1911’s in general, 9mm versions specifically

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

Just sayin.......

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Does this mean revolver shooters drink Lagavulin?

 

[RockAndSage]

Does this mean revolver shooters drink Lagavulin?

 

[RockAndSage]

Unless it's a big-bore. Then it's cool. Must start with a .5 though.

 

[Dobermann]

Just sayin.......

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You and @mtwarden are on fire today ... somebody tell a moderator or something ...

 

[mtnwrunner]

You and @mtwarden are on fire today ... somebody tell a moderator or something ...

I'll tell him but he's probably gone interviewing for the Bill's head coaching job.

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

Unless it's a big-bore. Then it's cool. Must start with a .5 though.

The irony of that statement in this land of pea shooters and 9mm 1911’s is rich!

 

[Steve300xcw]

Now that I’ve flipped to the dark side. Who makes a 19x style 1911. Looking for a full size frame with a 4” slide.

Commander size.

Keeps my hands down on the grip and I am not jamming my thumb into the safety.

Stop doing that

 

[43.6N]

For the brain trust: who does front strap checkering? 20lpi? 30lpi? Did they re-blue? Or a different finish? How has it held up?

 

[RockAndSage]

The irony of that statement in this land of pea shooters and 9mm 1911’s is rich!

Haha, for sure. But they really are cool.

 

[RockAndSage]

For the brain trust: who does front strap checkering? 20lpi? 30lpi? Did they re-blue? Or a different finish? How has it held up?

Kinda depends on intended purpose, as well as personal preference. Fewer people seem to do 25lpi, but that's my preference. 30lpi is finer, and something you're more likely to see on the nicer builds as well, that aren't really intended for duty or EDC. 30lpi is a bit easier to ding, too. 20lpi is more aggressive, but some people find it too aggressive and biting. Definitely best if you can try a few personally.

On finish, both the nicer and cheaper guns tend to get blued/re-blued by the smith doing the checkering. For duty/edc, you start seeing more performance coatings, like DLC and hard-chrome, both of which are slicker on the friction surfaces than normal blued or stainless steel, and can help with reliability that way. Cerakote is not in that category though - not a "performance" coating. It's fine as a surface protectant or for aesthetics, but compared to DLC, hard-chrome, or an actual surface-treatment like nitriding, it's better to think of it as a more durable paint. It also tends to get screwed up on tighter 1911s, with adding too much surface thickness on the friction surfaces and actually making them less reliable.

As far as who to point you to, I honestly don't know anymore, other than Les Baer's shop. Almost everyone who was a good, competent smith back in the 1990s that I was using are either dead or retired. There has to be some newer guys, but it's a space I haven't looked into in quite awhile.

EDIT: Apparently Nighthawk will take work on guns that aren't theirs, and they're a pretty premium set of smiths.