Stainless or Blue?

[liliysdad]

I am fixing to order a new SW1911 Basic. I can get the Stainless or Blued for the same price. I prefer the look of the blue better, but havent seen one in person, or even a good, high res photo. If anyone can oblige, Id be appreciative.

If I remeber correctly, the Blued has only rear cocking serrations, and a GI style recoil plug. Is this correct? What else differs?

I am currently leaning towards the blued, unless there is a reason not to that I am unaware of..

[Joni Lynn]

I prefer the blue look but some guns unfortunately aren't available that way. Stainless is nice for resisting rust better.

[Pappy]

I am fixing to order a new SW1911 Basic. I can get the Stainless or Blued for the same price. I prefer the look of the blue better, but havent seen one in person, or even a good, high res photo. If anyone can oblige, Id be appreciative.

If I remeber correctly, the Blued has only rear cocking serrations, and a GI style recoil plug. Is this correct? What else differs?

I am currently leaning towards the blued, unless there is a reason not to that I am unaware of..

I would suggest visiting a large gun store or gun show to inspect various configurations. How about the company's web site? Don't be hasty. Think and ask questions here...Pappy

[liliysdad]

I have reviewed the website, and Ive seen and handled the Stainless guns. The issue Im having is that the website shows some mechanical differences, and Im wondering if the serrations and the GI Guide Plug are the only ones.

Based on what I know right now, the Blued one appeals to me much more, based on the finish, and the GI Guide Plug.

I would love to see a real, not factory, photo of a blued Basic SW1911.

[stans]

I'm not impressed with much of the bluing I see these days, even S&W's bluing just isn't up to the standards of years gone by.

[SAWBONES]

Most blueing nowadays is poor quality compared to the old Colt "fire blued" finish, and in any case, blueing on typical carbon steel is neither durable nor rust-resistant.

If you don't dislike a "white" finish, I'd pick stainless steel. It resists rust well, and can be easily touched up with a 3M Scotch-Brite pad if it gets nicked or scratched; not so a blued gun!

Otherwise, if you want a more durable but dark finish, you'll have to go with Parkerizing or one of the epoxy- or sulfide-based types.

Or, if you're determined to have carbon steel, you can always have it hard chromed, if you want the most durable finish available.

[liliysdad]

Ok, in ya'lls experience, is te bluing on the new Smith any less durable than Sig's infamously bad blue?

[horse 91-A1]

Is this going to be a carry M1911? I live in a sunny climate and matte stainless finish has obvious sight advantages with sun glare compared to a bright stainless or blued slide. Same can be said for parkerized and neither reflects light at night. I carry seven days/evenings week so matte stainless has obvious functional advantages for me. :)

Another advantage in this climate is that it can be left in direct sunlight (shooting range table) and not heat up like a blued version.

Adios,
Bob

[liliysdad]

It will be a uniformed LEO carry gun. I work a even split of daylight and dark hours, so reflectivity is an isue. I think that the blue is a matte blue, but I cant tell from the factory photos.

[stans]

You can always have stainless bead blasted to eliminate the mirror reflections. A cheap alternative to bead blasting is a coarse Scotchbrite pad, just rub the flats and it will give the surface a dulled finish. Blueing really isn't very rust resistant, especially today's bluing. It takes time and effort to do a really good bluing job and factories can't spend that much time and effort and still make the guns at low cost. Parkerizing is more rust resistant than bluing, but it still needs to be oiled frequently. Unless you want to have a gun plated with something like NP3, stainless is your most corrosion resistant firearm.

[GusM]

You would be doing yourself a big favor if you could get to a shop to compare in person. There are some great pictures out there but nothing is quite the same as holding it in your own hand.

[liliysdad]

I would love to, but there isnt a shop in 100 miles with a blued gun in stock. As a amtter of fact, my dealer's distributor only has one blued model in stock.

The more I think about it, the more I lean towards the Stainless. I can swap the guide rod out for a plug, and only have to deal with the forward serrrations, which I hate. It would be a lot easier to take care of...

[stans]

Love those GI type plugs and guide rods, simplicity.

[Pointblank]

This new model S&W not only has a light rail, but also has a Black Melonite Finish Yielding a Surface Hardness of 68HRc, so you get the look of a blued pistol, but with much higher resistance to corrosion and wear.


Model SW1911PD Tactical Rail Series

http://www.smith-wesson.com/wcsstore/SmWesson/upload/images/firearms/108293_large.jpg

[1911Sooner]

I would love to, but there isnt a shop in 100 miles with a blued gun in stock. As a amtter of fact, my dealer's distributor only has one blued model in stock.

The more I think about it, the more I lean towards the Stainless. I can swap the guide rod out for a plug, and only have to deal with the forward serrrations, which I hate. It would be a lot easier to take care of...

I was at H&H gun range today and they had two brand new S&W's in blue without front serrations. One had target sights and the other Novaks. I looked at the fit and finish on them and was impressed. I would say their blueing is almost as good as Colts.

[CRab]

I'm gonna have one on Friday to take pics of, UPS'ed my FFL this morning. As soon as I have it in my possession pics will be up. I'm not entirely sure anyone around here even has the basic SW1911 in blue...but anyhow pics will be up Friday evening along with a BUNCH of new 47D's, lol. It's actually my first pistol, so I'm pretty excited.

Chris

[Joni Lynn]

Cool........you're going to love it! You'll probably end up with a second one before 12 months have passed.