Idiot Scratch/Mark (Rant)

[Lead Waster]

I idiot scratched mine, ranted and raved a bit, then stopped caring.

[Mr. Blue]

I'd rather have a 1911 with hundreds of idiot scratches than a glock with stippling job.

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Lol, very true!

[Mr. Blue]

It's such a crappy design. I would think the manufacturers would have figured out a better design by now.

[Mr. Blue]

I have gone for years with out making an idiot scratch on any of my 1911 type pistols.
One night, tired, I'm reading here and there is a question about a Colt Mustang.
I grabbed my Mustang and popped the top off to check it inside so I could answer the question better.
Cool, got the question answered, now to put the Mustang back together again like I have done so many times.
Except this time I went a little too quick and very lightly made the dreaded arc mark as I aligned the slide stop to go in.
Aaaaargh!
I should have skipped answering the question and just gone to bed.
No good deed goes unpunished.

Damn, if it makes you feel any better I can see into the future and this is going to happen to me! Lol

[SnWnMe]

Wat? If your 1911 ain't scratched you're not shooting it hard enough.

I even drop mine on the ground (because I don't have a lanyard) when I practice transitioning from gun to gun.

Of course I only have one 45 1911 (the other is a 945) so I guess it's going to get beat up pretty bad through use.

It's a gun, not a tea cup presented to me by Michelle Obama.

[Wordupmybrotha]

No joke, somebody should have fixed that take down pin long time ago.

[highpower]

No joke, somebody should have fixed that take down pin long time ago.

Doesn't "need" any fixing. You just need more than a two digit IQ and a small amount of manual dexterity in order to assemble it.

[RAMCLAP]

This thread makes me want to scratch my 1911.

[nickel plate]

It's been years since I've had to take down and clean my Colt Combat Commander but if I remember correctly the first part out is the last part in so setting the slide stop back into the frame without the recoil spring takes all the tension off of the slide which makes the slide stop alignment a
lot easier.
I still would have to read the instructions as it's been awhile.

[CheapBloke]

Wat? If your 1911 ain't scratched you're not shooting it hard enough.

I even drop mine on the ground (because I don't have a lanyard) when I practice transitioning from gun to gun.

Of course I only have one 45 1911 (the other is a 945) so I guess it's going to get beat up pretty bad through use.

It's a gun, not a tea cup presented to me by Michelle Obama.

Wouldn't you trash a tea cup from michael obama though?

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[AregularGuy]

Funny you mention that. I just scrubbed my tailgate with steel wool and bleach yesterday, to get the year and a half worth of dead animal congealed blood off of it because it was smelling enough to attract meat bees when I parked it in the sun.

Are these real things? Bees that eat meat? Does the honey taste like steak? A thing of nightmares!

And to the OP, nothing wrong with taking care of your tools. There are many mechanics and craftsman that take care to clean their tools and not abuse them.

[sigstroker]

It's such a crappy design. I would think the manufacturers would have figured out a better design by now.

It was designed when actual males didn't care about such nonsense.

[beetle]

I think the interesting conversation about this topic is when it comes to military 1911s. I was politely informed once that calling an "idiot" scratch is disrespectful to the GI. Think about the 1911 used in WW2, or really in any kind of active service. The soldiers did not think about whether or not they were putting a scratch on the gun -- It's a tool to do a job.

However, outside of active use by soldiers, I do agree that as enthusiasts or collectors we should know how to assemble the gun without putting a scratch on it. Here is the most outrageous example that comes to mind:

In 2011, I attended a high end auction and personally inspected this beautiful 1911. It's an early commercial model, back when Colt bluing was just incredible. I bid on it, but did not win it. It sold for $16,000.



A few years later this same gun was put back into auction (I assume by the guy who bought it previously). Only now it was sporting fresh scratches.



Who does this? I think "idiot" scratch is appropriate here -- as in what idiot buys a $16,000 gun, and doesn't know how to put it back together without scratching BOTH the slide and the frame! Well that "idiot" put a $5,000 scratch on the gun, as it sold for $11,000 the second time around.

[SnWnMe]

What idiot pays that much for a 1911 of no special or historical provenance?

Now if someone famous carried it, or it was used in a high profile shooting. I can see paying that much. Else, it's just a shooter.

[highpower]

What idiot pays that much for a 1911 of no special or historical provenance?

Now if someone famous carried it, or it was used in a high profile shooting. I can see paying that much. Else, it's just a shooter.

Maybe someone that doesn't think the gun world begins and ends with Glock/Sig/CZ and they appreciate the old world craftsmanship that the early Colts exhibited. Besides, if you look closely, that gun was a presentation piece.