My taste in 1911s has, I believe, come full circle. The first 1911 I ever handled or shot was an old GI bastard gun that I immediately fell in love with. It had a beat up, stippled frame, a crap slide, and WWI style GI parts all around. It was terribly fit, rattled like a maraca, and worked. What I do remember was it shot patterns like a sawed-off 12gauge and both the sights and trigger were horrible. Once I had my first one built, it just HAD to have a beavertail, extended everything, and big, adjustable sights. After owning a few really nice 1911s, most of which had just what I wanted at the time, I have found that I really do like a very “plain†gun. I shoot a GI style gun very well, and I just love the lines. Yes, I still absolutely love my “full-house†guns, but my more simple ones are getting shot more and more these days.
This 1926 Commercial Colt was a big pain for me. It traveled the country, and it seemed that nobody wanted to work on it, and if they did, they gave no guarantees. Why? Well, like me, they had no way to really tell if it could be done without losing the rollmarks or messing up the lines, which are two of the biggest draws for such a vintage Colt in the first place. After four or so stops around the land and a great deal of cash in shipping, it came right back home. I took it to Dave Sams’ shop and told him to make it as nice as he could without losing any markings. I planned on it being engraved, which is now in the works, so I wasn’t all too concerned about a bright polish job. What I did want to know is whether it was a piece worth salvaging and engraving, or if it would be better suited as a matte blue carry gun. I know it burns some people because it’s an old Colt and the history is destroyed by altering it, but I think it will live a much longer, more useful life now that it’s been made new.
The barrel is a masterfully fit Kart, flush crowned to the bushing and marking removed to resemble a Colt barrel of yesteryear, albeit MUCH better fitted and accurate as can be. The bushing is my favorite, a NM numbered piece that is very snug, just like I like them. The sights are Yo-Bo retros, which are the best, most simple, strongest sights I can imagine for any old-school gun (or any carry gun for that matter). The front sight is a Novak with no serrations. The frame, slide, slide stop, extractor, thumb safety, grip safety, hammer, sear, disconnector, ejector, mag catch, mainspring housing, spring plunger & plug, and firing pin are all 80 years old. I asked Dave to replace anything that wasn’t top notch, and he said the parts there were just fine and that there really wasn’t anything “better†he could use. I guess internal extractors are okay after all.
The grips are nothing short of superb. Dave made them out of Burl Walnut, and they just make the gun stand out. As far as mechanics, I can’t describe very well what Dave’s guns feel like and shoot like. I’ve shot a lot from a lot of top name makers, and Dave stands alone in the function/accuracy department.
This gun is not finished. I will be posting new photos in a few months once it is engraved. I’m not telling who’s doing it.
Enjoy!
~Jim Keeney
...and the maker - Dave Sams
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