ltwguns.com

hello everyone! new to the board and have enjoyed reading what most have to say.
to my point.. i have just bought a colt chambered in 38 super and the finish is bright stainless steel. i bought it b/c i wanted a colt, a 38 super for comp in IDPA, and a friend of mine needed the money. my question to the many folks here is what can i do as far as finish goes on bright ss. i would like to do some type of "paint" finish like birdsong-t, but i don't know if it will hold.
Secondly, who makes the best barrell for the 38 super. i have done the best due dilligence that i can and all i see are supported barrels and mine has a standard barrel. also the slide to frame fit is not loose but not tight either can someone let me know who does work to tighten that up?
thank in advance for answers to my questions.

I had one of these and they are nice guns.

For IDPA, the stock barrel is probably accurate enough but if you want to go with a ramped barrel, I like the Schuemann AET. very nicely made and super accurate with all jacketed bullets I have tried. i wouldn't reccomend the AET if you are shooting lead bullets.

Instead of painting stainless, I would suggest a nice soft beaded matte finish. This is a nice looking finish and easy to touch up if you ding or scratch the gun.

Spray-on finsihes don't stick as well to stainless as they do to prepped carbon-steel frames in my experience.

_________________
"The most effective armor is to keep out of range"-Italian proverb

CHECK OUT MY CUSTOM 1911 BLOG
http://thearsenalofdemocracy.blogspot.com

Congrats on the new gun.

Chances are there isn't a paint on finish that will stand up well on a gun that is constantly being drawn and reholstered. During my average weekly practice for IDPA I will draw my gun somewhere between 250-500 times both at the range and during dry fire. I can't see any colored finish holding up well to that type of use. Instead my IDPA guns are either hard chromed or bead blasted stainless.
That is a loaded question as the answer is very subjective. Most people in these parts will tell you that almost all of the barrel manufacturers will produce an outstading barrel. Kart is one of that group and at $120 the price to quality ratio is hard to beat. I have a Scheumann, a Jarvis and a Kart barrel in my 3 1911's. They are all very accurate. Whatever you chose do your self a favor and make sure the barrel is fitted by someone who knows what he is doing. Nothing like spending a couple hundred dollars for a barrel and fitting only to find the gun only marginally more accurate than the stock barrel.
Unless you are loading your cartidges to make major I wouldn't be concerned if your barrel isn't ramped. The 38 Super was designed to run with a non ramped barrel and it will run well. It wasn't until the IPSC crowd started to run really hot did the ramped barrels become en vouge. The added bonus of a non ramped versus a ramped barrel is that is easier and cheaper to fit a non ramped barrel than it is to fit a ramped barrel in a gun who's frame hasn't yet been cut to accomodate one.
If you have the money and want to do it go ahead and have it done. To be honest with you the Sprinfield that I shoot in CDP is somewhat lose while the Caspian that I shoot in ESP is tight. I can't tell the difference between the two when it comes to accuracy.

badger and A.L. thanks for your comments they have helped. i knew the folks in here were knowledgeable but i didn't expect it to this degree. anyone else that would like to reply your feedback is still welcome. thanks again

I campaigned my stainless Colt Super in '04, and the stock barrel was fine. The factory bushing was duff, but a hand-fitted King's part (and a re-crown) put that right. Kydex didn't do much harm to the factory finish, but I'd think it would make short work of even the highest-tech spray 'n' bake finishes. I'd also recommend just a nice beadblast.

here comes the short bus question of the day. what do you mean by a recrown?

This refers to the front portion of the barrel. The factory "crowns" are sometimes not condusive to accuracy. Here is a picture of a recut crown.

_________________
Heirloom Precision, LLC.
480-804-1911

"If everyone is thinking alike, someone isn't thinking."
- General George Patton Jr

what is the approx. cost to have a smith recrown and fit a bushing. i have never checked on that before

It is just under a $1000.00. Depending on the crown you want.

Just call the shop you end up sending your gun to. It is reasonable.

_________________
Heirloom Precision, LLC.
480-804-1911

"If everyone is thinking alike, someone isn't thinking."
- General George Patton Jr

Figure $25-50 and you'd be right 90% of the time.

Mathew,

I talked with Walt Birdsong and his finish is not a paint. It is a 3 step process and he will do the whole gun plus interior parts for around $150.00. This is his info Walt Birdsong 1-601-939-7448.

You could also consider Virgil Tripp and do a Hard Chroming job done for roughly the same cost.

Gary Morris

Wow! I can't tell you how impressed I am with this board. I don't mean to keep making such a big deal about it but you all are really going to the max in helping me out. For example making a phone call. Thanks everyone for your advice!
I know I am probably opening a can full of opinions but what does everyone think birdsong vs. hard chrome. this will probably be just a comp gun and range gun. please I would love to know what you think.
thanks again!

It is a matter of choice I suppose. Some guys don't mind a gun that looks broken in and others want it to look spotless. As I mentioned before in this thread if you get into the sport and you put a good amount of time in practicing draws (but live and dry) it is going to take a toll on any non-plated finish in fairly short order. My Glock 35 that I used in production for a couple of years probably has 60% of its original finish on it.

If you do a search of my posts you will find a gun I had built by Virgil Tripp for use in ESP. That gun is finished in Cobra Chrome. I think it looks nice and from what I have been told it will look good for a long time. I have probably drawn that gun out of a kydex holster 1500 times since I got it last month. It looks as good as the day I got it.

I have a Colt Commander Ted built me with a Hard Chrome frame.



This next one is my Birdsong 681. The finish is much better looking than this appears. I am not good with a camera.



Gary

thanks guys!!!

Lots of opinions on here and some appear to be just words passed on with little experience. From your questions it seems that you have little experience with custom 1911s. Nothing wrong with that but when you ask questions with "What's the best....?" you'll get replies from everybody that's ever looked at a custom gun. If this is one of your first customs, why don't you contact a few of the Smiths here and other places. Tell them what you want to do with the gun and see what kind of responses you get. Some may try to sell you on stuff you don't want or need but most (especially from what I've noticed on here!) will try to put you into the things you really want without taking your money (or time). When you get the responses back you'll see a lot of the same things recommended- there's a reason for that! Most professional Smiths know what works and what people need. Compare the work, prices, times and make your decision. You can always bounce your thoughts off the folks here, but you'll get a better feel for things from the Smiths themselves.
Just another opinion.....