Walther Colt 1911A1 .22LR Question

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Publican

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Vancouver Island, BC
I want to change the factory black rubber grips to wood. When I loosened off the factory grips, the screws did not back out of the bushings but rather the bushings with screws still in place backed out of the frame.

I carefully reassembled but wonder if anyone has changed the grips on a Walther Colt and if so how? I think new bushings and screws would work but suspect they might be very difficult to source.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Publican
 
I had a similar problem with one of my full sized 1911's I ordered new screws / bushings from the manufacturer, but you can order them from Brownells.
 
#1bcshooter said:
Remove the grips . hold the bushing to get the screw out . Install the bushing back in the frame with red Loctite .
Let Loctite set & install grips & screws (no Loctite on screws)
Click to expand...

How do I hold the bushing? Unknown metal with very fine threads. I do have a vice with a plywood face on both jaws - bit nervous here as I can see screwing it up and not being able to find bushings.
 
Publican said:
How do I hold the bushing? Unknown metal with very fine threads. I do have a vice with a plywood face on both jaws - bit nervous here as I can see screwing it up and not being able to find bushings.
Click to expand...

Then I would suggest putting loctite on the threads in the frame ( clean the threads first ) and then screw the bushing & grip screw back
into the frame . This way the loctite will hold the bushing in place allowing you to remove the grip screw.
Been there, done that.
 
I had the same issue with a regular 1911. I held the bushing in a set of aluminum soft jaws in my vice to get the grip screw out. I tried red lock tight to hold the bushing in the frame, but it didn't work. On a regular 1911 the bushings are staked in with a special tool, so the next time I had an order from Brownells, I got one. It turned out that my new grip was a little thinner and I had to file down the bushing and screw to fit. I don't know if your gun is the same as a regular 1911 for staking the bushings in though, but if it's an aluminum frame, it would strip or gall a lot easier than a steel frame when removing a staked in bushing. If that happens, you could probably drill and tap for an oversize grip bushing. Good luck, hope you get it fixed OK.
Kristian
 
Publican said:
How do I hold the bushing? Unknown metal with very fine threads. I do have a vice with a plywood face on both jaws - bit nervous here as I can see screwing it up and not being able to find bushings.
Click to expand...

Have you got a bit of scrap metal, a hand drill and a hacksaw? Drill a hole in the metal the same size as the outside of the bushing. Then run a saw cut along the metal so it passes through the hole to split the hole into two "D" shapes. Extend the cut well past the hole. Now you can put the bushing into the split hole and clamp the metal together in a vise or with some strong pliers such as vise grips.
 
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