Inherited family treasure

Spanner · 11-17-2016, 08:49 PM

A bit of a follow-up.

Went to the gunsmith (Roger) as earlier mentioned. Roger is a wealth of information. His particular areas of absolute expertise are the Garand and the 1911. He also has a really nice collection of K98 Mausers and a few P08's among others.

We started the day by just documenting initial observations. I told him that others saw that the spring was missing from the take down lever. Funny, when you disassemble it for the first time and look at the receiver in the light, how obvious it is to see the missing pin. He pointed out right away that the bolt did not stay open with the mag in. Upon disassembly the holdopen lever thingamabob was missing.

It was great in that Roger took the time to explain the operation of the action, safety and firing pin operation. Under his direction I field stripped it and we evaluated it. Beside some surface rust at the rear of the lower receiver, it is in very nice condition and all stamped parts match except for the obvious missing hold back.

We talked about the straw coloring and how it comes to play. More so for me to understand the process.

It was his opinion that the gun was reblued and that it was his opinion that it was done in Germany, and explained the blueing process and how it was applied here in the US and over in Europe in the period that it was applied.

I showed him how the right grip tipped forward and I was uncomfortable with that. He explained the repair process and I told him I wasn't interested, which he said that he felt the same.

Based on our discussion I fired the pistol. It operated as it should and had good precision on target although we both agreed it shot high. The matching mag fed perfect and the spare mis-fed the last round. It was nice shooting as in nice like my .380 as opposed to my .45.

I think I may set it up to shoot once a year or so. I am ordering the missing pieces as well as replica grips and magazines. We didn't remove the grips as I decided to wait until we needed to take the gun apart for repairs as Roger wont take the grips off without grinding down a screwdriver specifically to fit and I didn't have all day. The grips, if matching, will be sealed in a bag.

When I got home I stripped it down and cleaned the heck out of it. It really operates smoothly now.

Knowing these things would it even matter anymore if I had it refinished or should I leave it as is? My plan is to keep it and I wonder if I should have it stripped and any deterioration stopped by chemical process? I don't plan on shooting it on a regular basis but once a year or so is not out of the question.

Opinions welcome (like asking for a kick in the sack)

And thank you I do respect your opinion

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11-17-2016, 08:49 PM	#31
Spanner User Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 65 Thanks: 29 Thanked 58 Times in 21 Posts	A bit of a follow-up. Went to the gunsmith (Roger) as earlier mentioned. Roger is a wealth of information. His particular areas of absolute expertise are the Garand and the 1911. He also has a really nice collection of K98 Mausers and a few P08's among others. We started the day by just documenting initial observations. I told him that others saw that the spring was missing from the take down lever. Funny, when you disassemble it for the first time and look at the receiver in the light, how obvious it is to see the missing pin. He pointed out right away that the bolt did not stay open with the mag in. Upon disassembly the holdopen lever thingamabob was missing. It was great in that Roger took the time to explain the operation of the action, safety and firing pin operation. Under his direction I field stripped it and we evaluated it. Beside some surface rust at the rear of the lower receiver, it is in very nice condition and all stamped parts match except for the obvious missing hold back. We talked about the straw coloring and how it comes to play. More so for me to understand the process. It was his opinion that the gun was reblued and that it was his opinion that it was done in Germany, and explained the blueing process and how it was applied here in the US and over in Europe in the period that it was applied. I showed him how the right grip tipped forward and I was uncomfortable with that. He explained the repair process and I told him I wasn't interested, which he said that he felt the same. Based on our discussion I fired the pistol. It operated as it should and had good precision on target although we both agreed it shot high. The matching mag fed perfect and the spare mis-fed the last round. It was nice shooting as in nice like my .380 as opposed to my .45. I think I may set it up to shoot once a year or so. I am ordering the missing pieces as well as replica grips and magazines. We didn't remove the grips as I decided to wait until we needed to take the gun apart for repairs as Roger wont take the grips off without grinding down a screwdriver specifically to fit and I didn't have all day. The grips, if matching, will be sealed in a bag. When I got home I stripped it down and cleaned the heck out of it. It really operates smoothly now. Knowing these things would it even matter anymore if I had it refinished or should I leave it as is? My plan is to keep it and I wonder if I should have it stripped and any deterioration stopped by chemical process? I don't plan on shooting it on a regular basis but once a year or so is not out of the question. Opinions welcome (like asking for a kick in the sack) And thank you I do respect your opinion