Restoration

1911

GI, commercial, and everything since — refinishing, re-fitting, and correct parts for 1911s from both wars onward. The estimate comes from your photos, not a price list, because no two old 1911s need the same work.

GI pistols deserve GI treatment

A World War–era 1911 or 1911A1 is a historical artifact that happens to still shoot. Restoring one means the correct finish for its maker and year — some wore blue, some parkerizing, and the difference matters — correct grips, correct small parts, and roll marks and inspector stamps protected through every step. Polishing a stamp off a GI slide destroys value that doesn't come back.

Commercial 1911s are a different job: there the goal is usually the best version of the pistol — a refinish that looks factory, a trigger that breaks clean, a slide that fits the way it should have from the start.

Fitting is the craft

A century of 1911 production means parts interchange loosely at best. Drop-in parts rarely drop in on an old pistol; barrels, bushings, safeties, and slides get fitted by hand here, checked against the pistol they're going into. That's the difference between a 1911 that rattles and one that locks up like it was made yesterday.

How a 1911 restoration runs here

Photos & identification

You send photos including the roll marks and serial. We identify the maker, year, and correct configuration before quoting.

Estimate & plan

A written plan: finish, parts, fitting work, and what we'd deliberately leave alone. GI and commercial pistols get different advice.

Metal prep & finish

Correct finish for the pistol — bluing or parkerizing, done in-house, with stamps and roll marks preserved.

Fit & assembly

Parts fitted by hand and function checked. If the pistol is safe to shoot and firing it won't put a collector's piece at risk, we test-fire and clean it before it goes back — and if it's the kind of gun that shouldn't be fired for preservation's sake, we'll tell you that straight, with our read on its condition and shootability.

Record

Before/after photographs and a written record of what was done and what parts went in.

Answers

Common questions

My grandfather's GI 1911 is worn but all original. Restore it?

Probably not — and we'll tell you that for free. Honest wear on an original GI pistol is history, not damage, and refinishing it usually costs more value than it adds. Where we can help is conservation: stabilizing it, a correct set of grips, a magazine that runs, and a written record of exactly what it is.

Can you restore a 1911 that someone already refinished badly?

Yes — that's the most common 1911 job we see. A buffed-over slide and dished-out stamps limit how far back it can come, and we'll be straight about that ceiling from the photos. Within it, the pistol comes back correct.

Elsewhere on the bench

Bring us the project.

Start an NFA transfer, ask about a service, or send photos for an estimate. We answer fast.

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