A while back I picked up an inexpensive 1911 that had been sitting in the case for a spell.



Nobody wants sight ribs anymore, too old school. It was a good deal for the work that had been done, and I'm not squeamish about dummy scratches. Because I hatched a plan. I've tinkered with 1911s in the past, but wanted to do more.



So I threw out the guts and fitted the fire control group and beavertail. Very satisfying, but I had one more thing to do.



One of the things that really changes the feel of a 1911, and lets it really sit in the hand, is undercutting the trigger guard.



I was conservative, the channel for the trigger is something only the truly experienced get really close to. After that, it was time to finish it and add the remaining parts.



That was my first Duracoat too, and I really like the product. Folks who have shot it forgive how dumb it looks. I really love 1911s, this was a lot of fun. I'm glad it shoots, because if I made an electric turd I'd be sad.

What precipitated this, aside from finding a well priced 1911 I didn't care about ruining, was this:



I think I posted about this not long before setting off to wander the earth like Cain from Kung Fu. That's another rare bird no one cares about, that I did the guts on. Pachmayr Dominator single shot .44. When you want your hand cannon to load like one.

I can appreciate the swap to modern fire control if your intent is to shoot it more. I also like the flat MSH, beavertail and magwell swap. It is on the whole a well thought combination.

As to the color, I honestly don't hate it. I don't know that I would've ever thought of electric yellow for a firearm, but I do own one of the titanium blue P229s they were selling cheap a couple years ago so i can't say I would never do it either.

TLDR: cool gun and good job on mods made. Not gonna make the bowling pin crowd happy though.

Since I'd never done anything too outlandish 1911 wise, and the damn thing has a comp and a sight rib, I figured why not drive the bus the rest of the way into "hot rod town."

Duracoat has a crazy array of colors, hell, glow in the dark.. I could have gone black, or I could have just Oxfo-blued. Why bother being traditional when you're out in the weeds. It says "yellow jacket" to me, and it subverts expectations.

I do have experience with metalworking, and tools. So I do have a jump start on what it takes to gunsmith... But a valuable skill no matter the field is to know what you don't know. Go slow, test fit, rinse, repeat. I'm an experienced welder.. but I don't want to engage those skills when it comes to firearms. Removing metal, easy. Putting it back...

Experience and finesse, this is why you pay a gunsmith. Abusing this piece just makes me appreciate those skilled individuals more.

Old school Pachmayr grips. Still my favorite grip after all these years.

Rib's really kind of made for softball stuff. If you shoot standard fodder, stay on top of your screws making sure they're tight. A little loose will encourage them to shear off and the rib will smash you in the face. I've had facial hair for close to 30 years now, so I'm not sure if I still have the scar above my lip from the corner of the Bomar sight. Destroyed my shooting glasses that luckily I was wearing.

If I shoot the rib off, I should probably start a youtube channel or podcast or something? What are the kids doing now? Besides being hacked by China?

I'll have to pick a gender and pronouns. This is my gender and pronouns:

The piece in its unaltered form is true "Old School Cool"! I'm diggin' the Bo-Mar Rib and wondering if that's a Plaxco Compensator? Dlask Trigger? Nice piece of 1911 gunsmithing history you have there, and your modifications make it even more unique and more "Yours"--What's not to like about that?

I can't say I know the origins of the original trigger or the comp. The slide and frame are old school canted together, it was definitely a traditional competition piece.

The trigger components I put in were all Cylinder and Slide. After that it was my fitting, and how I bent the fingers of the not-the-mainspring spring.

quote:

Originally posted by mikey357:
"Old School Cool".. ...Dlask Trigger?

You hurt me with those words.

I just put a Dlask trigger in my Officers model! But now that you mention it, it's probably closing in on 30 years ago.

I like the subtlety of the undercut. I had to go back and forth to see it.

The pros do a way better job (of course), and can get even higher. It might not seem like much until you feel it in your hand. I have some real meathooks so it makes a big difference to me.