Early 70s Colt Commander questions

[Jim Watson]

I have not seen an aluminum Commander with squared trigger guard. Seems that welding, machining, and finishing would be a huge project with lots of opportunity for failure.

My 1970s Commander is almost a hardball gun. I have shot a fair number of Hornady XTPs in it with no misfeeds so far.
Otherwise it is not good with SWCs, Zero or Remington JHPs.

My Combat Commander is a Horsie of a different spectrum. It is accurate, reliable, and flexible. But it didn't come from Colt that way; it has been thoroughly accurized. In fact, it is my most accurate centerfire, it shot X ring groups at 50 yards with the last of my Winchester Super Match. From a Ransom Rest. The shorter sight radius and light muzzle mean I cannot hold it as well as a GM.

So I don't see anything wrong with a birthday Commander, if it isn't just right, it can be fixed.

[awp_101]

I have not seen an aluminum Commander with squared trigger guard. Seems that welding, machining, and finishing would be a huge project with lots of opportunity for failure.

JEM offers one but it's machined that way from the get go. I'm extremely tempted to go that route because I have an ever so slight connection to someone on the inside (distant relation by marriage/rumor). When we discussed a possible build a couple of years ago there was the slight chance I could go down there and watch the process. That coupled with a personalized serial make it very appealing...

[tango-papa]

Thought I had posted photos some time ago, but can't find thread. Thus (with apologies for snapshot quality):

The Swenson Combat Commander:

And the Harrison LWC:

Yeah, those pistols are classy - thanks for the photos.

Bonus points for posting close-ups of all the Swenson parts with his roll marks on them...

Really nice pair of Commanders.

[flyrodr]

Yeah, those pistols are classy - thanks for the photos.

Bonus points for posting close-ups of all the Swenson parts with his roll marks on them...

Really nice pair of Commanders.

Here's the S&W sight. Mr. Swenson added the "filler" for the original dovetail, and the "shear pin" just behind the hex-head screw on the sight. He also added the (barely visible) barrel tensioner. He adds the owner's initial to the pin and tensioner.

Attachment 61015

And here's the right side paddle of the ambi-safety. Note that the safety is stamped "Fall Brook", but the stamp under the serial number is only "Calif.". Mr. Swenson's shop was originally in Gardena, and he later relocated to Fallbrook. I originally ordered the single-side extended safety, which was marked either "Gardena, Calif" or just "Calif.". Subsequently, i bought an ambi-safety from him that had the new Fallbrook location on it. The initial work on my gun was done during his transition, thus the "Calif." only marking. (At least that's how I recall it.)

Attachment 61016

He also made, or at least fitted, a new barrel bushing, which tightened up the original Colt barrel.

Note the discolored grip screw. This gun was originally finished in satin nickel, and refinished in hard chrome by Swenson . . . except for the grip screws. (And I remember him fussing at me for sending him a nickel-finished gun, and asking him to refinish it in chrome. Seems he not only had to strip the nickel, but that Colt was a bit less careful with the finish prep prior to plating, and he had to file out some rough spots.)

[Totally aside, this spell checking is entertaining: "Ambitious" safety. "Gardens", Calif. etc.

[tango-papa]

Here's the S&W sight. Mr. Swenson added the "filler" for the original dovetail, and the "shear pin" just behind the hex-head screw on the sight. He also added the (barely visible) barrel tensioner. He adds the owner's initial to the pin and tensioner.

And here's the right side paddle of the ambi-safety. Note that the safety is stamped "Fall Brook", but the stamp under the serial number is only "Calif.". Mr. Swenson's shop was originally in Gardena, and he later relocated to Fallbrook. I originally ordered the single-side extended safety, which was marked either "Gardena, Calif" or just "Calif.". Subsequently, i bought an ambi-safety from him that had the new Fallbrook location on it. The initial work on my gun was done during his transition, thus the "Calif." only marking. (At least that's how I recall it.)

He also made, or at least fitted, a new barrel bushing, which tightened up the original Colt barrel.

Note the discolored grip screw. This gun was originally finished in satin nickel, and refinished in hard chrome by Swenson . . . except for the grip screws. (And I remember him fussing at me for sending him a nickel-finished gun, and asking him to refinish it in chrome. Seems he not only had to strip the nickel, but that Colt was a bit less careful with the finish prep prior to plating, and he had to file out some rough spots.)

[Totally aside, this spell checking is entertaining: "Ambitious" safety. "Gardens", Calif. etc.

So neat to see.
Thank you for those photos and related details about the back and forth regarding getting the work done.

How do we say?

"I'll be in my bunk..."

[awp_101]

@flyrodr, that’s a heck of a piece of history! If it were mine it might go into the casket with me...

That rear sight gives me an idea. I’ve got a Clements pre-war S&W sight I picked up for a planned Vaquero project I’m not as keen on right now. I wonder....

Yeah, autocorrect can pound sand.

[SW CQB 45]

in the late 80s, my dad came home with twin Commanders that had S&W rears.

I said cool, till I picked one of them up and whoever machined them, put them on crooked.

I checked the other one and it was crooked too.

Much to my disappointment, they went back to the gunshop.


the pics of the Swenson took me back.... thanks for them "shots".

[Robinson]

I guess our definition of decent beavertail might be different. I had a GCT and have a Rail Gun. The latter had a Wilson beavertail installed as the factory one was not well fit and was not consistent in terms of where the grip deactivated it.

Nah, I doubt our definitions of a decent beavertail grip safety differ much. More likely I wasn't tuned in to the context of your post.

Colt has gotten better about fitting their grip safeties so they deactivate at the right amount of travel, but honestly the safeties on their traditional models have always worked pretty well IMO. Having a gun with an inconsistent grip safety is actually a strange problem to have, since it is just a matter of the geometry of the tang at the front of the safety. Usually it is either fit properly or it isn't but it will always deactivate at the same point.

One of the reasons I like the Custom Shop guns is that they fit the safeties by hand, something that simply isn't done on Colt's production line guns. They take a couple of swipes with a file at the sear engagement lug on the thumb safety and that's about it. I often have to clean them up a bit with a file and a stone to get them how I like them.

[Dave T]

This is the last of three Commanders I carried as off duty weapons and plain clothes duty guns.



The first one just had a Micro fixed rear with a silver soldered front that I had to replace several times. I also stuck a releived Government grip safety on it to stop hammer bite. Second one had K-38 rear sight with a soldered and staked front. The pictured gun was that last one and I carried and shot it for 6 or 7 years.

All of them eventually cracked their aluminum frames because I believed in shooting what you carry. The one pictured is cracked in three places. I shot it in Steel combat matches and IDPA events. The cracks are bad enough I never felt comfortable selling it.

Dave

[03RN]

Now that we're talking about grips to support the safety Id like to find a pair.

Ive never noticed a set of grips saying they support the safety.

What to look for? Any grips usually work or do they normally need to be custom ordered?