Parkerized GI .45 history and questions

Doug.38PR · August 15, 2005, 08:17 PM

I own a Springfield Armory GI .45 parkerized. Nice weapon.

1) What is the history behind the SA GI .45? (I know, the site says it's WW2 issue but more details)

2) What is the rational and history behind parkerized? It feels weird. Does it prevent rust?

I'm thinking somewhere down the road that I'd like to have the parkersurface sanded off and the gun blued....maybe.

foghornl · August 16, 2005, 06:57 AM

The "GI-45" from Springfield is supposed to be as close as possible to the 1911-A1's as issued to our guys in WWII.

Note that the sights are tiny, not adjustable and no white 3-dots/glow-in-the-dark stuff, and single-sided thumb safety

As I understand it, the parkerized finish is more corrosion-resistant than blueing.

XavierBreath · August 16, 2005, 07:35 AM

Ok, here is my take on the history of the GI45.
In 2003 Springfield had a problem. Their Mil-Spec was selling very well, but they needed to raise the price. The Mil-Spec sold well because it was a basic gun for a person new to 1911s and as a base gun for custom builds. It appealed to two markets, both of which closely considers price in their gun buying choices.

Someone at Springfield had a marvelous idea. Why not take the same pistol, finish it at Imbel, not lower and flare the ejection port, put a lanyard loop and tiny sights on it, toss it in a cardboard box and call it a WWII model. After all, Colt was backordered with their WWI and WWII repros, right?

The first ones to come out used the old Springfield blocky frontstrap frames. I own one of those. Later, it became rounded, and a olive drab plastic box was used. Wooden US grips were put on the pistol instead of plastic grips. The first grips were black plastic, then brown plastic, then the present style.

Next thing you know, the price of the Mil-Spec went up. The price of the GI45 went up to where the Mil-Spec used to be. Funny how that works huh?

The GI45 is not an exact reproduction. If anything it is a recreation of a pistol Springfield never made. I like it though. It's a darned good gun for the money. If you want an exact reproduction, look at the Colt Repros, either WWI or WWII. They are correct down to the inspector's stamps.

Parkerizing resists rust poorly when dry, because it is porus and will absorb moisture. Parkerizing should be oiled to prevent this. Use a gun oil and coat the whole pistol until it will not hold any more. Then let it sit for a day and wipe it off. On one parkerized pistol I heated the parts in the oven and rubbed them down with vaseline while still hot. That worked very well, but is probably overkill. I have seen some guys use thicker oils, but remember the oil must be asorbed by the park to be resistant to rust. The parkerizing is really only a means of holding oil on the gun. Without the oil, it provides very little protection.

Here's my GI45.

XDoctor · August 16, 2005, 01:54 PM

don't really have anything to add here, but this is a picture of mine after some modification. I love this thing, was my first 1911. the photography is bad, i know.

August 15, 2005, 08:17 PM	#1
Doug.38PR Junior member Join Date: January 18, 2005 Posts: 3,298	Parkerized GI .45 history and questions I own a Springfield Armory GI .45 parkerized. Nice weapon. 1) What is the history behind the SA GI .45? (I know, the site says it's WW2 issue but more details) 2) What is the rational and history behind parkerized? It feels weird. Does it prevent rust? I'm thinking somewhere down the road that I'd like to have the parkersurface sanded off and the gun blued....maybe.

August 16, 2005, 06:57 AM	#2
foghornl Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,354	The "GI-45" from Springfield is supposed to be as close as possible to the 1911-A1's as issued to our guys in WWII. Note that the sights are tiny, not adjustable and no white 3-dots/glow-in-the-dark stuff, and single-sided thumb safety As I understand it, the parkerized finish is more corrosion-resistant than blueing. __________________ Load your weapons and 'Stand Ready'. It will be a bumpy ride.

August 16, 2005, 07:35 AM	#3
XavierBreath Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2002 Location: North Louisiana Posts: 2,800	Ok, here is my take on the history of the GI45. In 2003 Springfield had a problem. Their Mil-Spec was selling very well, but they needed to raise the price. The Mil-Spec sold well because it was a basic gun for a person new to 1911s and as a base gun for custom builds. It appealed to two markets, both of which closely considers price in their gun buying choices. Someone at Springfield had a marvelous idea. Why not take the same pistol, finish it at Imbel, not lower and flare the ejection port, put a lanyard loop and tiny sights on it, toss it in a cardboard box and call it a WWII model. After all, Colt was backordered with their WWI and WWII repros, right? The first ones to come out used the old Springfield blocky frontstrap frames. I own one of those. Later, it became rounded, and a olive drab plastic box was used. Wooden US grips were put on the pistol instead of plastic grips. The first grips were black plastic, then brown plastic, then the present style. Next thing you know, the price of the Mil-Spec went up. The price of the GI45 went up to where the Mil-Spec used to be. Funny how that works huh? The GI45 is not an exact reproduction. If anything it is a recreation of a pistol Springfield never made. I like it though. It's a darned good gun for the money. If you want an exact reproduction, look at the Colt Repros, either WWI or WWII. They are correct down to the inspector's stamps. Parkerizing resists rust poorly when dry, because it is porus and will absorb moisture. Parkerizing should be oiled to prevent this. Use a gun oil and coat the whole pistol until it will not hold any more. Then let it sit for a day and wipe it off. On one parkerized pistol I heated the parts in the oven and rubbed them down with vaseline while still hot. That worked very well, but is probably overkill. I have seen some guys use thicker oils, but remember the oil must be asorbed by the park to be resistant to rust. The parkerizing is really only a means of holding oil on the gun. Without the oil, it provides very little protection. Here's my GI45. __________________ Xavier's Blog

August 16, 2005, 01:54 PM	#4
XDoctor Senior Member Join Date: May 30, 2004 Posts: 221	don't really have anything to add here, but this is a picture of mine after some modification. I love this thing, was my first 1911. the photography is bad, i know.