Czechnologist
Concerned Citizen
- Mar 9, 2016
- 6,522
While I appreciate some of the newer (PVD) finishes on handguns and how great a job they do protecting against wear and corrosion, I still like a blued gun more than either nickel, stainless or any other finish for that matter. There's just something about that polished blue/inky black finish on older firearms, ya know? Anyone who has ever owned a Schultz & Larsen rifle or a Colt Python knows the feeling.
But when S&W released the Model 629 during the early 80's, I bought a 6" one and it immediately became a favorite. It was my first all-stainless firearm. The second whitetail deer I ever shot with a handgun was with that revolver, during a steady rain and gusty winds that normally would've had me fretting over keeping a blued gun (Model 57) as dry as possible but, with the 629 wearing a set of Pachmayr target grips, I didn't have to care. Not even a little. Stainless was simple to maintain and corrosion was no longer much of a consideration
Stainless 1911's are something you either love or you hate. I happen to like them a lot for the same reasons I appreciated my old S&W 629. They're a breeze to maintain and nowadays semi-custom manufacturers like Guncrafter and Ed Brown have really taken it to the next level of finishing. I don't think anyone makes a prettier matte stainless 1911 than Ed Brown but, this Guncrafter Frag I got about a month ago (and just now have had a chance to shoot) is very close to it.
There's nothing better than hitting the range on a Saturday morning with friends and new guns to shoot, especially after the last month has been just one bizarre and terrifying incident after another in terms of family health issues and work-related insanity. The range is therapy even if it is an indoor one that challenges your low-light shooting abilities. I didn't care, though.
The usual drill: reliability check, POA/POI check, mag drop and reload check, just-try-to-hit-the-target-and-not-look-stupid-doing-it check, distances of 7, 10 and 15 yards, 100 rounds of Geco 230gr FMJ for testing. I like Geco .45 ACP. It functions consistently reliable and accurate (for mass produced factory ammo). Plus, for .45 it's not outrageously expensive at .28 center p/r and free shipping.
7 yards, 20 rounds.
To prevent shooting too fast, I loaded three rounds at a time and paused for several seconds between magazine reloads. One thing is certain, the 'Frag' pattern used for the grips and on the front and rear back straps of the frame is more effective than I expected it to be. The pistol did not shift in my shooting hand at all.
10 yards, 15 rounds.
Dead-on with a six o'clock hold, even if I wasn't completely on this particular day. Blame it on the lighting, right? LOL It was impossible to clearly see the 'gold' bead front sight (it's actually brass) and that meant using front sight/rear sight height alignment and using my best guess. It's probably a good thing to practice doing that intentionally.
15 yards, 20 rounds
Fifteen yards is where things start getting slightly hinky for me on an indoor range but, overall, I wasn't disappointed. The stainless Frag performed flawlessly and just as I expected it would.
But when S&W released the Model 629 during the early 80's, I bought a 6" one and it immediately became a favorite. It was my first all-stainless firearm. The second whitetail deer I ever shot with a handgun was with that revolver, during a steady rain and gusty winds that normally would've had me fretting over keeping a blued gun (Model 57) as dry as possible but, with the 629 wearing a set of Pachmayr target grips, I didn't have to care. Not even a little. Stainless was simple to maintain and corrosion was no longer much of a consideration
Stainless 1911's are something you either love or you hate. I happen to like them a lot for the same reasons I appreciated my old S&W 629. They're a breeze to maintain and nowadays semi-custom manufacturers like Guncrafter and Ed Brown have really taken it to the next level of finishing. I don't think anyone makes a prettier matte stainless 1911 than Ed Brown but, this Guncrafter Frag I got about a month ago (and just now have had a chance to shoot) is very close to it.
There's nothing better than hitting the range on a Saturday morning with friends and new guns to shoot, especially after the last month has been just one bizarre and terrifying incident after another in terms of family health issues and work-related insanity. The range is therapy even if it is an indoor one that challenges your low-light shooting abilities. I didn't care, though.
The usual drill: reliability check, POA/POI check, mag drop and reload check, just-try-to-hit-the-target-and-not-look-stupid-doing-it check, distances of 7, 10 and 15 yards, 100 rounds of Geco 230gr FMJ for testing. I like Geco .45 ACP. It functions consistently reliable and accurate (for mass produced factory ammo). Plus, for .45 it's not outrageously expensive at .28 center p/r and free shipping.
7 yards, 20 rounds.
To prevent shooting too fast, I loaded three rounds at a time and paused for several seconds between magazine reloads. One thing is certain, the 'Frag' pattern used for the grips and on the front and rear back straps of the frame is more effective than I expected it to be. The pistol did not shift in my shooting hand at all.
10 yards, 15 rounds.
Dead-on with a six o'clock hold, even if I wasn't completely on this particular day. Blame it on the lighting, right? LOL It was impossible to clearly see the 'gold' bead front sight (it's actually brass) and that meant using front sight/rear sight height alignment and using my best guess. It's probably a good thing to practice doing that intentionally.
15 yards, 20 rounds
Fifteen yards is where things start getting slightly hinky for me on an indoor range but, overall, I wasn't disappointed. The stainless Frag performed flawlessly and just as I expected it would.