THE COMPLETE BOOK OF THE - Turnbull Mfg. Co.

WHEREOld NewbecomesMore than 130 unique roll stamps hang on awall at Turnbull Manufacturing. From the scarceto the common, this unusual inventory is indicitiveof the shop’s capability in addressing anyrestoration.againbecause the restoration would depreciatethe pistol’s value.“The majority of our restorations arelower-condition, noncollectible 1911s,”says VanOrman. “These are typically$1,500 guns that bring the value to approximately$5,500 with $2,000 worth ofrestoration. It would be foolish to restore ahigh-quality gun.”When a 1911 comes in for a quote, itgets evaluated at no charge or obligation.A shop foreman takes a look at the gun,mechanically checks the condition (whichdoes not involve a test fire) and createsthink about is the work that has to bedone to most projects before they canbe blued,” says Tracy Haplin, marketingmanager for Turnbull Manufacturing. “Itusually has to be prepped and polishedbefore any marks are added. Historicallyspeaking, different parts got polished indifferent ways. There is more to what wedo than simply bluing. Some people tryto prep the pistol themselves, but mostof the guns need an entire restoration.Occasionally, we do get one in from agunsmith that has good prep work, andit can be simply blued for $250, but mostTurnbull’s shop with an average conditionof 25 percent grade.Everything that leaves Turnbull’s shopis mechanically functional and ready to befired. It doesn’t usually see a gun submittedfor mechanical issues only; mostgunsmiths are approached for that sort ofwork. Although Turnbull ManufacturingCompany specializes in restorations, it willperform mechanical work while restoring agun. Once a gunsmith completes restoration,it goes through the hands of qualitycontrol before it is returned to the client,but it’s never test fired.to determine if a 1911 looks too good andhas ever been refinished is to carefullyinspect the markings. Gunsmiths willoften polish the slabs on the slide and theframe to reduce the effects of rust pitting,but in doing so the stamps and proofmarksare smoothed over and the depth of thelettering becomes shallow by the time a1911 is submerged in the bluing bath. Incases where a 1911 is pitted, a Turnbullgunsmith will completely remove any evidenceof pitting, smooth out the slab androllstamp the correct marking from one ofthe many dies the company has spent yearscollecting in order to produce an originalqualityresult.“We rarely see guns with too muchpitting. They were built quite well,” saysVanOrman. “We wouldn’t take on a projectif [rust] pitting were too deep.”Heading to the new showroom, Inoticed a locked door. “Is that where thebluing is done?” I asked.“Yes, but if I take you in there, I couldn’tlet you out,” I was told. The formula andprocess to achieve the correct blue and colorcase-hardening is a Turnbull secret keptclose to the chest. They won’t even explainhow it’s done. “The one thing that I canshare is that Colt used coal, and TurnbullManufacturing Company uses propane forheating the ovens,” VanOrman indicated.“We know our bluing is correct based oncomparing it to guns that are in 98 percentcondition with a little bit of aging.”TO RESTORE, OR NOT TORESTORE? THAT IS THE QUESTIONOn several occasions Turnbull hasrejected work on high-condition 1911sa detailed quote. At this stage, nothingabout the gun has been disassembled.He considers what polishing or replacingof parts will likely need to occur beforeit’s even blued, then creates an estimate.After the client approves the work order,a gunsmith will disassemble the 1911 andexamine the need for any internal partsreplacement. The quote is amended withany unseen issues with the pistol, whichare addressed with the client before agunsmith continues. Each detail is brokendown on a line-item quotation.The typical restoration costs about$2,500 and requires extensive researchbefore beginning. The most commonmisunderstanding is when a client sendshis Model 1911 to be blued after seeinga price of $250 listed on the TurnbullWeb site. “What they don’t necessarilyAfter nearly a century of service, serialnumber 605521 has been completelyrestored and appears exactly as it didthe day it left Colt’s factory in late 1918.end up needing additional work.”Sharing space inside the Turnbull vaultare valuable materials including out-ofprintreferences, factory archival data anda library of pictures and notes gatheredfrom encounters with other originalsamples known to be historically correct.No detail is too small, and only Turnbull’srestoration services have proven the abilityto accurately reproduce every fine detail toexacting standards—proofmarks, inspectormarks, the number of lines in checkeringon different components, the sequenceof tactile diamonds cut into a Colt stockslab in contrast to the lines of checkeringon a Remington or Springfield. Even thedirection and depth of the grain createdfrom final polishing to every componentgets critiqued.The most common restoration to a 1911is applied to an early Colt M1911 U.S.Army, though the gunsmiths at Turnbullhave completed a number of M1911A1projects. For those who are of the opinionthat allowing an original 1911 to besubject to restoration is sacrilege, considerthe fact that most 1911 projects arrive toARRIVALI purchased the pistols that I sent in forrestoration for just $500 apiece. Theyounger of the two was in especially roughcondition. A few short weeks after myvisit, both of my 1918-vintage 1911s weresigned for and unveiled in the office. It’seasy to understand why so many ownersof the early .45s are looking to TurnbullManufacturing Company for its restorationservices. My vintage 1911s now appearas if they just came off the original assemblytable. It is such an incredible feeling tothink back upon their condition monthsago, witness a day in their transformationand see what they have ultimately become.For a heavily worn or nonfunctioning,mismatched-parts gun without sometype of documented provenance, Turnbull’sservices can renew a 1911’s honorwhile creating an excellent investment.Occasionally, Turnbull ManufacturingCompany offers similar restoredpistols from its inventory or on customerconsignment for a price usually fallingbetween $4,500 and $5,500 (determinedby a number of factors). At the time ofthis writing, there is a Remington UMClisted for $6,250 and a Colt Model 1911Black Army priced at $4,750. As high asthose prices might sound for a restored1911, Turnbull has no problem sellingthem. This is the only shop I knowwhere someone can send an honest antiqueto be restored without the risk ofdestroying its value. For more information,visit turnbullmfg.com.12 BOOK of the 1911 gunsandammo.comgunsandammo.comBOOK of the 1911 13