Beautiful weapon, Art. Well done.

What is Rig grease?

Rig is a Birchwood Casey product that David (targa911s) recommended. It is excellent and gets great reviews.

I am familiar with Mr. David...shocked he left me out of the Rig grease loop.

I ordered some in spite;)

Again, Art, pleasure to see you work this through.

Sorry you were left out on RIG Paul. I mentioned it in a PHONE CONVERSATION with Art one day WHEN HE CALLED ME. LOL. just bustin' ya Bud. I'm gonna nap now so don't call me right away. :-)

What's this thing you call a "nap"?

it's what old retired guys do in the late afternoon.

It's a perq' of Geezerhood. Play your cards right, Art, and you too shall partake! (Eventually)

More "after" pictures...
 

More gratuitous pics... I'll never retire. I plan to pass quietly at my desk, holding my M1911A1 in my cold, dead hands.... at the age of 92.....
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1307483541.jpg
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Wow Art, that just looks killer. Wait until it "season's" from heat from shooting and cleaning. It will look awesome.

David,
Thanks! I really like the lighter color that the zinc phosphate gives as opposed to the darker color from manganese phosphate, Parko-Lubrite or DuLite. The M1911A1's I have do not have any rust pitting at all, which is great considering the rough shape the finish was in!

The company that sold me the chemicals are going to post my feedback and pics of the M1911a1 on their website. I'll post a link when it's been put on their site.

pretty cool Art. Yer a star now!

Art, I have been holding off on congratulating you, so that you could bask in the glory.

That's fantastic. I will definitely own a 1911 at some point in my life.

Tom,
Thank you! I highly recommend a M1911A1, but they are very expensive unless you can find a "basket case" like mine was and then re-Parkerize it and bring it back from the dead. it's fun and rewarding! I showed the pistol to the friend I got it from this evening and he was very impressed, especially considering the rough condition it was in when I got it. The "bones" were good and it didn't have any rust pitting, so I was hoping that re-Parkerizing it would bring it back and it sure did. Thanks again! My thanks again to the guys here who encouraged me and gave me good advice!

Tom and Art,

Rock Island Armory has some really fine GI replicas, as well as some fancier models of the 1911 for well under $500. Good deals can be had.

Here's a start:

rock island 1911 - Google Search

Tom,
That's excellent, thanks!

Here's my other project from last weekend...
 

Here are a few pics of the Charmglow 2000 grill that I restored last weekend. The guy who sandblasted the pistol took care of the grill and then I painted the exterior, Parkerized the top rack, replaced all of the internal parts (handle, burner and venturi still have not arrived). I'm going to convert the grill from propane tank to natural gas and hook it up to the gas line in the backyard that the pool heater uses.

We had a grill like this 35-40 years ago and we loved it! Heavy duty cast aluminum, not the "fake" stainless garbage grills that you pay $800 or more for today. This is the real deal and it was made in Bristol, Wisconsin. We'll break it in this weekend. I heat cycled it a few times to burn off paint vapors, but there really weren't any. I used Rustoleum high temp grill paint from Lowe's. It took 4 cans to cover the grill...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1307666236.jpg
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http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1307666311.jpg

You gotta eat!
 

To build up my energy for my next project. The 1st meal on the Charmglow grill...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1307840539.jpg

Remington is making the Model 51 again!!
 

First Look: Remington R51 Sub-Compact Pistol
by G&A Staff | January 2nd, 2014 |

New for 2014, the Remington R51 Sub-Compact pistol was designed as a modern version of Remington’s original Model 51. Originally designed in 1915 by John Pedersen, the Model 51 was considered ahead of its time, and soon became one of Gen. George Patton’s personal sidearms during WWII.


Read more: First Look: Remington R51 Sub-Compact Pistol | Guns & Ammo

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1388710437.jpg

Here's mine. David Lucas restored it for me a few years ago and it's my pride and joy!! Mine is chambered in .380 and the new version is in 9mm...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1388711076.jpg

A few more pics...
 

A few more pics...
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1388714614.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1388714642.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1388714655.jpg

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David (Targa911s), what do you think??

How does the trigger feel after all the work has been done? It looked like your hammer and strut were sand blasted but the sear and disconnector were not. The engagement surfaces of the hammer hooks and sear need to be pretty precise. I am wondering if the sand blasting might have changed the surface of the hammer hooks where they are engaged by the sear. I know that this is a GI grade pistol so your probably not looking for a super crisp trigger but there is a safety factor to think about as well. A trigger job may be in order to ensure that your fire control group is working correctly.

Matt,
You're correct, the gun would definitely benefit from a trigger job, but it works properly and feels pretty good right now. a few of the parts were completely worn out and I replaced the sear and hammer strut and the pins... I need to take it to the range soon. The grey is getting darker (patina?) and it's looking better "in person" than it does in the pictures.

Hmm, the new R-51 is about teh same size as the S&W M&P SHIELD 9mm, and is $50 cheaper.

Hmm.

If the new Remington has a similar profile to the original and the grip feels as comfortable in my hand, I'll buy one as soon as they come out, which I believe is in March. This will be my carry gun as my wife wants her Ruger LCP back and my Sig P239 is jut too big and heavy for daily carry.

It looks like the front and rear sights can be easily drifted off, and I would do that to keep the profile smaller...

The gun guys must not be on the forum...

I like the old one better. the new ones look like squirt guns. But I'm old school. When we get one in I'll shoot it and see what cooks.

David,
I like the old one better, too. I'm interested in this one as my carry gun as I don't carry my Model 51. The lower is aluminum, not polymer and the upper is steel, so it should be well balanced. If it feels anything like the Model 51, I'm buying it!!

I'm with Dave. Looks too organic ... see below. I don't carry guns around with me, so I like old school, all steel. I actually think I'd carry that as well, even if I'd carry guns around with me.

http://funnyasduck.net/wp-content/up...brate-pics.jpg

I would be curious to hear how the 1911 performs at the range. Mixing and matching fire control parts can be tricky on a 1911. Sounds like you have kept the original hammer but replaced the sear. Should be safe but will likely have a less than desirable trigger pull. A trigger job shouldnt run you more than $100 bucks and since you really are just looking for a GI grade pull it should be half that. I would say do it yourself but you would spend at least $100 buying the required jigs and stones. Since you have several 1911s that may be an option for you. A 1911 with a great trigger is such a joy to shoot.

Matt,
I'll take the M1911A1 to a real gunsmith as I do not know enough or have enough fine motor skills to modify or fit a trigger properly. Triggers are something that I do not mess with as they require knowledge that I just don't have. Thanks for the good info!!