Why is the 1911 more popular than ever?

[JHC]

For me 1911s are like revolvers. I get why people prefer more modern designs. I like them because I just do. I'm 38 btw. My first one was a Springfield milspec I paid for and my mom the the paperwork when I was 16. I shot ipsc in Iowa with it in highschool and carried it when I got out of the Marines. Since then I've carried 1911s more than any other gun.

But I also like canning my own apple sauce, loading my own ammo, stalking deer instead of sitting in a stand, etc.

1911s just go with my and how I like to live, present myself to others, and take care of myself and my equipment. I'm no snob. My 1911s are relatively inexpensive Springfields.
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Diggin' that lanyard!!! Good stuff.

[Caballoflaco]

Nah. SIG needs to re-release their 1911s in 357 SIG. They were stillborn because of COVID.

My interest in .38 super has to do with the longer overall case length playing better with the 1911’s mechanical feed cycle, plus you loose one round of magazine capacity in .357sig due to the greater case head size.

In addition, while we have at least one member who has had decent results with a Sig 1911 that’s not a pistol I’m interested in buying from them.

[1Rangemaster]

I apologize for going off on a slight tangent here, but can anyone recommend a gunsmith service for refinishing a Colt Commander slide.

A little more info: this was my second 1911; it is sort of a time capsule. Worked on by Ikey Starks out of Colorado in the early (19)80s, it has a number of historical parts: a Safari Arms ss beavertail(Cooper would have called it a “ducktail”) as it swept up at its end, stamped Swenson ambi manual safety, Bar-Sto barrel, etc. The slide has what was state-of-the-art then sights: King Tappan semi fixed, white notch rear and yellow dot front(!). Front sight is tenon type and pressed in. If at all possible I’d like to SAVE the set. The muzzle end has some very slight pitting which would probably need bead blasting.

A bit irrational to be sentimental about it, but I am. It rode off duty with me, protected me in my younger days, etc. I want to leave it it good shape for next generations. I’m thinking a dark/subdued finish other than bluing; parkerization? DLC? Another coating?

Any suggestions would be sincerely appreciated…

[JHC]

I apologize for going off on a slight tangent here, but can anyone recommend a gunsmith service for refinishing a Colt Commander slide.

A little more info: this was my second 1911; it is sort of a time capsule. Worked on by Ikey Starks out of Colorado in the early (19)80s, it has a number of historical parts: a Safari Arms ss beavertail(Cooper would have called it a “ducktail”) as it swept up at its end, stamped Swenson ambi manual safety, Bar-Sto barrel, etc. The slide has what was state-of-the-art then sights: King Tappan semi fixed, white notch rear and yellow dot front(!). Front sight is tenon type and pressed in. If at all possible I’d like to SAVE the set. The muzzle end has some very slight pitting which would probably need bead blasting.

A bit irrational to be sentimental about it, but I am. It rode off duty with me, protected me in my younger days, etc. I want to leave it it good shape for next generations. I’m thinking a dark/subdued finish other than bluing; parkerization? DLC? Another coating?

Any suggestions would be sincerely appreciated…

I would run, not walk in the direction of Derr Precision for this one. He's done functional work on a couple of my guns but check out the fancier jobs he takes on. I think his prices have been fair and his turnarounds on my smaller jobs has been crazy quick.

https://www.derrprecision.com/gallery

[Tokarev]

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[theJanitor]

I would run, not walk in the direction of Derr Precision for this one. He's done functional work on a couple of my guns but check out the fancier jobs he takes on. I think his prices have been fair and his turnarounds on my smaller jobs has been crazy quick.

https://www.derrprecision.com/gallery

I prefer not to talk about this type of stuff, but I really like you PF'ers.

Derr has done a couple pistols of mine. Both were beautiful, but he wouldn't stand up for the malfunctions one was having. He also did a cerakote job on an aluminum CCO for a very good friend of mine and didn't stand behind the work on that one either (the cerakote flaked off). So for a refinish job that involves bluing? I'd say he does a great job. For other stuff, I'd not recommend

[rdtompki]

My wife and I went down the rabbit hole in 2014 when we accidentally rented a 9mm 1911. Shortly thereafter we adopted several Springfield Loaded Target models in 9mm (limited choice in California). I'm still shooting one of these in competition, but only recently transitioned from HK to a Staccato C for carry. While I am perfectly happy with the limited capacity of a 1911 single stack I decided the shorter officer grip of the C wasn't suitable for high round count training environments. Enter the C2 which is nirvana particularly carrying AIWB. IWB at 3 o'clock would work of course but harder to conceal with the wider, longer grip.

[TOTS]

I apologize for going off on a slight tangent here, but can anyone recommend a gunsmith service for refinishing a Colt Commander slide.

A little more info: this was my second 1911; it is sort of a time capsule. Worked on by Ikey Starks out of Colorado in the early (19)80s, it has a number of historical parts: a Safari Arms ss beavertail(Cooper would have called it a “ducktail”) as it swept up at its end, stamped Swenson ambi manual safety, Bar-Sto barrel, etc. The slide has what was state-of-the-art then sights: King Tappan semi fixed, white notch rear and yellow dot front(!). Front sight is tenon type and pressed in. If at all possible I’d like to SAVE the set. The muzzle end has some very slight pitting which would probably need bead blasting.

A bit irrational to be sentimental about it, but I am. It rode off duty with me, protected me in my younger days, etc. I want to leave it it good shape for next generations. I’m thinking a dark/subdued finish other than bluing; parkerization? DLC? Another coating?

Any suggestions would be sincerely appreciated…

For a more robust bluing finish, don’t forget that you can salt blue over parkerizing. Best of both worlds.

[1Rangemaster]

For a more robust bluing finish, don’t forget that you can salt blue over parkerizing. Best of both worlds.

Respectfully sir, do you know of anyone who offers these services?
Thanks in advance

[TOTS]

Respectfully sir, do you know of anyone who offers these services?
Thanks in advance

Unsure of who will parkerize, looks like most of the major custom shops blue so I’d just ask. I bet they can do both. I’m not hip on the custom shops, so others here will have to jump in. I’d call Evolution Armory, Nighthawk, Wilson, Derr Precision, Mars, Chambers, too many to list. https://www.1911addicts.com/ would be the best resource for this. For a money-is-not-an-issue finish @HeirloomPrecision would be the no 1 choice. Perhaps he could give a recommendation; I see this finish on a lot of his work.