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I was recently given a Colt Combat Commander that is in sad shape. The kid who owned it before me wanted a "chrome" gun, so he somehow removed all the bluing and some of the roll marks. First of all, is it salvagable as a "Colt Combat Commander", or should I have the slide milled to remove the rollmarks? Second, what direction would you take a piece like this?







Thank you for your assistance...

It appears salvageable. Have it built up. Polish the slide flats, or have them blasted and turn it into a nice gun. I can post some pics of a similar type gun we just finished in the shop. It was pretty rough and turned into a fairly decent gun. Commanders are kewl.

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Heirloom Precision, LLC.
480-804-1911

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

Steve is correct (almost always if my memory is correct). Build it and have the slide sides polished. The guys at YO-BO - not to mention Mr. Steve on his own - can do some incredible things in cleaning up marginal looking firearms. I know I have one in their queue as we speak)

JeffVN

Please show some pics

I love Commanders, thats why I took this one in and gave it a home.

I'll post some pics tomorrow of some Commanders we just finished. The one I recently did started like yours. Ted took the easy way out and built his one a very nice clean specimen. Just kidding Theo.
Micah White
2004

_________________
Heirloom Precision, LLC.
480-804-1911

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

If it were mine I would put it on the surface grinder to clean up/ grind off the roll marks then put it in the mill and re-cut the cocking serrations.
I imagine that is what Steve n the boys would do

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''ya can't argue logic with ignorance.''

I'd like to see Steve's pictures before I vote. I have never seen the results of restruck markings so I'm curious myself. Costs versus results I guess.

Though with all the metal work I've seen here, I'm sure folks are able to pull it off.

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Jeff

Blackdog714,

If you leave it as is and just reblue it, it'll look like rollmarks from every Colt made in the 70s & 80s. HA!

Sorry, man, I'm just picking. I had to throw that in, because I have often wondered how a company so well known for 1911s has yet to figure out how to put sufficiently deep, even, and level rollmarks on any guns... especially Delta Elites.

Like mrbieler, I would have to see some convincing photos of guns just as bad before I'd give in to it. For the cost of regrinding and contouring the slide, the the fitting and lapping process, then the rest of the build... I'd think you'd be better off starting with a Caspian. I know Colts are hard to give up on, but in my experience, it's not worth going through what it takes to make a POS a truly fine handgun. I have done it... a few times. My suggestion, unless you are truly set on rescuing this specific pistol from its current state, would be to sell it and either buy a new base gun or a Caspian frame/slide set and give it to a talented maker to build into something that will not only hold the value of its name, but the fit of the parts installed. You could always go the ultra expensive and labor/time intensive route and send it to Turnbull for complete restoration or have just the slide redone. Just my $0.02.

~Jim Keeney

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"I'd rather die on my feet than keep living on my knees." - Emiliano Zapata, Mexican Revolutionary