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To Tinker Or Not?


Nemo

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  • 3 weeks later...

Since I wrecked my Mom's 1986 Buick I haven't caused so much damage to an inanimate object as I have done to this poor Springfield... :( Took it to my local smith to install the Heinie's and he didn't have the cutter for them, so the gun came back without sights.

Since it was just sitting there with no sights, just for the fun of it decided to give the beavertail the knuckle notches.

Flex told me to ask the gunny who install the sights to also lower the ejection port... Well, since the gunny couldn't install the sights, I lowered the EP myself. There was some rough dremel work but I somewhat fear that lil' tool, so most of it was done by filing. I now have more files than screwdrivers.

I also did the relief under the trigger guard, again by file. The dremel just to clean it up before the emery cloth, 400 and 600 sandpaper.

The most difficult thing has been beveling the sharp edges. Trying to keep them all equal is not an easy task.

Anyway, here's some pics to document the evolution. Thought about buying an airbrush to give it a bake-on finish, but will let whoever install the sights give it some kind of finish.

More to come. Stay tuned.

ps: my fingers hurt. :(

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Any of the tight fitting (like hard fitting the barrel, slide/frame) was done slowly with files.

We used the dremel fo hoggin out material...with a carbide cutter bit. Things like blending the magwell and lowering the ejection port where done with the dremel. The dremel served as the poor man's mill. The C&S class showed how to make a well fit gun...on a work bench with a vice. (old school)

I recall fitting & blending both the grip and tumb safeties with files. But, I have since found the dremel (with a sanding drum) to be handy for that task...at least for the grunt work.

You got be careful to not let the spinning dremel touch yuor gun anywhere you don't want it to (better to be safe than lucky?).

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Your going to love it when you get it up and running. :)

Hey, why not spray on/bake on...don't want to get caught in the kitchen?

It's been an exciting DIY project. I'm been overly careful, but there's no other way to do it without messing something up. I like this one better than my STI's, just because I did it.

I'll send it to get the sights installed and ask the gunny to give it a parkerizing, as an interim finish, in case I want to do something else on it. The park will also be a good base for a "spray & bake" job.

Shopping List:

1- Compressor

2- Air Brush

:o

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  • 3 weeks later...

Ok, Canyon-Creek Rich Dettelhouser helped me finish my project. He installed the Heinie sights, fitted the SS bushing and gave the frame and slide a "Spray & Bake" matte black finish.

Here's a couple of pics of the finished product. In the future I'll venture into checkering, but for now it stays like that.

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