I don't post much, but I had to share this...

I'm a beginning shooter, having never fired a handgun until I approached the age of 60. I had occasion to buy a beautiful S&W 686-2 from a co-worker a year ago, and have discovered what a fun hobby range shooting is. My son has enthusiastically joined me in this and we've had an absolute hoot for almost a year now.

Son Aaron is a Glock fan, and shoots a 9mm and his most recent pistol is a G30S in .45acp.
I'm a revolver guy, and along with this masterful 686, I bought a Smith model 10-5 snub.

Along with shooting, I decided to start re-loading. First, pecking away at it with a Lee loader, then a RCBS Partner single stage press. I now reload .38 sp, .357 mag, and most recently, .45acp for Aaron's Glock. Recently, we went together and acquired a Lee turret press in which to up our volume a bit. (I'm a faithful follower to this site's reloading forum section. Got a lot of help and advice from the folks over there.)

And of course, Aaron and I rib each other in fun... he with his Tupperware guns, me with the old fashioned wheelguns....

But that ain't the story I want to tell.

Aaron's Glocks are nice. But I've always admired the 1911, thinking I'd get one, one of these days.

I'm a hobbyist woodworker. And have a friend of a friend, a retired Army helicopter driver, that has an enormous gun collection. We were talking one day by his pool, and the conversation boiled down to this...

I would build him two of these Adirondack chairs-



In return, he would give me this-



Well, I went to work, and in several hard driving weekends, I delivered these chairs to him. Here's what I received in return- a never-fired M1991 Series 80 Colt Gov't model Parkerized 1911 .45acp!





I'm getting this thing to the range Friday after work.

My benefactor is a happy camper, and I can tell you this- so am I!

I'm not as current on Colt prices as I should be, but I think you got a really good deal.

Not a real big 1911 fan, but if I purchased one, that would be it.

Beautiful gun and congrats on the deal.

By the way, your wood working skills are phenomenal.

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Un-Reconstructed Southerner

Granted…..you have to account for the material, and your time….and by the way, those are very nice looking chairs, but I am guessing that gun sold for close to $1000.00…….so, I think you did all right……the 1911 platform is a very dependable, accurate, handgun……I have a couple……you will enjoy it.

Semper Fi!

I've seen costs for the Colt in the low $800's...

I've built several versions of these chairs (perhaps 40 or so) for friends, family, housewarming presents, etc. as well as taking on commissions. The design fascinates me, and they're quite comfortable.

I've sold a pair for as high as $800, and with that in mind, it was a wash.

Nowadays, with Western red cedar prices through the roof, my material cost for two chairs and footstools were $190.

Oh... Thank you!

That's a great trade!!! Enjoy your 1911/1991!

When came go to the automatic world, you came in through the right door. The thing about 1911's is, they are like Legos you just snap on an upgrade. They are like Lay's potato chips, No body can have just one. I just sold off 2 to finance another project, but I still have 5. Ivan

I think you both made out in that deal. Great trade.

Outstanding! I'm not sure which I like better...the pistol or the chairs. Looking at the work, I'd say you're a good bit beyond the "hobbyist" stage. And I'm glad to see the barter system is alive and well. Congratulations.

Very nice 1911! The chair look really good as well.

That 1911 will go very well with your 686 and m10 snub.

As a fellow woodworker great job. As far as the trade goes outside furniture has a fixed life. Eventually it will become unusable even with maintenance.
However; Colt 45 autos can and will go on forever.
Jim

Shoot I wish you lived closer to me I would buy a couple of those chairs from you as they are beautiful. You mentioned being new to the shooting arena so just a friendly reminder about 1911's. Unlike your son's plastic guns the 1911 will not be so friendly without grease on those rails. It doesn't take a lot, just a fine line down the rails and you will be good to go. I recommend grease because oil is very messy. Good luck and can't wait to for the range report!

Hell, I live in an apartment, and I'd love to have a couple of those beautiful chairs! Lovely work.

I'm confident that both you and the ex-chopper pilot are very well satisfied, as well you both should be.

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Oh well, what the hell.

So, you started with just one .357, then you had to get a Model 10, and start reloading. Now you've plunged into the big-bore Colt .45ACP. I can see into your future, it's too late to turn back now. Soon you will become afflicted with the condition that we call "N" frame lust.
Beautiful chairs, nice gun too.

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Wayne
Torn & Frayed

Good luck with the 1911! The 1911 format has become my favorite overall for both .45 ACP and .22 LR (use a conversion kit on my Series 70 Government Model).
As an amateur woodworker I very much admire your work on the furniture. I suspect you will never regret the trade.

Up in the Adirondacks where I live those chairs are called Adirondack chairs. (Most other parts of the country also, as their design came from up here in a way to utilize mostly scraps from lumber/milling places.. Most places up there have these kinds of chairs and untold amounts of people make them. Of course the citified gentry commit sacrilege and get chairs that look like that but in plastic, they do not last as long as the woodies do. They work harden and the weather is not kind to them.



