Older smiths come in. What's the best 1911 to start with. Smithin...
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Explain "have a smith work it over"?
I'm of the old school, ancient and almost forgotten, concept of buying what you're going to end up with.
You can do that with 1911s today.
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I don't fit into the old category at 42....unless you ask my kids but your list looks exactly the way mine would.
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5,299 Posts
I'm wondering about the edit...Age limited responses!!!!
That's a new wrinkle.....lol.
If you want 'OLD',
Log, Bbbbill, Jerry should work.
Did names get added ...or removed??
:scratch:
Joe
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4,949 Posts
I don't know if I qualify but since only 2 other people have posted a response so far, here goes.
A new production Colt will be the easiest to learn on. The frame will most likely be in spec, the feed ramp is correct, it will have the most reusable parts to work with (saves money) and depending on what model you want it will either be a completely blank canvas to do what you want or you can pick a model that has some of the features you want already.
My second choice would be a newer production Springfield Milspec.
Picking an older Colt could be a little hairy. QC can be hit or miss. Especially when the machinists, polishers and finishers were paid by that days production numbers.
A new production Colt will be the easiest to learn on. The frame will most likely be in spec, the feed ramp is correct, it will have the most reusable parts to work with (saves money) and depending on what model you want it will either be a completely blank canvas to do what you want or you can pick a model that has some of the features you want already.
My second choice would be a newer production Springfield Milspec.
Picking an older Colt could be a little hairy. QC can be hit or miss. Especially when the machinists, polishers and finishers were paid by that days production numbers.
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73,440 Posts
Considering Colt's been making them for 103 years "older Colt" covers a lot of ground. Definitely don't use a WW2 or older pistol, as they're too valuable unless already messed up. Lots of gunsmiths like the 1950-1970 pre-70 pistols for builds, but by the mid 1960s quality was just starting to take a dip. The decline was steady through the 1980s and early 90s. Things improved by the early 2000s, but I did have a pistol from around 2000 or so with a trigger track that was misaligned. In my opinion the best one to start with is one of the current-production O1991 pistols, which at around $700 from most online distributors is a great deal, is made with CNC machining, and would be a lot cheaper than an "older Colt" in any flavor.
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8,303 Posts
Older smith working on a gun.....
If you want to get a good answer, start with a clear and detailed question.....
What is the objective or purpose for the gun to be modified....? Seems to me that starting with a Les Baer 1911 and having it worked on might be pricey.....:scratch:
Older smiths may have different specialties for different reasons. Jerry Keefer specialized in making very accurate Bullseye competition guns....I am not sure if Jerry is still building new guns, or is just maintaining those that he built for his customers.
If you want to get a good answer, start with a clear and detailed question.....
What is the objective or purpose for the gun to be modified....? Seems to me that starting with a Les Baer 1911 and having it worked on might be pricey.....:scratch:
Older smiths may have different specialties for different reasons. Jerry Keefer specialized in making very accurate Bullseye competition guns....I am not sure if Jerry is still building new guns, or is just maintaining those that he built for his customers.
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8,303 Posts
Start with a clear objective for working over a gun.....
First off, you didn't state your caliber choice....
Next, you said your obejctive was stated in another post..... What post?
You didn't define "have a smith work over the gun...." for what purpose....
You didn't say what the gun is basically going to be used for......concealed carry? Action shooting games...? Precision shooting like Bullseye competition? Police combat shooting like PPC? For hunting? :rock:
Most people look for quality and value.....since you seem to be "loaded" and money doesn't matter, how would we know that you have an unlimited budget if you didn't say this in your post.....?:rock:
When asking for help, being arrogant to people that are trying to understand what you want a gunsmith to do with a basic gun, is counter productive......
No, the question was not clear enough.....!
First off, you didn't state your caliber choice....
Next, you said your obejctive was stated in another post.....
What post?You didn't define "have a smith work over the gun...." for what purpose....
You didn't say what the gun is basically going to be used for......concealed carry? Action shooting games...? Precision shooting like Bullseye competition? Police combat shooting like PPC? For hunting? :rock:
Most people look for quality and value.....since you seem to be "loaded" and money doesn't matter, how would we know that you have an unlimited budget if you didn't say this in your post.....?:rock:
When asking for help, being arrogant to people that are trying to understand what you want a gunsmith to do with a basic gun, is counter productive......
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It seemed pretty clear to me but I'm not that old I'm just too old to be young and too young to be old.
I would rather have a custom Colt than a stock Baer any day.
I'm just too old to be young and too young to be old. I would rather have a custom Colt than a stock Baer any day.
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