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American Classic 1911 Commander "modded"

6K views 30 replies 19 participants last post by  Harryball 
#1 ·
I decided I wanted a better looking gun than the factory American Classic.

So I painted the wood grips (until my new ones come) black, removed the trigger and polished it, removed the hammer and polished that too. I like it a lot. Probably will polish slide catch and safety too. I polished the sides of the trigger bows for a smoother trigger. Mission accomplished.

This is my EDC and now it looks better, even though nobody sees it!
 

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#3 ·
Remember that with a Carbon Steel firearm when you polish off the protective black oxide finish you are exposing bare Carbon Steel metal to potential rusting.

Ideally you should send those parts out to be either Hard Chromed or Electroless Nickel plated.
 
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#4 ·
I decided I wanted a better looking gun than the factory American Classic.

So I painted the wood grips (until my new ones come) black, removed the trigger and polished it, removed the hammer and polished that too. I like it a lot. Probably will polish slide catch and safety too. I polished the sides of the trigger bows for a smoother trigger. Mission accomplished.

This is my EDC and now it looks better, even though nobody sees it![/QUOTE]



^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Looks good!!!!!!!!^^^^^^^^^^^


To what I've outlined in bold, etc,,, above.
Yes but that is the same logic women have when putting on frilly,skimpy, flowered panties!





P.S.

Pay attention to what QKShooter says.



"I too have a certain idea of America. Moreover, I would not feel entitled to say that of any other country, except my own. This is not just sentiment, though I always feel ten years younger - despite the jet-lag - when I set foot on American soil: there is something so positive, generous, and open about the people - and everything actually works. I also feel, though, that I have in a sense a share of America." – Margaret Thatcher,
 
#5 ·
Went a little further. Now I am going to order these parts from Wilson Combat in brushed aluminum.

I don't think the parts will rust, but I will let you know if they do. In my experience with automotive applications (I am a mechanic) this should do just fine if not left outside.

Anyways, just messing around with my gun, I like the result and maybe it will help someone else make some choices about their own gun.
 

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#7 · (Edited)
Very nice! Good job :hand10:



Went a little further. Now I am going to order these parts from Wilson Combat in brushed aluminum.

I don't think the parts will rust, but I will let you know if they do. In my experience with automotive applications (I am a mechanic) this should do just fine if not left outside.

Anyways, just messing around with my gun, I like the result and maybe it will help someone else make some choices about their own gun.

I think QKShooter is right. If stainless steel firearms rust, what do you think it will happen to carbon steel firearms if you polish off the protective black oxide finish? Do not underestimate the corrosive and rusting effects of moisture, salt and dirt from perspiration coming into contact with the metal.
 
#6 ·
Looks great! I am really loving my ACII. Might have to pick up a Commander next.
 
#10 ·
Thanks guys.

I am actually going to see what this thing looks like in a week with proper care. Since this is my EDC gun it gets wiped down every night before bed anyways and with a light coat of gun oil on the parts I am betting I won't see rust. Some of the bluing had worn off anyways around the grip safety and trigger from rubbing the frame and it has been over a month and no rust on those parts.

Either way, if they do rust I'll drop in the Wilson parts. Regardless I will keep you all up to date on the rust issue. In the meantime, I am so loving this look that I am tempted to "open carry"!
 
#11 ·
Well, my gun has spent most of this week in it's holster and my hands and no sign of rust at all. I just installed new grips and grip screws tonight and gave it a good once over and she is great. My wife even stopped and said "wow, that looks awesome honey". So far, so good.
 
#14 ·
Where's the pics with the new grips?

I have a couple of revolvers that have had the trigger and hammer polished, haven't had any trouble with rust or corrosion.
 
#15 ·
its what floats ur boat--an it sure is pretty.

we have a different way in that as a SD gun it has to run even dirty; my defender or p239 gets wiped with a silicon cloth
when putting it away if it has come out of its holster. if its been fired it gets the bore-snake and after Ive wiped what i can reach,
some rem oil. slide off clean every 1000 rounds or 3 months.

a suggestion cause if you ever have the police to examine the gun following its being used--any work on the action parts should have
paperwork from a gunsmith. it will cost you less in court than possibly having to defend about how you did things may have affected the gun.
this is total legal bs, but the money it may cost you is real.