As far as life goes, I have seen and sat in many of those chairs that are easily over 50 years old. FWIW I’m 5.11 250lbs and those chairs are safe even at their age status. We have a couple old ones and I have a few new ones that are only 15 years old and are in perfect shape.

OP your workmanships is very good(I have seen plenty of examples over the last 60 years) and for your efforts you picked up a very nice Colt.

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

The very definition of a win-win deal!

Nice chairs and nice Colt. Now you have to combine the two and make a set of grips for the 1911. My first 1911 is 6 weeks old and I am hooked. And yes, they like to run wet compared to the poly guns.

Beautiful work on those chairs.

You may have actually shortchanged yourself a bit, as those are $500 - $600 chairs :-)

Really, really nice work.

It's always nice to hear stories about the barter system still working.

Great Colt, great woodworkmanship.

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I'm with the banned ...

Well, I got it to the range this afternoon. I picked up a box of Magtech 230 gr. FMC ball (box said 835 fps) and I had 50 rounds of my own reloads- 230 gr. LRN with 4.7 gr. 700-X.

Well!

I might again point out that I'm a new shooter, and (other than putting a few magazines through my son's Glocks) I'm really a revolver guy.

TOTALLY new impression. Recoil seemed manageable. Again, not what I'm used to- brass bouncing around the range box, for one.

I can say the Colt worked flawlessly. Factory rounds, as well as my reloads. I loaded "middle-of-the-road" with the 700-X and through a comparison- 5 of mine in the base of the mag, then two factory rounds on top, I could scarcely tell a difference.
(Little more smoke out of the 700-X)

Here's the very first rounds that came out of it (discounting the factory test rounds)



I have to figure out the sights on this thing, for sure.

I looked at the shot analysis chart (note: I'm a Southpaw) and maybe I was pushing a little... and breaking my wrist.

Here's another... And I'm just clueless about the sights on this thing... so I'll take (and be proud of) the 8-ring today.

Dang, I pushed the send button too fast... another couple of points. Impressions, really. You can dry-fire this thing to learn what to expect on the trigger. It's smooth, and predictable, but it's hefty 6# pull will take some getting used to.

My S&W 686 has had trigger work done to it, and I'll describe it as "elegant", if that fits.

Matter of fact, standing there reloading, and thinking that "these thumb calisthenics" are for the birds and wishing I could drop these into a cylinder... that's a drag, until I get used to it.

Am I pleased? Yes.

Am I over the moon for this Colt? Well, not yet.

Nice trade! As far as the thumb work out. Get yourself an UPLULA magazine loader. I ordered mine from Amazon. The same loader will work on any pistol magazine, double or single stack, .380 to .45acp.

Well, although I feel funny enthusing on this S&W forum about a Colt, I can't help it. Here are some more impressions thus far, after putting 80 rounds through it, from a factory-brand-new state.

Bear in mind I'm a beginning shooter (with most of my shooting done with revolvers) and a beginning reloader, and this is my first ever semi auto pistol.

Although this Colt wasn't dirty at all after 80 rounds, I took it down for cleaning and to examine things, and to learn. Boy! There's a ton of surface area on the slide surfaces, and it was neat to see where the mating areas were starting to burnish together. I'm using Hoppe's high viscosity gun oil on this.

Impression of the slide when brand new was that it had a machine-like feel when I racked it. It might be my imagination, but after one small range trip, when I got it back together, if has more of a velvety feel.

Even the finish seems to get better. This is a base model Series 80 M1991 with Parkerized finish, but it had been wrapped up in the original box for 21 years. After some respectful handling (I can't keep my hands off it!) it seems to even look better!

Compare...





OK... I'm a woodworker, and I'll be comparing my initial impression of gripping this with the original rubber, to these walnut ones. I'm liking the walnut.

I'm FINALLY getting this thing to the range tomorrow for a better evaluation. There's so much to learn! I have several 230 gr. LRN re-loads to evaluate, sights to continue to figure out, etc.

My son will be with me, as usual, with his collection of Glocks. He's been after me, poking gentle fun at my wheel guns (he really likes my 686-2) and now that I've come over to the semi-auto side, he's starting up with some "is that ALL those magazines will hold?" and "pretty cool for a 103 year old design".

I can of course counter with his Tupperware frames, etc. All said with a smile. We'll have fun. As it should be.

So here's my fledgling "collection"...

Glad you are liking it.

It's nice to hear about you and your son shooting with each other.
My Dad and I used to shoot a lot together, (work and school has made that hard of late.) we pick at each other as well, me about has commie guns (CZs) and his LCR and him about my "outdated" 3rd gen and me being a S&W snob.

Ain't nothing like a well running 1911. My 1911 was the third handgun I purchased after a M&P9 and a Ruger Blackhawk SA. My first thoughts were 'what took me so long to discover 1911's'. I started a little later in life than you did and picked up range shooting as something to do when it was to wet to play golf. Now I just have to figure out what my next purchase will be.

Ya done good on both counts.

Unfortunately it appears that addiction has taken hold. Sorry, but there is no cure.