A Custom Colt Carry Gun

This Colt Compact was a standard black parkerized pistol when I purchased it at a gun show last year. It was in like new condition, and the $400 asking price did not faze me. Since that purchase, this little 1911 underwent a slow but deliberate transformation by my hand. It was already a very accurate little shooter, so I kept the Colt barrel. The trigger was immediately swapped out for a Dlask unit, and a proper trigger job was performed. I installed a plain Ed Brown grip safety and extended thumb safety. The original plastic polymer mainspring housing was traded off for an Ed Brown checkered chunk of steel. A Ted Yost retro rear sight was used. The recess in the original Colt front sight was filled with gold.

The big change was made with the addition of a EGW melt bushing along with a Clark Custom reverse recoil plug. The thin stock bushing is known to crack on Colt Compacts, and the tab retaining the recoil plug has been known to shear off, sending the recoil assembly downrange in a embarrassing display of design inadequacy. The EGW bushing and Clark reverse plug make certain that that will never occur on this pistol. The EGW bushing also protects the barrel crown. Once I had the mechanics of this pistol where I wanted them, I dehorned it, screwed on Pearce double diamond rubber grips, and had a two tone teflon finish applied.

I still prefer my Government sized Sistema as a carry gun, but the Compact is a reliable alternative, and a nice option to have when needed.