New jawn.
I sold of my M&P 45's to fund this. A while ago I found myself getting more in more back into the 1911 game. Initially the reintroduction of Rock River Arms 1911 brought me back. The RRA Basic Carry pistol was calling my name. Everything I was looking for in a 1911, at a reasonable price. After finding out they aren't expected to ship until June, I decided to look for something else. I knew there were certain features I wanted:
-checkered front strap
-Novak sight dovetail, and decent sights
-commander hammer
-beavertail safety
Was looking around for a few weeks at Dan Wesson's Valor, Les Baer Thunder Ranch and Custom Carry, Springifeld TRP. The Valor has gone up significantly in price over the last 2-3 years (now about $1700 for one with the black duty treat coat compared to $1400ish a few years ago). The Thunder Ranch was really what I had my eye on, I figured I'd be able to find a used one around $1500, no luck. Same with the Custom Carry.
Finally settled on the Colt Wiley Clapp model. It had everything on my list checked off (except for a ledge rear sight, but that's easily fixable), was well within my budget (with enough left over to buy a few hundred bullets, mags, holster). The only thing I didn't like about the Clapp were the grips; but again, that's easily fixable. Came with genuine Novak sights with brass bead front sight and blacked out rear (bead sights on a 1911 are just classic and fitting), original GI thumb safety (if there's one thing I hate on 1911's it's big hug extended slide stops and thumb safety's, it just looks gaudy to me).
Magwell is nicely beveled, front and rear strap checkering by Pete Single (one of the top 1911 machinists alive, to the point he's a legend in the custom 1911 arena and doesn't advertise or even build guns commercially anymore; occasionally he'll build an entire gun to auction off for charity, those guns usually sell for over $5k), national match barrel is nice and tight, and that Colt blue......that Colt blue.....
Anyway, got it last week, dabbed some lube in key spots, and took it the range on Sunday.
It must have jammed at least twice on every magazine. To the point where I was embarrased having to clear my gun as often as I did.
When I got home, I mic'd a few of the trouble rounds I found. The overall diameter at the case head (where the cartridge headspaces on the barrel) came in at .473-.474, compared to the box of factory ammo I shot problem free earlier in the session, which mic'd at .470. Disassembled the gun and tried the plunk test*, the problem rounds would not plunk, meaning the case mouth was too big for the barrel.
Ordered a carbide crimp die which broud OAD down to .471 pretty consistently, and rounds now pass the plunk test. Anyway, I'll take it back out this weekend with a hundred or so of my reloads, to verufy that worked and my new target load functions properly in the gun (I've settled on 200 gr coated lead semi wadcutters loaded to 1.23-1.24 overall length with 5.6 gr of CSB 1 powder. Mild load that should chrono around 870 fps and easily make major power factor.)
Anyway, on to the pics. Only thing I did to it was to swap out the stock grips and bushings (thin) to standard bushings and rosewood grips with the colt emblem.
Holster is a Milt Sparks summer special 2. Theres just something right about steel and leather....
yards man yards
