SA Operator just completed

14149 Views 40 Replies 26 Participants Last post by Texas2NC, Mar 14, 2002

Ned Christiansen

Discussion Starter · Nov 13, 2001

5

Here are some pics of an Operator I just finished for a forum member (dunno which one though!). The customer has very large hooks and so wanted an S&A magwell for its added length. I usually don't care much for these because of the loose fit and poor definition, but when you must have one they can be worked into something decent. This particular 1911 feels and looks BIG, making it seem somehow more potent... or maybe it's just me. It has many of the de rigueur aftermarket parts, all high-end stuff as spec'd by the client. A very non-inclusive list of features:
-Heinie sights, with a little further corner-busting.
-Frontstrap checkered 20 LPI to match S&A magwell, with a slightly different profile
to maximize girth: not a simple radius on the frontstrap, but a large radius blending to smaller radii where the frame sides meet the frontstrap radius.
-Front end styled-up to make it more holster and user friendly, also to add lead-in for quick light installation onto the rail.
-Surefire light (not shown) was lightly modified as it did not interface with the Operator's rail. Used a Dawson latch (modified) and heat-staked the pivot pin in.
-Light rail lugs are ramped (along with light latch) for one-way push-on installation of the light, no need to actuate the latch, just jam it on.
-This gun was pretty nice out of the box, but we switched to a Wilson beavertail as the original from Springfield, while nicely fitted, was of the cored-out type, so making a higher grip would have meant breaking through into this coring.
-Sharpened up the S&A magwell's checkering
and opened it up condsiderably, after tightening it up to get the typical wobble out of it.
-Those MD grips are pretty nice, customer sent them. I blended them to match the outer radius of the S&A magwell.

....edited to repost the pictures after the Photpoint rug-out-from-under trick #2. More pics of it on my site, at http://www.m-guns.com/gallery.html

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Ned Christiansen on 2002-01-20 13:16 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Ned Christiansen on 2002-01-22 09:24 ]</font>

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1 - 20 of 41 Posts

Rob Longenecker

· #2 · Nov 13, 2001

It's hard to type and give a standing "O" at the same time so I'm alternating - typing some and applauding some.

Ned, that's a superfine looking gun. Great work! Nice finish. Way to go. Excellent.

gyp_c2

· #3 · Nov 13, 2001

I see whay you say it looks big..It LOKKS BIG!!!

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matfie

· #4 · Nov 13, 2001

Ned,

Looks great! It also looks like any future pistolsmith had better be good with a camera as well as a file. :smile:

m

Dane Burns

· #5 · Nov 13, 2001

Ned, nice gun. OK :grin: Very nice gun!

Andrew Reed

· #6 · Nov 13, 2001

Ned,
Wow that thing really came along, you can hardly tell that you dropped the frame :smile: KIDDING. Top notch job man

Jim Watson

· #7 · Nov 13, 2001

Needs a border at the top of the front strap checkering to cut off the uneven vertical grooves.

Birch

· #8 · Nov 13, 2001

Bad ass comes to mind. Very bad ass... :grin:

Ned Christiansen

Discussion Starter · #9 · Nov 13, 2001

Jim, here's a close-up of that area.

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Shay

· #10 · Nov 13, 2001

WOW! talk about PERFECT pointed pyramids.

nice job!

Shay

Randall_1611

· #11 · Nov 13, 2001

I'll second those Wow's Ned. The bottom of the front strap looks as great as the top! It's a nice & unusual touch! :grin: Mike

J.Queen

· #12 · Nov 14, 2001

Ned great looking Operator. I just bought my soon to be wife one for a wedding gift, and I am not sure what I am going to do with it yet, but I may contacting you real soon

BK

· #13 · Nov 14, 2001

Beautiful work Ned!

That Officers model in the sale forum looks great too.

Robe

· #14 · Nov 14, 2001

It's mine! I'll come out of the closet now that everybody likes it. Ned built this for me basically under my orders and with some of my parts. If somebody doesn't like some feature or wonders why it's done a certain way, I'll take those questions. This was an experiment to use some ideas and parts I had. Ned was great to work with and open minded and willing to try something different. I think it will make a great all purpose CQB type weapon as long as concealment is not needed. You can shoot em with it and then beat 'em with it when you run out of ammo. The rail makes it real versitile too. I figure you can put a light on it, a bayonet, maybe even a long fork and spatula for the hamburgers and hot dogs on a camping trip or backyard grill-out. If it gets too heavy, slap on a swivel and a sling.
I'm anxious to get it and shoot it. Maybe sending it back then for a little tweaking. The muzzle mods were Ned's idea and I like it alot. I wasn't sure what to do with it, but knew it needed something to be more holster friendly and reduce the sharp points and edges. Anyway,it's done to my specs and I'm really happy with the final product. Thanks to Ned for the quick work, open mind and willingness to do something a little different.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Robe on 2001-11-13 19:44 ]</font>

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Jim Watson

· #15 · Nov 14, 2001

Ned, from that angle it looks almost like you did it on purpose. Kind of like an acanthus leaf on a Greek column.

Sean Smith

· #16 · Nov 14, 2001

Wow.

Riley

· #17 · Nov 14, 2001

Ned,
What finish is that? Looks great.

Pistolero

· #18 · Nov 14, 2001

Kind of like an acanthus leaf on a Greek column.

.........any Klingon would be proud!

Ned Christiansen

Discussion Starter · #19 · Nov 14, 2001

Yes, that "splay" a the top of the frontstrap is indeed done on purpose, and is a bit of extra work and risk, I might add.

Robe, it was a pleasure working with you. BTW, remember I offered you the no-dovetail rear sight mount, did you see my posts on it here?

Robe

· #20 · Nov 14, 2001

Ned-I did see the post and pics of that rear sight install. A picture is worth a thousand words. It looked way better in the picture than I had imagined in my mind after our conversation on it. I had second thoughts after seeing it. That may be something we'll look at later after I play with the gun some. Can that type of sight work be done to a gun that already has a standard dovetail cut?

1 - 20 of 41 Posts

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