Colt Officers ACP

I love a bargain, especially when said bargain is a Colt Officers ACP! This little pistol was discovered on the middle shelf in the used case of a local gunshop recently, screaming my name. Once the proprietor came down $50 off the $599.99 price tag, the slightly used -- but not abused -- Colt became mine. The only aftermarket parts I could ID were a Wilson Combat two-piece guide rod kit and some no-name, double-diamond grips.

On used 1911s that find their way to my armory, I normally replace most of the springs straight away; the recoil spring on this O model was almost the exact length of another spring on a similiar but seldom-shot 1911, so I kept it. The stock bushing, a famously fragile piece whose failure has been documented practically everywhere, was still in place, so it was instantly marked for replacement. I remembered reading Xavier's build-up of his little 1991A1 O model awhile back; he used a cool part from EGW that seemed to work well. I ordered both versions George makes for Officers guns, chose the carry bevel version, and went right to work, per X's directions, to fit the thing.

Now for those who don't know, I'm not a gunsmith. I don't even own a Dremel (yet)! X made the job seem pretty simple, so I went for it. The result: a perfectly fitted bushing that requires a wrench to completely turn.

Some pics and before and after targets will be posted here a little later this week. Keep watching!