What would you do with this Combat Commander?

[LuckyGuy]

Wellllll

I would never CCW a super nice gun. The reason, If you have to use it , they will take it and it will never be the same, IF you get it back.

[VMCJ-3]

This is a beautiful example of the craftsmanship of high end gunsmiths of the late 1970's and early 1980's.

Somebody dropped major coin (for the day) on this. Not many gunsmiths were cutting down Commander frames to an Officer's Model length. This looks like the work of Swensen or Terry Tussey (RIP).

I love the hard chrome finish, and wouldn't change a thing. You very well might have a piece of 1911 history there.

[plinker202020]

I would never CCW a super nice gun. The reason, If you have to use it , they will take it and it will never be the same, IF you get it back.

That’s a good point but I have P365 for EDC. I’m putting the Frankencolt, as someone dubbed it in a PM, and a few others on the CCW so I don’t have to worry about “locked in trunk or box” when I’m taking them out for a spin at the range.

I truly appreciate the comments and feedback. Even though I doubt I’ll get to the bottom of the story with this piece the input I’m getting here and a couple of other sites makes me appreciate it more.

[jarhead714]

Someone spent a lot of money and a lot of time on that pistol. They must have loved it as much as someone can love a beautiful machine. And now they are gone and the pistol is a curiosity. It seems a bit sad actually.

Some would argue the saddest part of the story is what was done to the gun.

[plinker202020]

Some would argue the saddest part of the story is what was done to the gun.

One man's hot rod is another man's wasted classic car.

Without the hot rod builders there wouldn't be muscle cars - without gunsmiths and customers who wanted to modify Commanders there wouldn't be Officers and Defenders.

Edit: I say that out of respect for the previous owner who had a tasteful and extensive collection, and either had the gun modified or saw it as is, recognized it for what it is - a blueprint for what came after, and so added it to his collection.

[TurboChrisB]

One man's hot rod is another man's wasted classic car. .

I saw a tshirt once that said, " Anyone can restore a classic car, it takes a real man to cut one up"

[Juniork5]

That is one nice colt don’t sell it or trade it that is a one of a kind done nicely

[CA1958]

Armstrong Arms in Laguna Hills is awesome. He's done work for me on several firearms and has always been top-notch.

[tdp113530]

Leave it as is. Buy good mags. Chip Mc's or Wilson. Have fun.

[eaglemike]

That was expensive work, back when it was done. All of the smaller offerings weren't always around. If it functions well, keep it.
If you really need an un-modified pistol for ccw, and can't afford to keep it, the right person might pay some decent money for it, especially if you can find out who did the work, and it was a big name. As others have noted, it's not a Commander any more. It's been cut down. Commander size frames use standard 1911 magazines, 7 or 8 round, depending on version and who made them.

If you want a reliable, not too expensive pistol for ccw, there's a LOT of options out there.

Good luck!