Kimber and Colt

I had a chance to work on and improve two target pistols; one a Kimber converted to handle multiple cartridge types and the other a Colt Woodsman I added an overtravel screw. Here’s how I tackled both. Multi-Caliber Kimber 1911 pistols can be built into multicaliber guns. Here’s the tooling used to convert a Kimber Team Match 1911 .38 Super to shoot .38 Special and 9mm.

A few minutes study with just a Brownells catalog can be almost depressing when one realizes the huge investment we would have to make to have the entire variety of hand tools and gauges necessary to completely service just a few of the common firearms we might encounter each year; semi-auto pistols, revolvers, ARs and AKs, plus bolt action, pump-operated, and semi-auto shotguns and rifles.

Then, add a few stationary power tools: A lathe requires its own compliment of special tooling, and even more so, a milling machine. Then add in, perhaps, a bead blaster with its associated air compressor, some welding equipment, along with the storage to keep it handy and organized and it really becomes overwhelming. I’ve been doing this stuff for over 34 years now and I still could use thousands of dollars in additional gunsmithing components!

Far So, probably like many of you, I occasionally team up with another gunsmith whose work I highly respect. Our skills may compliment each other or our tool inventories supplement each other’s.

As an example, I was able to help my colleague Mike Diedrich convert his milling machine to variable speed (see my article in the December 2004 issue for related details) and while there at his shop I watched his remarkable transformation of a Kimber Team Match II 1911 pistol originally chambered in .38 Super in to a multi-caliber beauty capable of shooting the far less expensive .38 Special and 9mm rounds. His build was complete with a custom sight rail and cocking serrations.

In American Handgunner, noted gun writer John Taffin talked about the bullet sizes: "I have yet to see a box of bullets marked ‘.38 Super’, however, ‘most’ 9mm bullets will work. The proper bullet diameter for the .38 Super is 0.356" while the 9mm bullets are normally 0.355", and most .38 Special bullets are 0.357. That is not much difference, however, it does seem to make a difference to some .38 Super barrels.

The only answer is experimenting with each individual .38 Super." Work began on anew customer-provided slide of unknown manufacture. To hold it solidly in his substantial milling vise, Mike employed the cleverly-designed Yavapai 1911 Auto Slide Jig from Brownells (080-835-002). The jig is shaped so that it can be clamped in a vertical position in the milling vise for flat-topping the slide as desired as well as drilling and tapping for a sight rib or for cutting dovetails.

Then, with the slide still attached, the jig can be rotated 90° and clamped in a horizontal position for milling cocking serrations, and/or work on the ejection port. The jig’s internal screws and 1911dimensioned rails securely lock the slide in place. This particular project required starting with milling cocking serrations. Given the stability assured by the Slide Jig, the job probably took no longer to do the actual machining than it did to set up the slide and jig in the mill vice horizontally.

Next, with the slide still clamped to the jig, the pair was re-clamped vertically in the milling vice and holes were drilled and tapped for an Aristocrat sight rib (Brownells 044-000-024WB). The rib adds a little to the slide’s sight radius, is adjustable for both

More machine work on the slide would come later. Next, Mike directed his attention to the new customer supplied barrel. Using a 1911 Lug Fitting Kit (Brownells 080-000-089WB). The rod-shaped Barrel Holder uses a set screw to lock the barrel in the slide to allow cutting the barrel lugs with the carbide cutter in the crank-shaped part of the kit. The Slide Pusher part of the kit (with the screwdriver-looking handle) holds the slide forward against the barrel, while the crank is turned to cut the lugs.

Then, using Dykem marking fluid and small pieces of modeling clay squished between the barrel and the slide, determine where the interference spots on the barrel lugs are. File these parts of the barrel very carefully to eliminate these spots. As I often remind customers who ask about the hours involved in fitting parts, "it’s a lot easier taking metal off than it is to put it back." Now to the frame.

Mike used the Everglades Ammo 1911 Frame Rail Stoning Tool (Brownells 100-015- 690WB) which, using the included 320 grit stone, fits the frame rails to the slide close to the final dimensions. 800 grit lapping compound between the slide rails and the slide completes this part of the project.

Final machine work on the slide required milling a two degree slope on the underside to accommodate a taller disconnector, then again using the Slide Jig, lowering and flaring the ejection port; an absolute necessity, considering the additional cartridge length of the .38 Special. Lastly, all the parts were cleaned again with brake cleaner, then warmed to about 100° F, and sprayed lightly but evenly with, you guessed it, Brownells Gun-Kote (083-051- 002WB).

Both Mike and I have had excellent results with this ultra-thin, self lubricating epoxy finish. It contains molybdenum disulfide and each layer is only 0.0004" thick so it does not cause problems with close-tolerance surfaces. It’s tough, too. Brownells says the only way to remove it is to abrasive blast the parts! After drying, the newly-coated parts were baked at 325°F for one hour, then reassembled and test fired. Results? The customer reported no problems feeding or extracting and accuracy is excellent!

As aside note to readers, I have featured Brownells tooling and components here because, well, they have the tooling and components, but I was in no way compensated by them. However, they did graciously assist me in creating the illustrations incorporated in this article, for which I thank them sincerely. Obviously, what skills I may have once had as a draftsman have long since evaporated!

For further information, see Mike’s website, Mike Diedrich Gunsmithing, LLC (FixMyGuns.com, or contact me directly at Colt Trigger Overtravel Now let’s switch over to installing an overtravel stop on a Colt .22 target pistol. Two of my favorite sources detailing Colt target pistols are the comprehensive The Gun Digest Book of Automatic Pistols Assembly/Disassembly by Kevin Muramatsu and the previouslypublished The Gun Digest Book of Firearms Assembly/Disassembly Part I—Automatic Pistols by J. B. Wood.

Both explain that the Colt Match Target and the Colt Woods-

man Target were all derived from the Colt Woodsman, originally created in 1915. In 1927, the Woodsman name was officially adopted by Colt. The original Woodsman was made in Sport and Target versions while later production used the names Huntsman, Challenger, and Targetsman.

The subject of this article is the latter, however, most, if not all of the work discussed here will be applicable to other makes and models, providing additional improvements to customers’ guns, and of course, additional profits for the gunsmith. Begin by detail stripping the pistol for access to the area behind the trigger. Once done, a hole for the new overtravel stop has to be drilled and tapped through the frame from within.

A small flat for starting the hole can be machined using a small end mill in a Dremel tool. In this particular case, a 1911-style overtravel screw in the trigger would not be possible as the Colt’s trigger doesn’t have enough meat in it to tolerate an overtravel screw itself. Instead, drill and tap from inside the frame. A small end mill in a Dremel works well to get started. Note, the optic rail shown here had been added previously.

Once creating a small hole in the frame with the Dremel’s small end mill, tap for a small bit of threaded stock. After screwing in, the installed, adjustable overtravel screw is visible just behind the trigger and just left of the magazine release. There was a concern that a necessarily-small hex head option might "round out" before actual trigger travel had been established. My colleague Mike Dietrich’s steady hand used a Dremel cut-off blade to cut a screw slot in the threaded stock for adjusting it.

Once adjusted so the trigger pull stopped just after reset, the screw was secured using Loctite. I enlisted Mike’s help as my older and less steady hands would have required the use of a milling machine with a slitting blade to cut the screwdriver slot. With some small variations, either book’s instructions for the disassembly and reassembly will apply. One other thought: When inserting the magazine catch and sear spring, be sure the upper tip rests on the sear, with the hammer strut behind it.

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