45 Replacement frame

[Herman Lesley]

A friend of mine is thinking of buying a 1911A1. The gun has a Colt Mark IV Series 70 slide. The only marking on the frame is on the right side of the frame where the name and serial number is usually found. The number is FOS210.
Would anyone have any info as to brand, quality, etc of this frame?

Thanks in advance
Herman

[Mikey]

Herman:  Have your friend ask the dealer he is buying the pistol from who the pistol came from - that is, who traded it in, and whether he knows anything about the pistol or not.  He will dang sure know who traded it in - he has to keep the paperwork on that - and you can always ask the previous owner.

You can get frames from a couple of sources that I am aware of:  Essex Arms in Vermont used to selel them, and I think some of the other fairly well known aftermarket manufacturers sell just frames as well as the whole pistol.

The problems you often encounter with aftermarket frames or slides are fit and function.  If the pistol works properly, functions properly without unusual jams or other malfunctions, and is reliable, then there is no problem.  If it doesn't work right, get rid of it.  

The series 70 slide is a bonus as the trigger pull will not be compromised or confounded by the series 80 hammer/trigger/sear block safety Colt devised.

My suggestion is that if the dealer hems and haws about getting the information for your friend, or if he is less than cooperative about having your friend test the pistol for reliability and function, go somewhere else for another gun - no sense in buying  a problem.

Just my 2 cents worth.  Mikey. :-D

[Herman Lesley]

Mikey

The gun is owned by one of his co-workers, not a dealer. He has fired one clip of hardball through it and it finctioned fine with that one clip.
It seems tight enough as far as fit and has other add ons ( millett type adjustable sights, larger safety and larger slide stop).
He did not want to end up paying a Colt price for a hybrid gun.
He is also looking at the Champion and Compact series from Springfield Armory. What is your opinion on these guns?

Thanks
Herman

[Bob_K]

I believe the frame is a Federal Ordnance.  I don't know if they still make them anymore, but they used to be available in either steel or alloy.  I have a couple of alloy frames that I use as the lower half with the old Crossman/Blazer Pellet conversion top half.  IMHO the quality was OK, slightly less than an Essex frame.

A FO frame should not command a premium price, even with the Colt slide.   The pistol is probably built as a basic blaster, not a match gun or carry gun.

A Springfield is a much better better pistol!

[Mikey]

Herman, Bob K is most likely correct about the frame manufacturer, certainly correct about the entire ensemble, and definately correct about the quality of the Springfields.  Both Springfield models you mentioned are top quality products and I would get either of the two your friend is most comfortable with.  Mikey.

[Herman Lesley]

Bob & Mikey

One other Springfield my friend mentioned was the Mil-Spec Ultra Compact Parkerized. What is your opinion of this pistol as a carry gun?

Thanks
Herman

[John Traveler]

That Federal Ordinance frame you mentioned was probably from the defunct Federal Ordinance in Ele Monte, California.

I've encountered several commercially marketed guns under the FED Ord banner, and they were only "okay", not great.

 :shock:

[Bob_K]

Herman...

The Ultra Compact is not one I have personal experience with, but, in general, I'd be concerned about feeding reliability in the small format .45's.  There is some real balancing going on to accomodate the recoil forces in the small format 1911 style pistols, and some are very sensitive to ammo, for one, and the operator relaxing his wrist, for another.  I have a ultra small Caspian (steel receiver) I built that also strikes me as a bit heavy.  In a carry piece my priorites are feeding reliability, weight, and finally caliber.  A pistol that weights too much won't be routinely carried, hence you probably won't have it when you need it.  If it jams when you need it, well, that should be self evident.  Last is the issue of balistic effectiveness.  (A hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .44.)  For all my years of experience with the 1911 .45, my carry piece tends to be a 5 shot revolver.

[Mikey]

Herman:  Sorry I haven't gotten back to you before this but I would have to tend to agree with Bob_K about the real small ones.  I know that when you buy one of these from the factory everything works incredibly well but if you try and put one together yourself it may be a real hassle.  On another note, you're shooting the 45 ACP - there is a balance here between recoil and weight and the smaller you go with the shooting part, the higher the recoil part comes into play.  As a carry gun you just might forget you have the thing in your pocket but if you are comfortable carrying it and can hit with it as you feel you may need to - see my third note below.

On a third note, I would definately buy a Springfield - got one and luvs it.  Mikey.