I was looking for a tough finish that is black, matte appearance, protects against corrosion and durable. My pistolsmith (John Harrison) and I discussed several options and I decided on Wilson Combat’s new Armor Tuff.
A little history on the gun. It is a Colt series 70 reproduction, brand new, with some subtle custom work by John. He is what I consider a premier pistolsmith and a long time friend. We kept most of the factory parts. John installed his own rear and front sight, trigger, hammer and other ignition parts. He used an Ed Brown flat mainspring housing which he rounded the bottom (what most people refer to as round butt treatment), Ed Brown thumb safety and he recontoured the Colt grip safety to eliminate all sharp edges. John also dehorned the entire pistol so the gun’s edges don’t feel like a razor.
After communicating my need with the people at Wilson, I sent the gun to them per their instructions. As quoted, the gun was returned to me with the new finish that we all have been hearing about.
I am very pleased with this finish. It has the matte look that I wanted, the finish is even and smoothly applied, it is not shiny like previous iterations. It looks similar to the matte blued finish and not different from ion bond finish. Time will tell as for the durability of the finish. My other 1911 with the 2002 version of Armor Tuff is doing quite well.
The pictures above were taken with temporary grips and without grip screws. There are still oily residues on the gun that you can see in the pictures.
With different camera, permanent grips and even grip screws. :biglaugh:
Thank you sir. I’ll check in from time to time with durability report on the finish. The gun will be carried in leather holsters so I probably won’t be able to report its “Tuffness” against kydex. :).
As for the smooth frontstrap and MSH, the first time I’m exposed to it was the 1911 that LAV built for me 9 years ago. I’ve shot it in the summer and winter and never have any problem holding on to it. It is much more comfortable if you shoot a lot of rounds and presenting from holster than grips with some kind of treatment on them.
Armor Tuff is a proprietary polymer finish offered by Wilson Combat for over 10 years. They have changed the process a couple of times, this is their current finish. They’ve only used the new formular for a few months. I think they have a winner. It is sprayed on and baked. It is similar to Black T and other polymer finish process. It is NOT the same as the ceramic bonding process.
As discussed in the related post on 1911Forum, this strikes me as an extraordinarily well-balanced fighting gun. I think we can all agree that there is a certain wisdom in having a master pistolsmith go through the internals of any production-grade 1911, but the current customization craze with these guns has reached some rather laughable – if not counter-productive – levels. There is certainly nothing wrong with a well-optioned 1911, but it often seems that the most tricked-out guns are owned by the least competent/knowledgeable shooters. People get so preoccupied with buying extra-cost features that they neither need nor understand, that they end up with guns which are ill-suited to any practical purpose(s). That’s not an indictment against fluting, checkering, flush-fitting, re-profiling, polishing, creative metalworking or extended/enhanced/improved accoutrements of whatever sort, but sometimes it is healthy to stop and ask, “what’s the point of this, really?”
The truth is that there is a lot to be said for simplicity and functionality, and as far as the “1911 as a working tool” standard can (and should) be applied, this strikes me as a true benchmark pistol. Harrison really ought to consider offering it as a standard package; might not be a bad name for it, either: “The Standard.”
I am curious why you said you are not a “coating” fan?
I think blued is beautiful but only for “safe queen” guns. I do have a three revolvers that still have their original blue finish. One is a sentimental piece that I don’t carry or shoot, one is a back up that won’t get carried much and the third is a beater gun that I’m not worried if the finish is scuffed up.
If it’s a customized gun that the original blued finish had to be removed during the project, then I will have it coated for corrosion protection.
Thanks for your kind words my friend. I won’t go into the same response as posted on the 1911forum but would like to add that John does offer a “basic carry package” that is similar to the specs on my gun.
Mine is not that package as I deleted some items and added others. The main difference is the “round butt”. I have this same mod on my LW Commander and it feels really good to handle and shoot. The bottom corner/edge of the main spring housing no longer digs into your palm.
I forgot to mention that I wanted a gun built in the year of 2011 to commorate the 100th anniversary of the pistol. The custom work was done and I received the gun (without Armor Tuff) two weeks before Christmas.
Finally went to the range to shoot the gun. All I can say is wow.
Well… maybe a few more descriptive words. I mostly shot at 5 and 7 yards at the indoor range. The weather is bad and after traveling almost 4000 miles this week, I had no desire to drive 110 miles round trip to the range.
Most of my 5 shot groups were one ragged holes measuring 1.5" to 2". All were slow fire using two handed hold. I ran two 6 shot groups using 230 gr. Winchester hollow points and Remington Golden Sabers as well. Their results were the same as the 35 rounds of handloaded 230 gr. FMJ.
The gun is accurate, pleasant to shoot and reliable. There was no malfunction in the 47 rounds shot. I’m not one of those that have to shoot 200 rounds per session. But I will shoot it regularly when I go to the range. The rounds will add up through time.
The way John contoured the stock grip safety, I hardly felt the recoil driving the pistol back into my hand, even with the full house defensive rounds (Winchester HP and Remington Golden Saber).
I personally have always been some what leery of a finish that MAY flake or peel.As the new poly/ceramic finishes are more durable,I may have to re-think my position on the use of applied coatings.
I have a DW CCO which has (I believe) a ceramic finish which appears to be quite durable,but for me,a well worn blue finish has a look which can’t be beat.
For corrosion resistance on my blued guns,I have found coating the gun with car wax on a semi-annual basis has been VERY effective in preventing rust and any corrosion.
I keep working on holster presentations with my TRS so that I can get that “patina” to the bluing.
