, even though those latter parts are better quality when stock. Sometimes people say this like it's a bad thing, like - oh, you should have just bought an Alchemy for that money. But it's also a good thing in the sense that you spent similar money and now you have comparable guns, so really that's now purely a preference about which you like more.
The only tricky part with the Colt is that well known smiths have well known waiting times, and that's longer than the Alchemy wait, which itself is not short. And less well known smiths are, well, unknown quantities.
If fact…
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Custom Springfield Champion .45 - Great Example of the...
Alright guys I'm going to keep this one up as long as @UBOATDOC M4 is still for sale as I want it but promised my wife I'm selling or trading before buying again😎 Springfield Champion .45 with $750+ in custom work including bobtail, checkered front strap, flat top serrated slide, Wilson BP thumb...
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