Project “C”, or “Charlie” in the radio alphaphonetic, is the third build project for 2010 (you can see Alpha and Bravo on my 1911 Projects Page). While it can hardly be classified with the Alpha and Bravo guns in the investment of resources and time, it is significant enough to get a call sign in that it will hopefully represent an important platform for research and development. Back in 2004, a concept gun I’d built for a tactical team was featured on the cover of SWAT magazine. In the article, I quipped that some features of the gun would remain only conceptual until someone paid me to do the destructive testing. To date, no one has yet stepped forward with such a generous offer. I grew tired of waiting, which led me to Project Charlie.
First, a little bit about the build. The gun is built on a frame from an old base model Smith & Wesson 1911 that I had laying around, and finished off with takeoff, leftover, and junk parts from my pile. While the frame has not seen the top half of the original gun for a long time, it has been the host for a Simunition conversion kit and has seen much action over the years. If it could tell stories... The slide, a closeout from the now-defunct Lone Star Armament, sports a new 10-8 Performance logo stamp, an old Colt Series 70 barrel and all the Colt small parts. The frame is filled with a hodge podge of the original OEM S&W parts, some early production leftover 10-8 parts (mag catch, grips, and the original prototype flat trigger), a lanyard loop mainspring housing from a Kimber Warrior, and a Dawson Light Speed Rail. One of my 02-140 rear sights from the “scratch & dent” pile is paired with a very old and beat up Dawson fiber optic front sight. The gun is roughly the same overall tightness as a typical Kimber in regards to barrel fit and slide to frame fit. There is approximately .004” total side to side gap between the slide and frame, which is similar to how many modern factory guns fit.
Not much else to report about the basic function. Stay tuned for Phase 2, the Lubricant Free Endurance Test!
