MARS Armament Colt Rail Gun

General Firearms Handguns - 1911
1

Around February of this year, I purchased a new Colt Rail Gun. I found it to be…severely lacking. The thumb safety and grip safety were both very rough and sharp, and had hardly been blended at all. There were very sharp edges all over the pistol. The CRG was also having a serious difficulty feeding +P ammo, and was “inertial feeding” and having occasional nose up FTF, will all magazines but the very expensive Wilson ETM HD/+P magazines.

I contacted Steve Morrison at MARS Armament, along with many other reputable smiths, to get quotes on lead times only (this was my duty gun at the time and I needed it back ASAP). Steve (and Sara) responded promptly and worked with me every step of the way. They quoted me at 10 days to 4 weeks, and at reasonable prices. My final request for work was:

MARS Gen II ILAP w/Magwell (Golfball cuts)
Undercut trigger guard and golfball front strap
Fit, Contour, and Blend a Harrison Design Thumb Safety
MARS trigger group upgrade for Colt–Trigger, Sear, trigger job 4.5-4.75#pull, includes MARS solid aluminum trigger, tool steel sear. Hand stoned and polished.
MARS Colt Model “O” reliability package
BMARS Black Cerakote

Steve accomplished this in about two weeks, and really transformed this pistol into a beautiful work of art. Not only did he do all that I asked, he also fit a new Barstock grip safety, free of charge. That was highly unexpected and much appreciated.

Onto the pistol: The golfball cuts provide a surprising amount of grip without being abrasive. The highcut trigger guard and new grip safety allow the shooter to take a very high and comfortable grip. The new HD safety engages with a positive click, and is blended very well. The heavier recoil springs seem to slow the slide down and solve the feeding issues, allowing me continue using my stockpile of CMC mags. There is not a sharp edge on this pistol, I can no longer shave in the morning with it. Steve’s trigger work was great, and the solid aluminum trigger looks awesome. The cerakote work was also topnotch.

We all know Steve has an issue with timelines becoming longer than they were supposed to, but damn, he makes a fine fighting pistol.

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Before:

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After

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If I didn’t have a nearly identical pistol next to me, I’d be extremely jealous. File me under mostly jealous.

5

That’s the hotness… I’d be in for one but I couldn’t stomach the non expedited timelines…

6

Damn. Just damn.

7

Fantastic pistola!

8

Very nice. I’m surprised you had such issues with yours, mine only suffered from the less-than-ideal thumb safety, though I have only put about 50 Gold Dots through it so not sure on the HP issue. Still, looks awesome now. One of these days I’ll give mine a makeover.

9

Mucho, mucho nice.

May it serve you well.

10

I took it to the range earlier for a “torture” test of sorts. I ran 2-3 rounds in each magazine with a mix of JHP and Ball. The pistol was completely dry. No feeding issues whatsoever. I ran numerous magazines one handed, no issues. I ran numerous magazines (2 CMC 8 rd, 2 Colt 8 rd, 2 CMC 10 rd, 2 Wilson ETM 8 rd) with JHP as the second to last round, attempting to induce an inertial feed, again, no issues. At this point in time, it’s feeding whatever goes in it.

It also shot far more accurately than before. Almost surprisingly so in fact.

11

If you are comfortable sharing, what are you into this thing for all said and done? I’m considering going this route instead of buying a Wilson or Nighthawk, etc.

12

Super nice!

I really like those grips much better than the ones it ships with.

13

Well, the CRG itself was $1200, the work from MARS was $1540, and the safety from Harrison was $70. Throw in a set of VZ Grips for $70 and you are now at Wilson and Nighthawk prices. The ONLY reason I went this route was because my agency only allows 1911’s from: Colt, Taurus, Ruger, Kimber, and SW. If they allowed Wilson or Nighthawk, I certainly wouldve gone a different route.

With that said, this 1911 from MARS is a helluva gun, and one that has the features that I want, not one bought from the shelves of a store. The amount of money I put into diagnosing it’s issues (10 boxes of +P ammo, 4 Wilson ETM HD/+P mags, 10-8 Slide Stop) wouldve been a lot less on a semi-custom like Wilson.

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Thats what you think… I spent a ton of money on mags and ammo trying to diagnose an issue with a semi-custom too. From what ive seen all manufacturers will put out guns that do not run, what sets companies apart is how they take care of the problem.

Also im really jealous of your Mars colt! It is gorgeous looking!

15

Very nice! I’ve had one pistol done by him, and I’ve been very happy with it.

16

Hmm I thought Steve was SLAMMED, that turn around time is surprisingly fast. Is that the norm for work like this (not a full build) or was it expedited because it is your duty gun? Beautiful pistol.

17

As far as I know, small builds can be done in 4 weeks. Ask Steve though.

18

That is probably the nicest duty pistol I’ve seen in a long time. Great job and may it serve you well.

19

That’s great to hear. I’ve got my Grandfather’s old Government in .38 Super that I’d love to have converted to 9mm and dressed up a bit. Probably very similarly to yours.

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I can’t wait to see this after 10k rounds and some well earned character.