[bdavison]

Ok, so I got a XD Compact .45....
Now to make it my own, pulled out the tools and went to work.

Here are the modifications I made.
1. Painted in the logos
2. Polished the feed ramp
3. 11 degree crown on barrel
4. Polished the barrel
5. Checkered and polished the takedown lever
6. Polished all the pins.
7. Polished the mag release.
8. Made and installed new mag release spring to make the mag release have the amount of "pressure" I like.
9. Stippled the front and back strap to have more grip.

Took me all day, but it was worth it. All in a day's work.
Anyone got any other suggestions?

 

[bdavison]

Ive tried to get a picture of the crown, but it doesnt show up, I keep getting black...cant seem to get the lighting right.
I couldnt get the polishing to show up right either...gonna try again in the morning. Maybe I can rig up something to get the lighting right. I think I need a softbox or something.

Ive got metal lathes, milling machines, and a bunch of gunsmithing tools. Been doing this kind of work on my own guns, and for friends for a while now. Its cheaper than sending it off to someplace, perticularly when you are working on race guns.

Ill tell you one thing....putting that mag release back in is a ROYAL pain in the butt. Getting the spring lined back up for the pin is a lesson in patience.

Im really happy with the grip now. It has just enough bite not to slip, but not so much that it shreads your hands. I did the back strap the same way. Gotta love these polymer frames. So easy to stipple....vs a steel frame...which takes days to checker.

 

[bdavison]

Yes, I use a butane soldering iron. You can pick them up from Radio Shack.

I prefer to use the butane ones, because I can adjust the temperture better. For some reason the butane one will make the exact same divot everytime you touch it to the grip. The electric ones tend to be more finicky, plus you have that cord in the way all the time.

 

[bdavison]

Im considering jeweling the top of the barrel...