Cussin' Bob's Gun

I was first introduced to Cussin' Bob's gun when Bud was trying to get rid of it. Bob had alerted me that Bud was wanting to sell an old 1911, and it might be a M1911. It ended up being an old Colt, but not a M1911. Bob was willing to meet Bud's asking price when I would not. I agreed to work over the pistol for Bob.

Bob's gun was a Colt Sistema, a 1911 built by the Argentine government under Colt oversight. Every bit of the Sistema is pure 1911. It meets the Colt blueprints and standards of 1927, and is known as Pistola Sistema Modelo Argentino 1927.

One of my carry guns is a modified Sistema, and Bob had long wanted me to build him a similar pistol after shooting it. After a long discussion, Bob decided he did not want to really alter the pistol's appearance, but rather make a "sleeper" pistol. This concept appealed greatly to Bob, so we elected to just do a trigger job and a barrel swap and see what we could get out of the pistol.

Before doing anything, I wanted to see what we were starting with, so I cleaned the pistol of crudded up cosmoline,lubricated it and took it to the range. The accuracy was less than stellar, but the pistol shot with no failures of any sort. I knew I had a reliable pistol, so I placed an order for a Wilson barrel and bushing, as well as Nowlin springs and a set of rubber Pearce double diamond grips. I ordered Cussin' Bob a Wilson Combat 47D magazine as well.

While I was waiting on the parts to arrive, disassembled the 1911 again, and performed a trigger job using the machined steel Sistema trigger and it's tool steel sear and hammer. I bobbed the wide spur hammer a bit and radiused the GI style grip safety to take the bite out of the pistol. When the barrel and springs finally arrived, I fitted them and headed to the range. As expected, the results were stupendous. The one shot I have on the seven line I know I pulled. I am happy with the result eventhough the pistol still managed to nip my hand a bit.

This weekend I will return the pistol to Cussin' Bob. If he decides he wants a beavertail next, I'll install it for him, but I hope he just keeps this one as it is. It's a deceptively accurate sleeper gun.

Colt Diamondback Range Report

I realized I was a very lucky gun shopper when I found this Colt Diamondback in Amber's pawn shop case for $249. The revolver locked up tighter than Ellen DeGeneres at a Tailhook party, and had no wear on the action at all. I bought without hesitation and did not let the door smack my butt on the way out. It looked like it had never been fired, the recoil plate had no scaring whatsoever. The gun did have a couple of rust specks that some copper Scotchbrite and an oiled penny cleared right up. The cylinder swung in and out on it's crane with no perceptible play. This revolver was solid as granite.

Today, I took the Diamondback to the range with a value pack of Winchester White Box ammo. I am not a fan of the Colt revolver grip. It forces me to place my strong side pinky finger underneath the grip. Then, there is the Colt trigger.....On this revolver the stacking was very slight. If an even double action pull was used, the stacking was imperceptible.

After having handled this finely fitted Colt, I was not surprised to find it limited by my shooting skill. I ran targets out to 10 yards, and this revolver outshot me with aplomb. If it had been in the hands of a more capable shooter, I have little doubt it would shoot one hole groups.

The Colt revolver having no failures goes without saying. I am not sure how the lockwork of the Diamondback compares to the esteemed Colt Python, but I can say that the fit and finish matches the .357 magnum snake. I believe the accuracy would match the Python as well. Colt has recently ceased revolver production, and it is rumored that they will likely not produce another revolver for years. If they ever do produce revolvers again, the product will not be able to match the guns of yesteryear. Now is the time to purchase if you want a Colt revolver. The prices will never be lower, or the selection as good. Buy now, or wish you had later. No, this one is not up for grabs!