Check out this custom Colt Mustang Plus II.

 

I bought this gun new in 1988 and carried it for years before retiring it to my safe and replacing it with a .45 ACP. It was a great little pocket pistol, but being a .380, it was considered too under powered for a safe carry gun. It also suffered from poor accuracy due to terrible sights.

 

The price of used Colts has gotten crazy in the past few years. I think I paid about $300 for the gun new but they are selling used for about $650. Advances in ammunition technology has made the .380 a much more effective defense round than when I carried the little pistol. Pistols chambered in .380 are some of the most popular carry guns right now. All this new interest in these little guns got me looking at my old Mustang again.

The gun looked dated now. It needed an upgrade. I’ve been fiddling with the thing for about a year now. I made a lot of changes both cosmetically and functionally. Here is what it looks like now.

As you can see, it looks like a different gun. It feels and shoots like a different gun. You won’t see another Colt Mustang that looks anything like it. I started the project by upgrading the internals, replacing the plastic trigger with an aluminum trigger and the plastic guide rod with a steel replacement. I added a Wolf spring kit and polished all the moving parts.

The big problem with this gun as far as accuracy was the crappy sights. A very small rear sight dovetailed into the slide and a pathetic little bump forged into the slide for a front sight. I ground the front sight off and hand dovetailed the front of the slide and fit a set of XS Sights made for a 1911. Now the gun has some sights.

 

The Mustang has no grip safety like a 1911, but there is knob or lug that’s supposed to protect the shooter’s hand from getting bit by the slide when it cycles. That lug was too small for my hand and I got bit more than once from the slide. Also, it was in the style and shape of the old government model 1911, an outdated look. I updated the look and added some protection for the web of my hand by welding on a beaver tail, extending the lug. I welded on some metal and shaped it with files and sand paper. It makes it look like a completely different gun.

 

I redesigned the entire lower frame and grips to fit my hand better and improve my grip when shooting. I hand cut the front and back straps with 20 lines per inch checkering. I made custom fit grips from dark green G10 and milled them with an aggressive dimple pattern. I also relieved the area under the trigger guard to give my hand a little extra room.

 

I lowered and flared the ejection port

 

I made one change that was strictly cosmetic just for the hell of it. I filed an octagon in the front of the dust cover.

 

Finally, I smoothed every sharp line and edge and had the pistol finished in Magpul OD green and graphite black Ceracote. Here is the before and after pictures side-by-side.

The gun shoots great now. Much more accurate, more comfortable and more fun.