Full Metal Colt 1911

Post by Spencerman

I am in the process of modifying my Han San Colt 1911. I do not plan to do too much to it, but I shall post some before and after pictures on here for you all to see. I will also let you know if it still works afterwards or not, not such a problem for some people, I know, but for others it is the be all and end all of a good model that it functions reliably. A word of caution though, whereas Ebay can be a great source of various parts for different types of guns, they have in the UK a very anti-gun stance, and even items like gun grips cannot be listed or purchased here even though they are perfectly legal, and if they catch you doing so then they will suspend your account . Still, it will probably be worth it for me in the end if it looks anything like I envisaged.

Post by Spencerman

Ok. Here is what I started with. Some of you will be familiar with this model, others wont be.

Post by Spencerman

The first part that I have added is a compensator. I chose to use a stainless steel version. I figure that if I do not like it then I can always blue it later.

The locator lugs on the bushing did not line up properly with that of the model, so I had two choices. I could either make the slot in the slide larger to accomodate the new bushing, or I could make the lug on the bushing smaller to fit the slot in the slide. I chose the latter, as no real pressure would be placed on the part. I used a linisher to sand the lug down (a belt sander). You can see on the picture below a shiny part to the bushing, this is where I sanded off part of the locator lug.

Post by Spencerman

Here is how it now looks with the compensator added. It is also a very nice fit.




The only thing I am a little worried about is that I have a plastic barrel, and the compensator is designed to be a snug fit for a real firearm, so I am a little worried that it may rub against the barrel when fired, but I shall cross that bridge later if needed.

Post by rizzo

The Haw San barrels are plastic? I was under the impression that 'full metal' meant every major part?

Post by Claymore

Looking good spencerman, where did you get the compensator, is it for an airsoft model.

rizzo, i think the haw san guns are made with both a metal and a plastic barrel. How of course you buy the metal rather than plastic version i dont know, luck of the draw maybe or possible it depends what country you buy from, Japan maybe plastic HK both?

Post by Mark

Quote :

I figure that if I do not like it then I can always blue it later.

Actually, you can't blue stainless steel as bluing is a oxide process and stainless by nature, is highly resistant to rust. While stainless steel can be blackened via chemical processes or paint, bluing solutions will not work.
Claymore,
The Haw Shan all zinc modelguns cannot be sold in Japanese laws so the plastic barrels aren't meant for the Japanese market. They must be intended for some other market entirely...

Post by Spencerman

The compensator is for a real steel 1911 I got from the states via Ebay.com, but as I mentioned, it does violate Ebays terms and conditions and will lead to your account being suspended indefinately (which I shall appeal against) . It may be worth dropping an email to a supplier and trading off ebay, as then you wouldnt be violating the anti gun policy that they operate. I dare say that if you look hard enough you could probably find a gun store that would expot to the U.K. easily enough.

I know that you cannot blue stainless, I was just using the term loosly.

Post by Spencerman

Ok. So, the next thing I am going to add is a very nice set of custom made gun grips. Most people underestimate what a nice set of grips can do for your gun, yet most people will also remember that image of Sylvester Stallone in Cobra with his 1911 tucked into his waistband, with the scrimshawed image of a cobra on the grip. Looked good didnt it.

I decided after much debating whether I wanted to go for a nudie girlie scrimshaw grip or a composite custom, to go for a set of of resin cast Punisher skull grips.



The grips themselves are made of a hard resin and the skull is inset into the grip, in a grey colour, so that they dont leap right out at you. There are a few different versions of this grip available, but this is the one that I liked the most. It did not quite fit 100%, but then I didnt expect it to. It rubbed very slightly on the magazine release catch when it was pressed in, so I had to file away a mere fraction to get it running nice and smooth. They went on easier that I had expected. Anybody who wants to purchase a set can do so from Rich Hasty in the U.S. on rare-n-unique@earthlink.net. He also does other designs.

The new grips are slightly larger than the original set that come on the gun as standard, as shown in the following two pics.





And here is how my gun is now looking with them on .






Just scroll back up to see what I started with, and how much better it looks now. So far for the grips cost me around $50.00 and the compesator $16.00, plus postage. In total around $85.00usd (remember that I got them from ebay.com from the U.S. and got suspended for it).

Post by Spencerman

I have now got a full length recoil spring guide rod that I want to fit.



I cannot use the spring that comes with the recoil rod, it is far too strong for the model and would break it instantly. The original spring that comes with the gun is too small, and wont fit over the rod. Here is the part that I need a little help with. Where can I get a spring with the same dimensions as the spring that comes with the recoil guide, but with the same tension as that from the model gun? Any suggestions?

