[acparmed]

While I was at the SHOT Show today I stopped by the Caspian booth and asked about what I consider to be a dream 1911.

I would like to have a full-size 1911 with a damascus slide and a color case hardened frame.

I was told, "No Problemo, give me three grand and 4 months and it's yours!!"

Now I think that it would be an ultimate, in appearance, 1911. What do you guys think of my idea?

 

[Bud White]

The Damascus slide looks really sweet i would have the whole gun done that way .. but the color case hardened frame might look pretty good for it

So did ya order?

 

[gregarat]

I would like to have a full-size 1911 with a damascus slide and a color case hardened frame.

A Damascus slide would look sweet!

 

[acparmed]

So did ya order?

Not yet Bud, gotta save the 3 grand first. That price includes the best of everything, including another custom serial number!! :image035:

 

[Bud White]

Ooo ahhh and OUCH

 

[maclean3]

Ooo ahhh and OUCH

Yeah, what the big guy said. :yup:
Jack

 

[rstickle]

Oh, if you do it there better be massive amounts of pictures showing up here! Sounds nice.

 

[acparmed]

Here is a pic of the Clark Millennium Meltdown with a Damascus slide. Sweet gun.

Now add a color-case-hardened frame, Damascus trigger and hammer. Damn, I like it.

And for you guys that ask "Why?", you just don't understand. :image035:

 

[P95Carry]

I am with Bud re ''ooh, ahh and ouch''! LOL

But yes, damascus is superb and so is cased frame - and necessarily a real price jacker package! I doubt I would go up to this cost level Bob but - it sure would represent something close to ''ultimate'' :smile:

As my dear wife might say to me - ''whatever your lil' heart desires'' :wink:

 

[maclean3]

Oh, I never ask why on a subject like that.
Really like the Clark but I've got a couple questions/observations: I thought it'd be more along the lines of satin finish brights with super dark carbon. Second, how well do the FO front sights hold up to high volume shooting? I had them on a muzzle loader and the sight acquisition is amazing, just not sure if I'd like them on a handgun.
Jack

 

[acparmed]

I have no idea about FO front sights. I hear they are good from some shooter's I know. This gun would have Ashley's Express 24/7 sights.

And yes, it would get shot a lot.

 

[maclean3]

As my dear wife might say to me - ''whatever your lil' heart desires'' :wink:

Any chance your wife could talk to my wife? :tongue:
Jack

 

[Euclidean]

I'm curious though... isn't Damascus basically a steel that's nearly pure iron which is skillfully worked to produce characteristic patterns in its surface?

Would such a material be up to the task of sustaining pressures from modern ammunition?

I'm not a metallurgist but I'd ask one about this.

 

[Bud White]

The newer stuff is tough its mostly a style its not true Damascus so it will hold up to the pressures

 

[acparmed]

I'm curious though... isn't Damascus basically a steel that's nearly pure iron which is skillfully worked to produce characteristic patterns in its surface?

Would such a material be up to the task of sustaining pressures from modern ammunition?

I'm not a metallurgist but I'd ask one about this.

Not really Euc, check out this link for an explanation of Damascus steel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus_steel

And what do you know? I finally made it to 1,000 posts.

 

[QKShooter]

THE Caspian Slide

The CASPIAN damascus is actually 2 different alloys of Stainless.
The billets are fabricated like true Damascus. Layered & machine forge welded Stainless. They are more like mass produced Damascus patterned Billets. Caspian does not make the Damascus billets. They do the machine & milling work on them though. Then the slides are fully machined from that rough bar stock. Beautiful slides.
VERY NICE SLIDES...& priced at $600.00+ just for the slide they are not real cheap.

 

[Euclidean]

So basically it's a modern set of materials made in the same style to get the distintinctive look and the end result would be capable of handling the pressures.

Okay I can dig that.:embarassed:

The only thing I really know about Damascus steel is that it wasn't invented in Damascus, the technique was lost at some point, and that it's from the fifth or sixth century. I always thought it was just a custom thing for old shotguns since shotguns are low pressure affairs or custom cutlery, but not something you could actually use for anything practical.

The Wiki article references how the shotgun barrels are made this way, which I wasn't aware of. I hadn't thought of using superior modern materials to make something useful that still had the appearance.

Learn something new every day. I have to admit, I'd like to see that. It would be unique.

 

[QKShooter]

Interesting

Yep...Euc You are (as usual) correct.
True Damascus was low carbon & high carbon steel or I guess Iron & steel layered by forge welding.
The most amazing Damascus was done by some knife makers...One maker crafting a knife from space....made of meteoric iron. Forging Knives from Iron Meteorites! How NEAT is that!

One knife maker in PA was hand making/forging Damascus with up wards of 30,000 forge welded layers. Ashly Forge.

The pattern is brought out by using a final acid etch that eats into one steel more than the other & darkens the one with less nickle in it. (I think)

Different patterns are produced by twisting the billet laters & doing various things like combining a right & left hand twist in alternating layers...& so forth.

I don't want to "offer up" any false info as fact but, that is basically the process.