I took a break

From building my from-scratch 1911.  It's had seven rounds through it. 

I was hoping for a "Finish Metalworking" class.  That class never came about.  Officially.  But I have been hanging out with the gunsmith in the last few months he will be in business and he has graciously shared his time and demonstrated some techniques.

I have finally gotten close enough in my sprucing up the gun to take out in public.

Good thing, too, as it was a dog's breakfast.

Now it is only a mid afternoon dog's snack.

Another reason I chose stainless steel.  No need for bluing or cerakote or ion-bond.  Two of those someone else would have to do, and it would tale more than a month of sundays to get decent at painting technique.  With stainless it is just blending and finish sanding out of shiny surfaces.

I could do some bead blasting but...  Maybe still will.

The hardest past is the back end of the pistol, where the slide meets the frame and you stare at all day at the range.  The extractor end is back there.  And mine was proud.  And black.   The firing ping stop was black.  And the ejector end is back there, too.  And that one doesn't stick out.  Oh well, can't be helped.

The back of the gun is made of compound curves.  It curves up and down and side to side.  It'd be a globe if it didn't have the reverse S-curve of the beavertail grip safety.  You gotta think about how the grip safety meets the frame where your hand goes.

I am glad I didn't try this myself, as there are some big pitfalls.  Lots of guys ruin their gun with a Dremel back here.  As many as ruin one dremelling the feed ramp.

Anyway, a bit of dremelling in the right places at complex curve angles far beyond my skill set, and then some buffing to see what scratches must be dealt with, then 400 grit wet-dry sandpaper on a dowel.  You do all this with a full assembled gun, minus the hammer and rear sight. 

Oooo, this is important.  Clean the gun VERY well. You put grit on a sensitive area, detail strip the gun and flush out that and the buffing compound really well.  Especially in the extractor and firing pin holes.

Re-assemble, lubricate, safety check, time for 250 round test firing.  I might hold off loctiting the grip screws to the frame to see how it shoots.

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Annnnd....  Here is how is shoots.  35 rounds of AE, for a total of 42 without a malf so far.

Not shabby.  I shot well when I got out of my own way.  Safety check clean.

I am cautiously optimistic.  This was Thursday.  Prolly heading to the range this afternoon for 50 or more.