So, my "in the meantime" project fell through. I got to thinking about what sorts of pressures naval bronze is probably rated to, especially when it's held together with a very simple hinge pin. I decided that there will be no crazy 12 gauge handcannon for me. Yet, anyway. The hunt for a sturdier basis for it is still going on.
That said, the 1911 is mostly done.


I went with the Operators in orange - the black ones look nice, but I would have had to slim them down, so this was easier. Not 100% happy with how the fitting went - I think those rubber Grippers turned out better, but I don't think you can see any of the issues I have in the pictures.
One thing you might notice, if you've shot a gun with Operators on it before, is that this hurts your hands. Fuck, it hurts my hands just to look at. I don't think pictures really convey how stupid aggressive these grips are.

Imagine grabbing a cheese grater and you might have the right idea. This will eat my hand to shoot; here's what it looks like after just picking it up:

Besides the obvious work, I've got the full length guide rod in (which as predicted, was probably a pointless waste of money), and I've clamped the safety in place because it was loose and I'm too lazy to fix it. It never gets used anyway. I also added in that little checkered piece on the front strap. It's a chinzy little bit of metal, but cost nothing and actually seems to hold up ok. It's also VERY sharp, just in case the gun wasn't cheese grater-y enough.
Engraving still has to happen, but I'm pretty happy with it otherwise. Pretty hard to recognize it as the gun in the first post.