Frankenstein Colt Utility/Brush Pistol

[Char-Gar]

Yesterday, I put together what is my idea of a pure utility pistol. It is sort of a do all, be all, go everywhere handgun. It is a multifunction tool, the firearms equivalent of a tire tool.

It combines a 1995 vintage Colt 1991A1 lower, converted to Series 70. An early 50's USGI Colt hard slide, a 2005 Colt barrel and a Smith and Alexander steel mainspring housing with lanyard loop. It is a testimony to Colt manufcturing tolerances that it went together with no fitting at all. It was just like reassembling a pistol you took down for detail cleaning.

[Tackleberry41]

Thats what everybody calls my 1911, Frankenstein. It was gained thru a trade at a gun show in 1989. I was young, didn't know alot about guns at the time. It was a parts gun, colt slide, essex frame. The barrel worn out, where it barely shot straight. I slowly rebuilt it, so the only parts left over out of the original is the slide and frame. I have never fit a part to it. They all dropped in.

My other 1911 is probably more of a frankenstein, considering the frame somebody was gonna toss. Looked like it had been left in the rain a while, heavy rust pitting. It was given to me as I was gonna modify it just to use as a firing mechanism. But I did basically bondo, then duracoat. Dug up a cheap in the white 40/10mm slide. Any slide serrations or sight cuts were done with files in the garage. The guts were whatever was in my bin of random parts. And its in 7.62x25. Aint the most beautiful thing, but it works.

[Mk42gunner]

Yesterday, I put together what is my idea of a pure utility pistol. It is sort of a do all, be all, go everywhere handgun. It is a multifunction tool, the firearms equivalent of a tire tool.

It combines a 1995 vintage Colt 1991A1 lower, converted to Series 70. An early 50's USGI Colt hard slide, a 2005 Colt barrel and a Smith and Alexander steel mainspring housing with lanyard loop. It is a testimony to Colt manufcturing tolerances that it went together with no fitting at all. It was just like reassembling a pistol you took down for detail cleaning.

That is a virtual twin of the Remington Rand (S/N 2225478) that I carried daily in the early 1990's. The two major differences were that I used a bench grinder on a mainspring housing from the parts bin, and I put a set of King's Hardball sights on it.

I sure would like to find that pistol again, but it was probably cut up for scrap when it was returned to Crane.

Robert

[FergusonTO35]

Yep, that sounds like the Glockenstein I'm building in another thread on this forum. That's the great thing about timeless designs such as these. You can mix and match to come up with exactly what you want on any budget.

[Char-Gar]

That is a virtual twin of the Remington Rand (S/N 2225478) that I carried daily in the early 1990's. The two major differences were that I used a bench grinder on a mainspring housing from the parts bin, and I put a set of King's Hardball sights on it.

I sure would like to find that pistol again, but it was probably cut up for scrap when it was returned to Crane.

Robert

I have a new set of King Hardball sights that will fit it. I carried a Remington-Rand for many years and found the issue sights to be slow to use, but accurate enough. I am going to shoot the issue sights for a time and see how it goes. I am 55 years older and while I still have good eye sight (more or less), I am not certain whether those issue sights will work or not. If not, I will put on the King sights.

[Catshooter]

That's a pretty piece Char-Gar.

Tell me, what's a "Colt hard slide"?


Cat

[Char-Gar]

That's a pretty piece Char-Gar.

Tell me, what's a "Colt hard slide"?


Cat

Until 1947 Colt slides had the front and slide stop areas hardened and a hard insert in the breech face. The recoil lug recesses were not hardened and that is where the wear took it toll. After some time in 1947 Colt hardened the entire slide, these are the "hard slides".

During the Korean war the 1911A1 slides began to fail at a good rate, and replacement slides were ordered from Colt and other makers. These were "hard slides" and had the govt. drawing number (7790314) on the left side of the slide.

The Colt furnished replacement "hard slides" were the same as the commercial slides of the era, but were parkerized and not polished and blued. Some of these made their way into the civilian market as surplus. Mine is one of these and is "as new" when it fell into my hands.

Many of these govt. hard slides were made up into National Match pistols at various govt. armories.

[Catshooter]

Ahh, thank you. Good to know.


Cat