SERIOUSLY THOUGH . . .

I think I found the 1911 that's right for me.

It was raining today of course, and I just finished having the butchers work on me in the ER - another story, I'll get to it - when the rain decided to really come down so I ducked into this conveniently located gun shop that I never noticed before. Just like me their operation is new around here - they just moved from about an hour down the road - what better opportunity to get to know my neighbors?

And there she was - the only 1911 in the place so of course I had to check her out.

The Remington 1911 R1 is shipped in a custom carry case with two seven-round magazines and a barrel bushing wrench.


What can I say? It's a Remington, a well-tuned machine, right out of the box; clean, deep metallic clicks as you work the hammer. I had to have a look at what they've got on the inside so I asked permisso to break her down - shopkeeper gave me the nod - and that's when I found out that the damage my cute adorable little Jack Russell Terrorist did to my left paw on Friday night seriously affects my ability to break down a 1911 - and worse still, my ability to put one back together again.


Bone Crushing Jaws with Poison Fangs:

NEVER get between a Jack Russell and the object of her focus, ESPECIALLY when she's got a German Shepard backing down.


What followed was a comedy of errors as we struggled to get her back together again - that's where that barrel bushing wrench really comes in handy - and after all the trouble I'd put the owner through I told him that the way I was going to work it was that if I come back in a week and she's still there, then that gun is meant to be my gun and I'll pick her up.


The first Remington 1911 in 91 years and well worth the wait.

In 1917, the U.S. Ordnance Department issued an order to Remington-UMC to manufacture 500,000 1911s for our fighting men in the armed services.

The John M. Browning designed M1911 .45 caliber pistol was selected as the official sidearm of America’s Armed Forces on 29 March 1911. It was the standard-issue sidearm from 1911 to 1985 and is still used by some U.S. forces to this day.


The first Remington-UMC produced 1911 pistols were delivered in August of 1918. On 11 November 1918, the Armistice ending WWI was signed and the contract from the Ordnance Department with Remington-UMC was suspended. In all, Remington-UMC produced 21,677 1911s.

The Remington-branded 1911 R1 is an A1 variant of the 1911 with modern upgrades.


Like the original 1911, the 1911 R1 has a flat mainspring housing, short trigger and double diamond grips. Modern enhancements on the 1911 R1 include a flared and lowered ejection port; beveled magazine well; loaded chamber indicator; high profile dovetailed single-dot front and two-dot rear sights; extended tang on the grip safety to help prevent hammer "bite"; a crisp 3.5 – 5 pound trigger pull; and a match grade stainless steel barrel and barrel bushing. It also has the Series 80-style firing pin block safety.

A Commander-style hammer is lighter, provides a faster firing cycle for the gun and it is less likely to snag on clothing when drawn from concealment.


The only custom work I expect to apply are to polish the throat and the feed ramp, a ramp rear-sight and a rounded front sight - not because I believe in zeroed sights for pistols but for smoother draw - a commander-style hammer, and perhaps a scalloped front strap.

Checkering is done to improve the grip, feel and style of the gun - generally a matter of preference.


To hell with waiting a week - I think I'll stop by tomorrow afternoon and drop a C-note down on her, 'coz I know this post is going to create a run on the market.

This IS the year of the 1911, after all . . .





Monday Mystery Bird HERE

But . . . but . . . what about cute little lovable ME???

That's my dog Tiny; the Jack Russell who can drive a truck . . .

. . . SEAN LINNANE SENDS.



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