Bustard

Greetings friends. This is one of my first posts, and I am writing from Italy, so I hope you will pardon me for my english.

I would need you to tell me how much valuable is a Colt series 70 in 9mm Steyr. The finish is a polished titanium grey.

Reading the posts here I started to think that this is kinda rare to find... correct me if I am wrong.
I am buying it to:

-Mount a 9x21 barrel (we can't own 9x19 weapons here)
-mill the slide to mount Bo-mar sights and a dovetail front sight
-mill the frame to mount an ed brown thumb safety
-add a Nowlin match hammer & sear kit and a svi trigger

If I buy an ed brown thumb safety it will be blued or stainless, hence it won't match the rest of the gun. How should I solve this?

Thanks for your replys.
Best to you. Riccardo

Shoot

Many do not change the thumb safety finsh, letting it contrast with the finish of the gun. You do not normally need to do any work to the frame to fit the thumb safety.

Since you are milling the slide for Bomars sights, it will need to be refinished. You could have the thumb finished at the same time if you want it to match. In fact, to have the entire gun match on finish, it may be necessary to refinish the frame as well. If you are having a beavertail grip safety installed, refinishing the frame should be accomplished.

Shoot

Bustard

Greetings Shoot and thanks for your answer. I think I will have to refinish the whole gun anyway. I meant a beavertail grip safety by "thumb safety".

Do you know any tutorial, how to or faq to learn about blueing? Will I have to remove the previous finish before blueing?

Shoot

The AGI video on blueing is supposed to be very good, but I have not seen it.

For the entire gun, a hot blue process would be best, which needs equipment. It's not generally economical to get all the equipment for one gun.

Brownells has blueing solutions and equipment, and likely instructions or books that may help.

Shoot

Jim Watson

I have never heard of a "polished titanium grey" finish on a S70 Colt.
No matter what it is, plating or coating, it must all come off to expose bare steel to the bluing process.
Bluing is a process of controlled surface oxidation of steel.
The usual factory method is the hot nitrate blue.
The steel is polished to the desired degree, or bead blasted or wire brushed to a matte texture.
The steel is very thoroughly cleaned and degreased in boiling detergent.
The steel is immersed in a boiling solution of potassium and sodium nitrates and nitrites, also containing sodium hydroxide. The temperature is approximately 140 Celsius. Twenty minutes will blue most ordnance steel.
The steel is rinsed in hot water and dipped in warm moisture displacing oil.

There are other processes but all accomplish controlled oxidation of steel, very smooth and clean. Any imperfection will show.

It is not something easily done at home.

Bustard

Thanks for your replys.

Shoot: As I understand, the blueing solutions that brownell offers are not the kind that will blue an entire gun, but only, let's say, a milling mark or something like that (showing the difference) Is this correct?
Even a professional would turn to the outsourcing to refinish a gun ... ?

Jim Watson: I know that "polished titanium grey" is not a usual finish, it is just that I don't know how to call it, because it is not blue, it is not black nor it is parkerized. I'll post a pic when I'll grab the gun.

Anyway, is 500€ a price too high for the gun? It doesn't present any mark and the slide fits the frame really tight. I think the thing didn't see much shooting.

Dave Berryhill

It's probably brushed stainless steel. Colt is using media more aggressive than glass beads, probably aluminum oxide or silicon carbide, to blast the round surfaces on their stainless steel pistols. Because it's dull and doesn't reflect light as much as a bead blasted surface, it looks gray.

Bustard

Greetings mr. Berryhill, and thanks for your reply.

I would like to take advantage of your knowledge to answer a question I have: If this s70 we are talking about is bead blasted stainless, will I be able to blue it once I have milled the slide for the bo-mar sights and the frame for the beavertail grip safety?
Or is it better to bead blast it again? Will I loose colt markings on the slide with the polishing? Oops these are 3 questions here

Thanks, Riccardo

Shoot

Brownells has both cold blueing solutions for touch-up work and the full array of tanks and solutions for hot blueing.

Cold blue has been used on entire guns, but the results are usually no where near as good as the hot blue processes. Best would be to find a gunsmith to handle the blueing.

If the gun is stainless, blueing may not be a valid option. There are solutions avaialble to blue (darken) stainless, but it will depend on the alloy steel used and not all gunsmiths will be set to handle blueing stainless.

Shoot

Jim Watson

Colt did not make original Series 70 pistols (1970-1980) from stainless steel, but they do in the "reissue" guns made for the past two or three years. Which is yours?

Colt finished some guns in electroless nickel plating which is not as shiny as their usual bright electroplated nickel. Plating would have to be completely removed to blue the steel.

Stainless steel can be blackened by chemical treatment different from the usual black oxide bluing process but it is not widely available here, I do not know what you can have done.

Andy

Valtro in Italy is producing VERY high quality 1911s. They could fit the high-ride grip safety and install their very nice Bomar knock-offs (copy).

Your pistol is very likely finished in electroless nickle. Perhaps Valtro, or one of the finer gunsmithing concerns in Brescia could strip the gun and blue it.

The Colt 9mm Steyr 1911s are very scarce. Unless you cannot own/shoot a 9x23mm, I'd leave it as-is and buy a Valtro. I'd buy it for $500 Euros as a collector's item.