ltwguns.com

A customized 1960 LW Commander Chuck did the machine work in the slide, Phil @ glenrock blue did the reblue. Ted helped me clean up the dings in the lower end and re-anodized it I fitted everything up and my Dad shoots it....someone got a sweet deal here....who could that be???

Thought I'd share it... and my poor photo skills

_________________
https://www.graffcustom.com/

Nice gun.
I like the way you selected a Morseth knife from the early 60's as a companion too!

_________________
"The most effective armor is to keep out of range"-Italian proverb

CHECK OUT MY CUSTOM 1911 BLOG
http://thearsenalofdemocracy.blogspot.com

The Morseth is my Dad's too, the knife he carried in Vietnem in the late 60's, on his tour with the 173rd LRRPs. The gun he picked up in a Chicago pawn shop, soon after his return from Vietnam, and it was butchered prior to his geting a hold of it. The stippling hides one of the worst checkering jobs in the history of mankind. There is a ton of family history in the photo, anyway the 2 make quite a pair.

_________________
https://www.graffcustom.com/

Really Classy Looking!

My next, next project (Remington Shottie is my next project) is an early lightweight Colt Commander with complete internal work with just a sight change and a master blue.

I noticed that the hammer on your Commander has been completley reshaped. Can you thumb cock the pistol? I'm interested because my current project is a lightweight Colt Officer's ACP for carry and I was thinking of reshaping the hammer and grip safety to a much smaller configuration.

John

Yeah you can thumb the hammer, but.. it is a bit small and the thuimb slips off pretty easy. Not sure why I'd ever need to on a 1911, after some use I love the hammer on this gun and am planning to use this style on a 5" I am working on. The reshaped hammer was originally a normal 1911 spur hammer, I just cut it off with a wheel and rounded it with files, cleaned up with emery cloth. The ring hammer that was original to the gun was trashed. Gun runs very well, trigger is 4.5# and crisp... gun came out great given my remedial skills.

_________________
https://www.graffcustom.com/

Thanks for the info Mark.

I practice presentation from concealment and dry firing with a snap cap at home; thumb cocking makes this convenient.

Regards,
John

I like it. Very nice.
Lenny

_________________
Show 'em where you live....

No question about it, this site has the BEST eyecandy of all firearms-related sites. A great looking gun, and an equally nice 'backdrop' too.

I have a fondness for 'purity' in my taste in 1911s, perhaps selfish since I am right handed and have little use for ambi safeties. I feel a 1911 should have as little in the way of unneccsary 'extras' as possible. Sure a lefty needs an ambi safety and a production gun is normally sold as 'full house' with this item to cater to the percentage of our population that is left handed. I feel that a real custom needs an ambi like a fish needs a bicycle, it should be built for the person who is going to shot it, not for a general audience. This one fits my 'bill.'

As an aside, has anyone ever seen a gun with just a left side safety? I assume one built for a left handed shooter could have one, but I have never seen it? Dave

Dave, I've had several requests from lefties who want "to get even" for living in a right handed world. They seemed to want to let their righty friends know what it's like. The best you can do is to remove all of the lever on the right handers side with the exception of the basic plate and a bit of the area that engages the safety plunger. There's no way to remove the whole "strong side" piece and still have a workable safety, or any way to retain the other side for that matter. Best,

_________________
Don Williams
http://www.theactionworks.com
http://www.ltwguns.com

Thanks, Don. I read your note, went back to look at some basic diagrams of the internal construction of a 1911, and realize that while I may be a decent motorcyle mechanic in my off hours, gunsmithing is a black art to me. (Or, as 'Bones' would say to Kirk, "Damn it, Jim I'm a Doctor [lawyer, actually] not an Engineer!") Dave

pezzulli-

I am pretty sure if I left @.125"+ more on the spur it would still clear the grip safety and would allow a little more room for my thumb....I may try it on the next one. This should fix the slipping issue. I tried it yesterday and it is doable with this one...just alittle tough.

_________________
https://www.graffcustom.com/

That is a beauty, Mark! I have a LW Commander from the 70's that I built up many years ago, and had frame was electroless nickled which was the hot lick at that time. I am thinking I woiuld like to have it re-annodized in black. Which Ted did the job on yours?

Thanks'

Jim

Ops...I mean I had the frame electroless nickled...

Ted Yost, whomever he uses does great work.

_________________
https://www.graffcustom.com/

Mark,

Thanks for the additional info, I'm going to give it a shot (no pun intended ) with the LW Officer's ACP at the same time minimizing the stock grip safety.

Regards,
John

I have had the pleasure of playing with some of the 1911s that Mark has built, and let me tell you they are nice. I have owned a lot of semi customs, and a few full house customs. I would throw one of Marks 1911s in the stall with any of them, he has a real good eye for the little things, and the small touches that most would not look for. He is one of those perfectionist type of people that will spend hours smoothing a surface that only he would ever see just because he knows that it is there. He is also a real good guy, everyone who knows him would be the first to tell anyone that. I feel lucky to call him a friend. And by the way Mark, I have that frame and slide on order that we talked about.

Elliot-

Let's go burn some powder!!!!! Check your PMs.

Mark

_________________
https://www.graffcustom.com/