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!

Welcome!

Yes, I know what you're thinking, another gun blog! Isn't that just what the world needs? Well, I recently read there are 70 million or so blogs active today; I imagine most don't deal with firearms, so I figured, "Why not?"

So what will you read about here? Guns, mostly. What won't you find? Um, how about things that don't pertain to guns? I figure if you want to read about politics (although the subject may pop up briefly every now and then), animals, musical instruments, or overseas travel, there are much better "authorities" out there.

As for the name, well, to be honest, I caught it in a story that recently appeared in the American Rifleman, a great publication of the National Rifle Association. Although most definitions seem to lump the usage of armamentaria with the medical profession, I'm using it's other definition: "the complete range of materials available or to be used for a task."

I'm not a hunter or competition shooter, so I'll deal a lot with firearms from a self-defense perspective. I do, however, legally carry a firearm on a daily basis; most of the time, it's concealed. BTW, I'm neither a law enforcement officer or a military type. Oh, and don't worry, I won't talk entirely about sidearms. You'll read about long guns here, too.

So there you go, a four-graf summary (did I mention I'm a journalist by trade?) of this blog. Feel free to refer this post frequently. If I ever stray from its intended path, please call me on it. Whether or not I'll oblige you is another matter!