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View Full Version : Want to turn my 1911 commander into a 5" govt.

Soundtrackzz
March 16, 2009, 10:27 PM
Hey guys. I am about to get a new very nice 1911 commander for a trade i am doing. I already have a fairly nice commander and i dont really want 2. I am considering putting a new upper assembly on my commander and turning it into a goverment. do you think this will pose any problems? other than slide length what are the main differences between a commander and a goverment?

Thanks
Scorch
March 16, 2009, 11:35 PM
If it is a Colt Combat Commander, the front of the frame is shorter than a Government Model. Don't know about other makes.
HiBC
March 17, 2009, 04:35 AM
I have forgotten all the reasons,but I know it is not as simple as it might seem to bob a full 1911 into a commander.There are other differences.I think they will still be trouble going in reverse.
Really,the most practical ,economical way to go is trade.A nice Colt Commander won't have any trouble finding a trade for a 5" 1911 .Both are desirable,and the 5" is more common.
garryc
March 17, 2009, 09:27 AM
The dust cover/ forward extension on the front of the frame is too short. To extend it would require cutting one off another like frame and tig welding it to the comander frame. Doable but expensive. Then it would have to be refinished. If the frame is aluminum you will always be able to see the joint, no way around that. Better to just get a full size and save the hassle.

I did make a long slide once, 7" barrel, that was a nice gun. Got paid $700 bucks in 1983 dollars for that.
dahermit
March 17, 2009, 06:12 PM
...If the frame is aluminum...

Colt Commander = Aluminum alloy frame, steel slide.
Colt Combat Commander = All steel.
garryc
March 17, 2009, 10:41 PM
Colt Commander = Aluminum alloy frame, steel slide.
Colt Combat Commander = All steel.


I am very aware of that. Many people call them commanders simply because of the slide length.
RickB
March 17, 2009, 10:56 PM
The seat for the guide rod is 1/10" closer to the slide stop pin in a Commander frame than in a Government Model. A GM barrel will strike the guide rod head as it rises into battery, in a Commander frame. And, I suspect the recoil spring will stack tight and damage the bushing and/or spring plug. The best way to convert a Commander into a GM is to sell the former and buy the latter.
dahermit
March 18, 2009, 05:50 AM
The best way to convert a Commander into a GM is to sell the former and buy the latter.Agreed. There is no good reason to resort to gun butchery of this sort.
Soundtrackzz
March 19, 2009, 10:14 AM
ok then that is what i will do