Cleaning & restoring your 1911.

dennishoddy

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Joined
Feb 11, 2011
Messages
11,701
Location
Ponca City, Ok
Very cool restoration. It's still ugly with all the pitting, but its back in working condition.
Years ago, I bought a Rem 1100 that had been left in a lambs wool gun case for probably many, many years.
Guy brought it to work and wondered if anyone would give him $50 for it, so I bought it. It was covered in rust and wool. Horrible condition, but the internals had been lubed and appeared to be in good shape.
After countless hours of scrubbing and sanding, finally got a highly pitted barrel externally but it was free of the lambs wool. Did a hot blue, using some Birchwood Casey stuff, that came our somewhat matte.
Ugly as heck, but it ran just fine. Put an oil finish on the stock after sanding off all the glossy finish that comes from the factory.
I put a couple dozen rounds through it, and put it in the safe.
Next fall just before dove season, someone put a note on the bulletin board that they were looking for a shotgun, so I sold it to him for $200. Nice profit for a little work.
A couple months later, he put it on the bulletin board for sale as he needed some money. Nobody offered to take it after looking at it. Ugliest 1100 on earth.
He came around to me and asked if I would buy it back for $150 so I did. Sat in the safe for a couple years. (this was in the 1980's) before someone else was asking for a shotgun. Prices had risen, so I listed it for $300 and it sold. Actually took the new owner dove hunting several times, then I left the company in search of another and lost track of the new owner.
The company folded in 2019. I got a notification last year that there was going to be a reunion of the old employees, so I went.
After an hour or so, I heard, Hey Hoddy!
It was the guy that bought the ugliest 1100 on earth. Said he still had it and hunted with it. So ugly it was a conversation piece out in the field and he loved it!
 

Buck Buck

Well-Known Fanatic
Joined
Aug 15, 2018
Messages
113
Most interesting ...
Isn't it nice to know that our 1911's can take that much abuse and come out shootin' !
How many other pistols would still work?

This video gave me an even better appreciation for my SS Colt !!
 
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