I figured I would start a thread on my Colt 1911 rail gun project. I bought the gun about 6 months ago for a home defense weapon. I always wanted to try a 1911 so the rail gun seemed like a good fit. I read lots of reviews before purchasing & all where positive. As of now I have run about 750 rounds threw it with no malfunctions. I do have to admit that I can shoot it more accurately then my beloved glocks LOL. So I decided If I was going to keep it long term I wanted to address a few things that I did not like.
First issue was to dehorn the gun. In fact if one thing keeps me from buying another colt it will be the fact that I will have to dehorn everyone. At least on a normal 1911 that may only be the slide. Then I will replace the grips, the sloppy fit trigger(which works fine just annoying), add an extended magazine release, & most likely a checkered mainspring housing later. I have replaced the stock front sight with a Novac fiber optic.
To be honest this gun was down right sharp just about everywhere. For what ever reason Colt does not bevel the bottom of the slide or even the slide serration. I actually cut myself on one them. Add to that this is a rail gun with lots straight edges for your light attachment & it was too much for me. The most annoying part for me was the back edge of the safety that was not beveled. It always managed to hit my knuckle while shooting. Yes I ride the safety while shooting.
So I broke it down & got to work. I kept the sanding to a minimum as I did not want to change the looks just the feel. Plus seeing as this was my first dehorning job I did not want to screw it up. :madgrin: Then I had it beed blasted for 60 bucks.
While the polished slide looked nice they scratched way too easily. I decided to sand it in one direction from front to back with 400 grit paper. It has a similar look but hides scratches better. Also in few months I can just sand it again if it gets scratched up.
So for about $65 & some elbow grease I am loving the results. It does not look much different but it feels 100% better.
Here are few pics.
Dressed for duty
One before pic but not a good one as I had not planned to do a before & after.
First issue was to dehorn the gun. In fact if one thing keeps me from buying another colt it will be the fact that I will have to dehorn everyone. At least on a normal 1911 that may only be the slide. Then I will replace the grips, the sloppy fit trigger(which works fine just annoying), add an extended magazine release, & most likely a checkered mainspring housing later. I have replaced the stock front sight with a Novac fiber optic.
To be honest this gun was down right sharp just about everywhere. For what ever reason Colt does not bevel the bottom of the slide or even the slide serration. I actually cut myself on one them. Add to that this is a rail gun with lots straight edges for your light attachment & it was too much for me. The most annoying part for me was the back edge of the safety that was not beveled. It always managed to hit my knuckle while shooting. Yes I ride the safety while shooting.
So I broke it down & got to work. I kept the sanding to a minimum as I did not want to change the looks just the feel. Plus seeing as this was my first dehorning job I did not want to screw it up. :madgrin: Then I had it beed blasted for 60 bucks.
While the polished slide looked nice they scratched way too easily. I decided to sand it in one direction from front to back with 400 grit paper. It has a similar look but hides scratches better. Also in few months I can just sand it again if it gets scratched up.
So for about $65 & some elbow grease I am loving the results. It does not look much different but it feels 100% better.
Here are few pics.
Dressed for duty
One before pic but not a good one as I had not planned to do a before & after.
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Now if you want to trade your Wilson for my Colt I might change my tune. LOL
