The more I think about how certain Springfield copies climb in value (have been absolutely floored by some unsolicited offers on my 5.56 SAR 48s and 7.62 SARs along with HK clone) you guys have me thinking might be worthwhile to buy one, put back NIB then find a used and rape it. All my genuine Hi Powers have strong collector value even though I shoot three of them and two pretty regular.
Wait and find one used (with $699 MSRP once delivery catches up with demand used should hit market at fair prices) then go goofy on it. Do a full melt to make it comfy as a well used bar of soap, tritium sights, trigger work, Cylinder & Slide magwell funnel, ambi safety, etc. Maybe even let Cylinder and Slide go crazy on it. Learned my lesson going crazy on Colt 1911s, spend $1,000 to tweak some and value goes down. Never did that to a Hi Power but never used them as carries or race guns.
Send a SA P-35 along with enough to get it back all tricked out, x that out just ran the numbers and for C&S to supply parts and do the work is $2,500!!! Have a slide tightening kit, hammer & sear jig, can melt, checker and Cerakote myself and their price included zero metal checkering. Drilled front sight and installed tritium vial just this week (drilled few weeks ago but just got to installing tritium this week on Smith M19) so buy $500 or so in parts then let it clutter the bench for a month till all comes together.
Probably let my smith handle the target crown on barrel but otherwise spending over three times gun cost in smith work is a bit high even for me. May be another task or two farmed out but majority of work wanting have the tools and done enough to not be scared. How bad can one mess up a Hi Power, most work want have done before on 1911s and done lots of Hi Power triggers. Grinding, polishing and refinishing is just that. Leave one NIB then slick one up for grins.
