- Joined
- May 31, 2005
- Messages
- 6,860
Just got the mammoth 2 weeks ago and picked this baby up on Thursday. Finally got a chance to take some pix. I had to share.
Here's the story:
About 4 years ago while perusing a gun show, I saw what was the most fantastic deal in the world. A beat up, hack-saw attacked Colt New Service in 45ACP. (1918 manf date - marked United States Property under the bbl.)
The sucker had NO finish. Rust and pitting. And literally the former owner took a dull hacksaw to the bbl and the grip frame. $200. I think - it was probably less than that. A real pile of junk gun. . . except it was a CNS in 45ACP. (sadly, I forgot to take a BEFORE picture.)
My good friend Charles looked askance at me when I bought it. "It's a Fitz!" I said. The deal, Mike Nappi, told me, "I got it off of an estate. Some time about 50 years ago, the owner hacksawed the thing, stuck it in his overcoat pocket. . . WET. . . and left it there. It's a pile of junk. THANK YOU for buying it."
Well, I talked with my friend and gunsmith Ed Gagnon about 3 times about it. "So Ed. What do you know about Fitz Colts?"
"You don't want to do that to a perfectly good Colt New Service. Interesting little gun, but don't ever do that."
"What if I had a pile of junk CNS that someone already tried to ruin."
"Oh, well, maybe. That might be interesting."
So about 5 months ago (I know it was warm - we did this on his back porch sipping iced tea) I brought him the gun.
"Oh wow, this could be fun. So you want the barrel cut back and recrowned. . . and we'll have to TIG-weld this grip. What did this guy do? Cut the thing with a hacksaw? And we can just parkerize it. Not much finish work needed. Yup. I can get this going right quick."
"STOP!"
"What?"
"Don't do that. Make it a Fitz."
"Are you prepared for that?"
"Yes. I want it in brand-new condition. Get rid of the rust and pits. Weld up what you need to. Cut the trigger guard, bob the hammer, fix the grips and make me some new stocks for it."
"Alright."
"And I want it high-polish blue."
"ARE YOU CRAZY!!!! Do you know how much work that is?"
"I'm prepared for that. And by the way - send it out to be re-roll marked. I'd hate to see that pony disappear."
"You are crazy!"
About 2 weeks later, I received a call. "Dennis, this is going to be some work. The welding and such is no problem. But I can't do a high polish blue. Some of that pitting is pretty deep."
"Ed, I want the brightest finish you can muster. I have confidence in you. But I really want this to look brand new. As if Fitz himself made this."
A few weeks later, he called again. "OK, so I'm going to parkerize this, right?"
"Nope. BLUE! Ed. I want this to be your masterpiece. Just think how much spare time you are getting paid for right now."
We spoke 3 or 4 more times over the next few months. Last week, I got the call.
"Yer gun is ready."
So I picked it up on Thursday. It truly looks like the Colt factory modified this one. He made 3 mods that didn't make it 100% Colt Fitz (to me). First, he couldn't find a new cylinder so the one that it came with got a satin finish b/c the pits were too deep. It's hard to tell that it isn't as high-polish as the rest. Second, he blued the hammer and trigger. Not a big deal. I'd prefer polished, but it looks great this way too - and never a fear of wayward rust. Third, he didn't cut the barrel back as far as I'd like - but it's still within Fitz territory. (He wanted to be sure the roll-marks were gonna fit - esp US Prop.)
It's a 45ACP so it takes half-moon clips - very flat in a front suit-coat pocket. I just couldn't imagine CARRYING THIS THING IN MY WAISTBAND all day. Wow. And I thing a full-size 1911 is heavy!
This is the first time I've ever done a "John Taffin" and had a gunsmith completely redo a gun. It was fun. Alas, I'm too broke to do it again. But I do have a 1895 Winchester in 30US with a THREE-DIGIT serial #.
That'll go to Turnbull, tho. Former owner was a kook and this will need MASSIVE repair. EEK!
Here's the story:
About 4 years ago while perusing a gun show, I saw what was the most fantastic deal in the world. A beat up, hack-saw attacked Colt New Service in 45ACP. (1918 manf date - marked United States Property under the bbl.)
The sucker had NO finish. Rust and pitting. And literally the former owner took a dull hacksaw to the bbl and the grip frame. $200. I think - it was probably less than that. A real pile of junk gun. . . except it was a CNS in 45ACP. (sadly, I forgot to take a BEFORE picture.)
My good friend Charles looked askance at me when I bought it. "It's a Fitz!" I said. The deal, Mike Nappi, told me, "I got it off of an estate. Some time about 50 years ago, the owner hacksawed the thing, stuck it in his overcoat pocket. . . WET. . . and left it there. It's a pile of junk. THANK YOU for buying it."
Well, I talked with my friend and gunsmith Ed Gagnon about 3 times about it. "So Ed. What do you know about Fitz Colts?"
"You don't want to do that to a perfectly good Colt New Service. Interesting little gun, but don't ever do that."
"What if I had a pile of junk CNS that someone already tried to ruin."
"Oh, well, maybe. That might be interesting."
So about 5 months ago (I know it was warm - we did this on his back porch sipping iced tea) I brought him the gun.
"Oh wow, this could be fun. So you want the barrel cut back and recrowned. . . and we'll have to TIG-weld this grip. What did this guy do? Cut the thing with a hacksaw? And we can just parkerize it. Not much finish work needed. Yup. I can get this going right quick."
"STOP!"
"What?"
"Don't do that. Make it a Fitz."
"Are you prepared for that?"
"Yes. I want it in brand-new condition. Get rid of the rust and pits. Weld up what you need to. Cut the trigger guard, bob the hammer, fix the grips and make me some new stocks for it."
"Alright."
"And I want it high-polish blue."
"ARE YOU CRAZY!!!! Do you know how much work that is?"
"I'm prepared for that. And by the way - send it out to be re-roll marked. I'd hate to see that pony disappear."
"You are crazy!"
About 2 weeks later, I received a call. "Dennis, this is going to be some work. The welding and such is no problem. But I can't do a high polish blue. Some of that pitting is pretty deep."
"Ed, I want the brightest finish you can muster. I have confidence in you. But I really want this to look brand new. As if Fitz himself made this."
A few weeks later, he called again. "OK, so I'm going to parkerize this, right?"
"Nope. BLUE! Ed. I want this to be your masterpiece. Just think how much spare time you are getting paid for right now."
We spoke 3 or 4 more times over the next few months. Last week, I got the call.
"Yer gun is ready."
So I picked it up on Thursday. It truly looks like the Colt factory modified this one. He made 3 mods that didn't make it 100% Colt Fitz (to me). First, he couldn't find a new cylinder so the one that it came with got a satin finish b/c the pits were too deep. It's hard to tell that it isn't as high-polish as the rest. Second, he blued the hammer and trigger. Not a big deal. I'd prefer polished, but it looks great this way too - and never a fear of wayward rust. Third, he didn't cut the barrel back as far as I'd like - but it's still within Fitz territory. (He wanted to be sure the roll-marks were gonna fit - esp US Prop.)
It's a 45ACP so it takes half-moon clips - very flat in a front suit-coat pocket. I just couldn't imagine CARRYING THIS THING IN MY WAISTBAND all day. Wow. And I thing a full-size 1911 is heavy!
This is the first time I've ever done a "John Taffin" and had a gunsmith completely redo a gun. It was fun. Alas, I'm too broke to do it again. But I do have a 1895 Winchester in 30US with a THREE-DIGIT serial #.
That'll go to Turnbull, tho. Former owner was a kook and this will need MASSIVE repair. EEK!
