So from what I gather reading the very helpful http://coolgunsite.com/, the gun is an Augusta Armory rebuild, the frame is a Springfield produced in 1916, the Slide is a Colt. Obviously the slide stop, safety, grips, and mag release aren't original. The barrel bushing and barrel are both stamped NM which should mean they are national match parts. The rear sight is a Elliason unit.
So my impression is that this is a 1911 arsenal rebuild that has been modified at some point for target/competition shooting. It's probably not a true national match gun, as its missing a few key markings.
I'm sure I over payed for the gun, but honestly it felt good in my hand, and seems to have a lot of history. Anything else I'm missing?
Yes, but the problem is they could have been added by anybody. Accurizing .45's like this for NRA Service Pistol matches was big business from the 1950's through 1970's, and everybody was getting into the act from certified gunsmiths to kitchen-table wanna-bes.
The only thing that I really don't like about the gun is the grip that has been added under the trigger on the frame. It's darn sharp! Is there any easy way to reverse or tone that down?
That, and the flashy chrome stuff needs to go...
Toothbob, that stippled finish is done by going after the frame of the pistol with a centerpunch. It's pretty much a lost art in the age of machine-cut checkering, but in the 1960s and 1970s it was the height of cool. I think Nighthawk listed it as an option a couple years ago since they bragged one of their smiths did it, but you won't see it in the catalogs from any of the "name" shops.
I've seen some GI NM pistols with some very basic centerpunch work, basically a grid of dents, but this layered 3-D finish takes time and was often done by the shooter or the shooter's buddy who knew how.
This looks somewhat similar in concept to my friend's pistol that he inherited. His dad was NCOIC of one of the Army pistol teams back in the 1970s, and got his hands on an extensively modified pre-war Colt National Match. The stippling, the trigger shoe, the adjustable sight added on...very similar. There were two stippled GI mainspring housings with his, one arched and one serrated. All definitely looked like they'd been done by the same hand.
I can say, having shot my buddy's, that the stippling is still a very valid choice for a metal-framed pistol. Won't tear up your hands like 20LPI, abrade your gloves like 30LPI, and still gives your hands better purchase on the gun than just a standard "slick" front strap.
What I don't like about his modification is that the points are really sharp. I can't see shooting this without gloves as is. Maybe a little fine filing to knock down the edges just a touch...
There is a nearly identically modified gun sitting in the used case at Gander Mountain in Lansing, Michigan. Same grips, similar sights, same cheesy stippling, same trigger, frame 1918, arsenal markings. $1,600.
Tooth, the stippling on my buddy's dad's pistol doesn't have a snag or a sharp point anywhere. It's masterfully done, and provides a wonderful non-abrasive grip surface. Yours is a good start point, but if someone knew what they were doing, it could be layered upon.
I have a 1917, Clark Custom. Same as yours and one of my most accurate.
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