08 April, 2014

1911 - Phase II

While I've been very happy with my Kimber Custom Stainless II 1911 .45, the tweaker in me just can't resist. The 1911 platform affords so much opportunity for customization, that I knew this would happen before too long.



What initially fueled this was shooting my friend's Kimber TLE model. The checkering on the front strap really makes a huge difference. I'm more easily able to get a solid, consistent grip and as a result accuracy increases greatly.

These days it seems like finding a good gunsmith is a real challenge. Fortunately, I have a friend who shoots competitively and loves 1911's. He recommended I talk to Marianne Carniak - "The Accurizer". On Saturday, I paid Marianne a visit at her shop to have a look at my gun. This lady knows her 1911's! Super cool, incredibly knowledgeable, and really able to talk me through what I liked and didn't like about the gun. I knew at the outset that she'd be doing more than the checkering, I just didn't know what. With Marianne's guidance we were able to identify some modifications to make this MY gun. To say that I'm eager to have it back in my hands is a vast understatement.

Upon pulling the gun from its case, Marianne immediately identified a weakness -- the plastic mainspring housing. I'd never even noticed that this part was plastic! Though it's a non-critical functioning part, she said, "it just should be metal...". Music to my ears, I found the right resource.

I've not had a lot of luck with gunsmiths in the past, but I think that's because I was going to general, mass-market places. In the hands of specialist, I was really able to uncover areas for both significant and minor improvements that will customize this gun to me.

I'll write more after I get it back in a month or so!

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