Original 1911 Questions

[TwitchUSMC323]

Hey all, had a couple of quick questions pertaining to a 1917-manufactured Colt 1911.

I inherited this beautiful pistol from my father-in-law, who inherited it from his father. I love this gun, but unfortunately at some point, some bubba had the sights ground off and replaced with target sights - a pretty common occurrence from what I understand.

My father-in-law and I had talked about having the gun restored to its original configuration, it’s what he wanted to do eventually but sadly never got around to it.

Recently Apex Gun Parts listed a reproduction govt model 7.5” slide. I talked to my wife about buying one, as I wanted to go ahead with the restoration in honor of my FIL, but my wife didn’t want it - she wants to keep all of his guns in the configuration he had them in when he passed. While I think this is completely okay and understandable, I was thinking that if a competent gunsmith can fit the new slide without modifying anything on the rest of the gun, I might be able to convince her to agree to it. Naturally if she still says no I will respect her decision.

So I guess my questions are:
1)Can a competent gunsmith fit a new production govt model slide to the gun without modifying the frame or barrel?
2)Are there any good gunsmiths in the Saint Louis, MO area that would be able to perform such a job?

Any help would be very greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[Hawkmoon]

I would say much depends on whether the frame was modified at the time the slide was modified. The military M1911s were, after all, mass produced, so any in-spec slide should work with any in-spec barrel and fit on any in-spec frame.