Besides that, here is the rod fitted into the gun. The part at the front under the bushing was a very tight fit, not loose as it should be, but it went in with a few taps from a hammer.



No more rusty looking parts now! To really appreciate how the guide rod looks, you need to see it with the slide drawn back, so here it is.





All I need to do now is rectify the spring problem (I was hoping that the model spring would fit), and I will be back on course.

Post by Illuminati

looking pretty damn nice that, nice work. those grips look pretty good, bit expensive though.

Post by Spencerman

I dont know. Under £30 including the shipping costs for custom grips? Even if you were to put normal wooden grips on it would cost you somewhere around that, and they are very nice, the pictures really do not do them justice. If I was only allowed to change one thing on my gun, then those would be it.

Post by Sgt. Guarnere

did you get all your parts from Ebay or just the compensator, because i am looking for some Colt sites...

Grant

Post by Spencerman

I got a few parts from ebay, but not sights. I have always got my sights from a local gun shop (proper gun shop, not air rifles and camping gear shop). If you look around shops that deal with deacts would probably be your best bet for those and at a good price. Equally there is no restriction on importing sights, so you could always look at gun shops in the states online.
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Post by rizzo

Spencerman, have you ever fired your Haw San 1911 hybrid? I'd be very interested to know how it performs

Post by Spencerman

Yes. I put a magazine through it only the other day. I havent really had much time lately to play with all of my toys, but this is probably my favourite one to fire. It is so easy to load and maintain the carts and parts, and performs blisteringly well, although I did get one round stuck in the ejection port on the way out. I did shoot a little video with the intention of putting it on here, but the camera I have doesnt balance well enough for me to film at a range, so trying to film and shoot indoors didnt exactly work too well. The picture was a little crap and the sound was as many find out when they try to film shots, a little like popping corn, although the gun itself is fairly loud. I found the sound on the range best, although I lost my old videos when my computer crashed recently, but the sound really carried well, and resulted in a pretty loud bang, not to mention some blinding muzzle flash that was very visible. I am well gutted that I lost them. I shall try and film some more when I get a chance, and then you can see just how cool this gun is. I definately recomend getting a couple.
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Post by gavin

did the punisher use those type of grips in the film

Post by Spencerman

No, I dont think that they really did much to modify the guns in the film cosmetically, for once the modifications in that film are based around improving the performance of the guns, but I just liked them. There are a few variations available on that theme, but I found these to be more favourable for myself, and needed virtually nothing doing to them to make them fit (they are for real 1911). They were also surprisingly cheap for custom grips.
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Post by gavin

yeah was just wondering because i dod not remember that in the scene they where looking at the gun if anybodys not seen the punisher it worth it just to see the scene where his dad shows him the custom 1911

Post by Spencerman

Just for good measure, here are a couple more pictures of it as it is at the moment. It fires like a dream, but I cannot take pictures or film for shit, so I have no video as of yet, and the pictures are not very good, but I like them and hope that you guys do too.









And just in case you wondered, no the skull on the grip is NOT white. It is grey. It is meant to be grey. They are not dirty or discoloured in any way. You can get white ones, as per the punisher logo, but they look too bright for a black gun, maybe a silver one, but definately not a black one. I liked these the best out of all the ones that I saw, but there are many variations, large skull, small skull, black skull on white, white skull on black etc. etc.

I must admit that I would like to get a set of pearls with the Cobra etched into it as per the ones on Stallones ones in the film of the same name, and pop them onto another Wa Shan 1911. Maybe my next little minni-project.
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Post by gavin

the grips in the fistpicture look amazing do you have a link to the site you got them from

Post by Spencerman

rare-n-unique@earthlink.net
Not a link as such, but if you drop him an email I know that he will be happy to help. He does several different types of grip, and could also do a custom for a price. Just drop Rich an email, he is a nice guy. Rich Hasty is U.S. based, but delivery time was great. He is very very highly recommended, and not just for 1911 grips. Drop him an email to see what he does, you will not regret it. Custom grips make a gun feel 20 times better than just bog standard ones, you just need to find the right ones. Did I mention that he is also very cheap (in my opinion).
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Post by gavin

ill think about getting custom grip for my beretta did you have any truonle receiving the gips

Post by Spencerman

None whatsoever, as the transaction was not completed through anti-gun Ebay. Grips are not illegal in the uk, only on Ebay, so as long as you have a private sale, and dont disclose too much information to paypal (an antigun Ebay company) then you are ok. No problems with customs at all or anything like that, everything is perfectly legal according to UK law.
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