Re: Out with the old (1911) in with the new!
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: LoneWolfUSMC</div><div class="ubbcode-body">That Cobra Carry is sweeet!
What kind of finish is that? It looks like a burnished stainless.</div></div>
It is Robar's NP3. Kind of a matte medium grey color. It seems to have gotten a little darker or patina like with time. Although it could just be my imagination.
It is easy to clean and has stood up to time and holster wear. I have an irrational fear of corrosion. What I don't like about it is that it is not black. . . enter IonBond. I'll leave you to google it. But if as advertised, this maybe the "one" ultimate finish. Others I've tried including hardchrome (not black and not great corrosion protection), Wilson Armor Tuff (chips off), and Robar's Roguard (black but fails at edges and too thick) have been disappointing. I'll post a review on the IonBond sometime in the future.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Downzero</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I personally am not a fan. If Browning wanted a 1911 to sport a 4" barrel, a "recessed" magazine release, an external extractor, or or a bull barrel, he would have installed them himself.
Some things are worth customizing, but it's hardly a 1911 anymore when you start doing away with the barrel bushing and installing an external extractor. They're also solutions to problems that don't exist.</div></div>
In regards to my bastardization of the true 1911 design . . .
Firstly, I have the greatest respect for Mr. Browning and not just for his 1911 design.
Secondly, I can't believe I am getting sucked into this particular discussion.
Thirdly, I have owned many different handguns over the years; I counted 29 autoloaders once. Now I only own 1911 style pistols.
Outside of high end 1911 Ed Brown, Wilson, etc., Every stock 1911 out of the box was less reliable than HK, sig, or glocks that I have owned.
Let me ask you-- have you every had to tune an extractor, polish a feed ramp, lower and flare an ejection port, dick around with various springs and magazines to get your 1911 to function well? I know I have and I never had to do those things with my Hk, sigs and glocks. Once running nothing is as sweet as a 1911. But if the design is perfect or better than more modern designs, why didn't I have to dick around with the other pistols to get them to run well? On more than one 1911 I have had to spend a LOT of time messing with the INTERNAL extractor to get it right. JMB recognized the internal extractor as a weak point in that design. He went to external extractor for the high power AFTER the 1911 and never designed another Internal extractor dependent pistol.
1911 alteration is heresy? Do you have a modern high grip safety, flat mainspring, adjustable sights, lightened hammer or trigger, any lining or checkering, extended thumb safety. If you do you are obviously a heretic and must be burned at the stake.
4" barrel on an officer frame or 4.25" on a bobtail, sure feels better than 5" to me-- particularly when sitting in my car. I can employ it faster too. I can assure you that commander sized pistols of high quality and modern engineering are pretty reliable. I had an officers size once that I could never make reliable, however. My wife has a Springfield EMP (9mm with 3" bull barrel)-- perhaps the ultimate bastardization of the 1911. It runs flawlessly and is a dream to shoot out of the box.
Mr. Browning's design is great and has stood the test of time. But minor alterations can clearly enhance the function for a given end user. For me such things as undercut grips, FLGR, shock buffers, variable power springs, the list goes on are useless and perhaps harmful. But saying that the original design can't be improved upon or tailored to an individual need without harm to function is just ridiculous.
