The tiger tooth front strap, isn’t that sharp anymore, looking at the front strap, it appears that some of the teeth were deliberately knocked down, and as a result it’s not too bad.. If I couldn’t stand it anymore, the pachmayrs are a option.Originally Posted by theJanitor
I may be a bit biased, but that is a neat old gun IMHO. I'm aware of the pulling the trigger to prevent trigger bounce method, but never wanted a trigger job so delicate it required pulling the trigger to prevent hammer follow. I bought my old Clark gun 20+ years ago, and sent it back for the tune up and some other work in '98. It had been originally accurized by James Clark back in the '60s. In spite of having a very tight barrel/slide/frame fit, I don't recall mine ever malfunctioning. Clark returned a new test target with the gun after tune up that showed 10 shots in just over 2" at 50 yds.
That being said, if mine needed work I don't think I'd send it back to Clark now. I've seen that show with those kids working on guns. My confidence was not inspired. A gunsmith I've dealt with on several occasions is Don Williams/The Action works in Chino Valley, AZ. I've visited with him two or three times, and busy as he is, he was always very generous with his time. I wouldn't hesitate to send any type of pistol work to Don.
*sigh* It's your gun.
I'm crying at the thought of redoing the sights. No, the gun isn't super-collectible, but that sight arrangement isn't performed anymore. Frankly, I think it would be more trouble than it's worth, unless you wanted a BE gun badly and managed to vet stellar accuracy out of this one.
Hammer follow could be any number of things. It could be as simple as the sear spring being junked. Or the hammer, sear, or both, could be worn, monkeyed-with, etc. If it were me, I would bag the originals and just have a new hammer and spring fit. While I was at it, I would also have a new trigger done--that looks like a short face trigger, and is really only good if you have really small hands or plan on wearing gloves while shooting.
As far as pistolsmiths, they're backed up because there are very few of them, they tend to be very old, and their work takes time. Jon Eulette would be one guy I know that does good work. David Sams is another. I use KC Crawford for my triggers, but I literally buy this as drop-ins (I like roll triggers). Bullseye-L forum will give you good leads on working smiths.
If it were me, I would have KC make a short roll trigger for me, fit up a medium-length trigger myself, and have everything fixed for a little over $200 without shipping the gun around. But that would result in this Bullseye pistol remaining a Bullseye pistol, but not one that was really good for modern bullseye, and which had a weird trigger that very few people like (because you heathens don't appreciate the glory that is the roll).
Price-wise, I don't think it's as far out there as some other posters. It's not going to be easy to sell as a competitor's gun, as it's not fit for an optic and there's no proof as to whether it's performing. It's not really in good-enough shape to be a collector's gun, due to general wear and tear and the fact that it lacks external markings or documentation. There's no way to determine what was done to the gun, by who. If someone were to want it, they'd want it as a shooter-grade bullseye pistol to have a little fun with, assuming the price was good enough to take the risk on. I don't think you got ripped-off at $500, but neither do I think it's the deal of the century. I would look to net maybe $850 or $900 on a sale, tops, and consider myself very lucky if I got that. $750 is probably a little more realistic. But, you never know who you're going to find.
Last edited by Wise_A; 10-16-2020 at 05:54 AM.
I wouldn’t worry too much about the front sight..While I wouldn’t mind getting it changed, I have a gut feeling that it’ll be costly, in that event, it’ll stay.. Really, my main concern is the hammer/sear, I want them replaced with something that’s safe, the old parts can go into a bag, for posterity.. At the time this pistol was made, Clark marked his pistol on the third rail inside the slide, along with the date, and it is so marked. I’m pretty positive that all the original parts as it left Clark’s shop in 1961, are still in the gun..The short trigger, while they may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I like’em, and if it’s possible, I’d like to keep the one that’s in it now. Myself, I’m never going to compete with it, it’s going to be a fun gun to pull out of the safe.. The amount of work that will get done to it will depend heavily on cost, I’m not made of money, and I have a limited budget for this project, the hammer/sear issues take priority. The front sight is a maybe, dependent on cost..
I'm vintage custom 1911 junkie. But I've never bought a clark, because the work to make it usable for me has always been too extensive. That gun is cool, but only for range fun, just like old competition comp'd 45's. They both don't fit in today's world, except to make you smile.
IMO, the gun's value isn't huge, so do whatever you want to make it usable and fun, FOR YOU.
Another vote for addressing the safety issue with the trigger and keeping the original parts in a bag. You can then enjoy the gun without worrying about that issue. If you ever sell the gun, disclose in writing why the parts are in a bag, and keep a copy of that disclosure for yourself.
He built a couple of guns for me. I was sad to hear of his passing.
out of curiosity,
how is the front sight attached?
swaged/staked?
sweated on?
If you're going to be a bear….be a GRIZZLY!
I've got a short trigger on my BE 1911 now, but I've got a medium waiting to get fitted. I had a medium crisp break on a different frame, then switched to the short, then made some adjustments to my grip and now it's way too short. It's not a huge job, but I just don't have a ton of time and I'm in the middle of a season.
If you're looking to limit the outlay on this--which I think is wise--I would either use a KC Crawford roll trigger kit or a Power Custom kit. Both would be complete kits of hammer/sear/disco. The risk of trying to use a drop-in is that either the hammer and sear pin holes are improperly located (I would be shocked if that was the case on this gun), or that the hammer and sear pins were oversized (more of a possibility, but I really doubt it). The KC kit is a little under $200 depending on your choice of hammers, and gives you a roll trigger, where the trigger stays in motion throughout the pull. Think of it as incredibly consistent, smooth creep. It's challenging to shoot, but amazing for learning to shoot well--if the trigger stops at any point during the pull, then you did not make a good trigger pull.
The Power Custom trigger is a conventional break, available in a variety of weights in the 4-pound range. It's a bit cheaper than the KC kit, and comes with a sear spring and new mainspring.
Neither kit should require any fitting. Disassembly of the 1911's frame components can be tricky, but if I can do it, so can you. You're going to need brass punches and a rubber mallet. You will want a bench vise. I keep hearing stories of people disassembling and re-assembling 1911 frames without one, but I would rather just start smashing my gonads with the mallet, tbh. Your mileage may vary. Adjusting the sear spring will probably not be necessary, except to lighten the trigger pull.
Worst case scenario, you're handing a bag full of gun to some gunsmith, in which case you're really not any worse off than you were when you started.
Yah, Joe was a great guy and awesome to talk to on the phone. He did a couple of pistols for me while working at Wayne's. How time goes by...
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