Colt for a returning Warrior

[Casca041]

Dear 1911 Forum Members,
Some friends asked for my input regarding a gift for their son who is returning and retiring. I suggested a Colt 1911 with his rank,name,years of service and "Thank you for your service" in a presentation case. I further suggested that they contact the Colt custom shop to ascertain if it was possible to do it all in "one stop shopping". Although I liked something a little less reflective, the family is leaning towards a nickel finish. I would appreciate your learned suggestions, which will be passed onto the family. I would provide more background about the gift recipient, but it is supposed to be a surprise and he may well be a participant in this forum.
Thank you,
Casca

[daveohno]

Sounds like a nice gift! Maybe they could do this on a bright stainless pistol.

[Casca041]

davehono,
Thank you for your reply. Not being a big fan of nickel finish, I campaigned for a matte or Parkerized type finish. The Colt 1911 WW1 Replica seemed to fill the bill in my opinion. A stainless steel would be ok. The family pictures this pistol being on display in his office or den. While it may not become his EDC, it will be shot.
Thank you,
Cas

[Hawkmoon]

Colt no longer offers nickel plating (I just asked a couple of days ago), so it's either stainless (matte or full polish) or blued. Colt doesn't do Parkerizing in-house (I think), and they don't currently offer any Parkerized pistols. So a Parkerized pistol would not be possible completely in-house at Colt.

For this purpose, I would advise against stainless. The military never used stainless 1911s. For a retiring veteran, if he is retiring he has been in the service long enough to have known the "real" M1911A1. A polished nickel or stainless pistol is NOT going to evoke any sense of solidarity with his service career. While the M1911A1s were Parked, a blued pistol would be a lot closer to the real deal than a stainless pistol, as well as showing up the engraving better. I think a Series 70 repro would be the nearest thing in Colt's current line to a military M1911A1, but a 1991 Government model would have a slightly less polished blue that's closer to the military Parkerized finish. I'd recommend one of those two, with a slight preference toward the 1991.

[littledoc]

I like Hawkmoon's line of thought on this one...

[d90king]

Casca,
How about a WW1 Repro with a nice plaque :D That way you dont have to destroy a Colt ;) and you will get a very authentic Military pistol that he will enjoy for a lifetime.

Patrick

[OD*]

You could shop around for a Colt WWII reproduction.

[Rich-D]

Casca,
How about a WW1 Repro with a nice plaque :D That way you dont have to destroy a Colt ;) and you will get a very authentic Military pistol that he will enjoy for a lifetime.

Patrick

Great Idea, I would have a plaque made for the outside lid of the presentation box.

[d90king]

Great Idea, I would have a plaque made for the outside lid of the presentation box.

Exactly ;) Much better than on the pistol. Maybe initials..... nah keep it the way it was built :o

Patrick

[Casca041]

Thank you All for your great ideas.
This request was kind of a surprise to me. My first reaction was that I may get held responsible without any real control. The retiring career soldier is returning from along stay in Afghanistan. The people who will be making the final selections regarding his gift are for the most part civilians with limited firearms use. There maybe some conflict in their respective experiences. The engraved plaque attached to the presentation/display case should be readily accepted. The Parkerized, matte black or dull blue finish would also be my recommendation, but they seem convinced that "bright" is better. It certainly will be different from the finish on the tools to which he is most familiar.
I have a much used Colt 1991 that I believe is Parkerized. Everyone else shoots it better than I do, but I still like it.
Thank you,
Cas