Finally finished...Wadgun

All,

After many delays in getting this one completed...I finally got it all together.  It's a Caspian frame and LB slide. Premium parts everywhere and hang on... a 45 Storm Lake barrel (oldie).  I fit it together a few weeks ago and have been testing it with various loads and minute touches. Good news is that it liked every load I tested, lead and jacketed alike.  I'm going to put it into service the next match, maybe. I'm still undecided if I'll shoot it or the Rock River I had stashed away.  Either way, I'm prepared.

Yes, it is carbon steel.  Still in the white until I decide the finish. I may go coated for the first time.



Here is a bench test at 25 yds... Just know I suck at shooting a 1911 off the bench.



Here is twenty rnds from the bench at 50yd, jacketed and lead.  Again all loads shot as well.



Finally here is a timed fire target I fired after two sight adjustments... I thought I should quit while ahead.


I did fire two sighted 50 yd strings.  First one was a 97 an the second a 98.  Too many shots on target to explain, but I know it shoots well.
I'm happy with it and am confident it is at most a 1.5 inch gun from an official rest.  I have a ransom, but in this heat, there is no way I'm dragging all the contraption out to the range. Besides, I know an accurate pistol when I shoot one.

Hopefully I'll get it finished after a few months post finding it's favorite load.  I may get it blued (if someone knows of a good bluer, let me know) or otherwise get it sprayed locally. Heck, I may shoot it like my ol' Springfield and leave it in the white.

Enjoy...Chris G. in LA

Like that gun a lot.

Very nice. I know what you mean when you say "I know an accurate pistol when I shoot one."
Well done!

Thanks to you both.

Wes, I hope all is well.

CG

Nice job..funny, I have a caspian frame and slide waiting for th same treatment...probably a winter project for me.  And send it off for everything I can’t handle.  

She sure looks accurate!

If you are a DIY kind of guy nothing really hard about learning to Cerakote or Parkerizing.. Bluing is not hard but nasty... Parkerizing is almost foolproof and requires the parts be blasted by AO usually and then the solution heated in a SS pot. Much less caustic than bluing..  Cerakote requiring blasting and a heat box to cure the ceramic paint. I use a simple air brush for it.


Nice build

Great job, congrats!
I'm having some very good results with Brownells Belgian Blue stuff. For my latest build I decided to blast slide and frame with 120 grit AlOx media and then blued it using the Belgian Blue. It came up with very dark matte black finish, I really like it. If you want something a bit more shiny, sand it with 400 grit sandpaper. It won't be as durable as hot blued gun but still pretty good.

Is "LA" Los Angeles? Louisiana?

Or (my favorite) "Lower Alabama"?

Louisiana

The lowers I built for my conversation were carbon in the white. I talked to Bownells for some guidance for a finish. It's a shooter, not a show piece.

He recommended their Aluma Hyde https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/metal-prep-coloring/paint-finishes/air-cure-aerosol-paints/aluma-hyde-ii-prod1117.aspx
It comes in different colors, I went with Park gray.

Good job! Looks like it'll do everything that needs to be done. I do have a question about the grip safety. Is it functional?

Yes to the grip safety question. The good thing about fitting a “custom” safety is that I was able to decide how much relief I wanted. The pic may be a little deceptive.