------------------------
build a fire for a man and you warm him for the night;
light him on fire and you warm him for the rest of his life
 
#16 ·
Almost a month of carry and shooting and not one spec of rust or corrosion. Still "in the white" and still sick looking. Getting the front strap checkered soon too. And here's the new Ergo grips, hex grip screws, and wilson combat mag.
 

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#18 ·
I simply removed the blue finish for these parts with 400 grit paper, followed by 600 grit paper (hand sanding only) and then 1000 and then 1500. Once done sanding I hit it with automotive buffing compound (via my dremel and a buffing wheel)medium first and then fine. Then, after all that I polished it with jewelers polish. Once all that was done I waxed it with automotive wax, let set and buffed with a dry buffing pad on the dremel. Took a whole saturday to do what you see, but hey, it doesn't rust and looks great. And I have had this gun on my side in 100 degree heat and soaking humidity of Alabama summer.

nice weapon.
Thanks. And only have about $600 invested so far.
 
#21 ·
Just another quick update. One thing I hate about the AC is the non checkered front strap and the weird hammer inset. So today, I took care of both. I put a Wilson Combat front strap on it (more to see if I like it than keep it forever) and took my dremel to the hammer to remove the inset. See before pic. Went really well and I like the look a lot. Too bad this gun stays concealed 99% of the time.
 

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#26 ·
I agree on the hammer insert. That thing just looks funky.

As to the front strap. I tried one of those Wilson cheese graters one time. Piece of junk, if you ask me. I ended up just cutting a piece of rubberized grip tape (the kind you use on boats) and sticking it on. Much better grip than the Wilson, and actually stays in place. Doesn't look to shabby, either. I think it's the next best thing to actual checkering.
 
#23 ·
Great looking gun!
Been thinking about gutting the hammer on mine too, did it leave any markings or holes inside the hammer? If yes could they be filled with JB or simmilar to mask them?
 
#25 ·
No holes at all. All you need is a carbide cutter tip, and then a bunch of sanding points small enough to get into the hole and smooth out the roughness. If you have a blued hammer and plan to keep it that way you would just cold blue it and never notice.

Nice gun, but a small nit pick. A Commander is a four and a quarter inch Colt with a bushing.

Kinda like calling all pop "Coke".
Is this your way of saying since it isn't a Colt is doesn't qualify as a Commander? It is 4.25" and has a bushing so that's good enough for me. Plus, it says Commander in HUGE letters on the side. Not too worried with semantics.

I hang out on the BMW forums a lot and though lots of people call BMW's "beamers" when in fact for cars the slang is "bimmer" (beamer is a motorcylce) I don't recall ever taking the time to even mention something so insignificant when we all know what they mean.

I get it, it isn't a Colt so it isn't a "real" 1911.
 
#27 ·
Exactly. It isn't a Colt. It's a clone. But it's a very nice one. Glad you enjoy it. For me, I personally prefer function over looks, and would spend my time and effort upgrading the internals. But she's your baby, so have at it.

In the event you were in a situation you could not properly love and oil her everynight came about, how do you think it would stand up to the elements?
 
#29 ·
Internals have already been gone through. Gun fires reliably anything I feed it from Gold Dots to Ball ammo, that is when I chose to move toward customizing the look. I don't oil it every night. In fact, I take it off and put it away, ready for the next day. It gets oiled 2 times a week maybe. I really think the auto wax I used is keeping it looking so nice.
 
#30 ·
Shot another 100 rounds today. Right where I was aiming which makes me happy. Shot all Winchester white box 230gr ball ammo and had two stove pipes with my ACT mag. My Wilson mag fired great. Well, I actually shot about 10 Hornady TAP FPD 230gr +P hollow points and they feed great. I should mention that the Wilson front strap I added and Ergo grips make recoil control much easier. The Ergo grips are hard on my side while carrying if I don't wear an undershirt, but well worth it when the shootin starts. Double taps were nice and comfy to execute too.

Oh, and still no rust or corrosion on the untreated "de-blued" parts.
 
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