Anyone here built a 1911?
 

I'm thinking of building one.

Probably a Commander using parts from Fusion, slide and frame.

Anyone have experience with Fusion?

General building tips?

I built one on an Essex frame and a Utica slide. It was lots of fun to work on getting the fit between them just right. There are several books out that help but I can't recall the names of just now. I will check when I get home. I"think" one author was Day.:confused:

Bob Serva at Fusion is top notch. He will take care of you.

As for building tips, join M1911.org and/or 1911forums.com. Some very talented smiths hang out there.

I've heavily modified 3 of them.

Why not just buy a Springfield and modify it to your needs?

I helped a friend build an ed brown kit. It was a blast, but lots of trial and error getting the trigger right. Don't be afraid to tear it down after firing 2 magazines to tinker, but don't go nuts on the hammer hooks, they're the easiest thing to royally screw up.

Snipe: already have a SA, but I don't want to tinker with it. I'd rather build one from scratch...more fun than just replacing parts ;)


Blue: I've already contacted Bob Serva. I'm going to get one of his full dust cover frame, cut to match a slab side slide. It should be fun...

I don't want to pay $2G+ for a Les Baer Commanche Monolith, but I'd like to build something like it....building it would be a heck of a learning experience.

Here's the LB I'm talking about ('cept the Fusion trigger guard is square):

http://www.impactguns.com/store/media/baer_comm_hvy.jpg

Someone posted this on the other 1911 thread....and it's what inspired me to want to build..

YouTube - the BEST colt .45 1911 animation collection ( with labeled parts )

I have buildt several dozen at least. A simple design with simple requirements makes them an easy project. I would suggest obtaining several designs and makes of ejectors, extractors, hammers, sears and triggers. This allows you to experiment, test and perform analysis on how and why these parts interact with each other. One of the biggest advantages of the 1911 in the US is the availability of parts, so that this experimentation and learning is cheap.

Unless you have a fair amount of gunsmith experience with semiauto firearms always remember to test fire your new build (or any change of the above parts) by first loading one round in the chamber and a dummy in the magazine. If this works, then increase to 2 live rounds, one in the chamber and one in the magazine. If this works, increase the test firing by an additional round until you have a full load. Then run through at least 50 rounds before making any changes or declaring the pistol safe to use.

I have twice seen people hurt or killed with pistols going full auto after being tuned or modified. I even test new semiauto firearms this way.

I assume you are talking about putting one together from parts.... not building one from blocks metal right? I have heard of guys machining there own AR lowers, but the cost once buying a chunk of 7075 aluminum would not make it worthwhile other than the satisfaction of being able to say you truly built it yourself. I have considered building a gun myself just for the challenge, but I would have no way to make rifled barrels and other parts would need specialized heat treating which I would not want to risk making a mistake on.

Tim,

I shouldn't have said "from scratch." I plan to assemble from parts. The fitment would be the challenge...and getting all the parts to work safely as RPK posted.

I'm not particularly looking to save money (well, over the $2K for the Les Baer for sure), but rather to build something I want (my spec based on a 1911 design) and making it work reliably and safely.

I honestly don't see this as that big of a mechanical challenge (say compared to a 911 engine). Of course I understand the danger, but if I'm not able to assemble a 1911 I might as well rip up my ME degree :)

I've been researching the net for building tips, but first hand experience from some of you guys is valuable.

I very much like the full length dust cover.

Actually building a gun is a much more delicate and intricate job that often requires much filing, polishing and buffing to get the fit just right.

When you build an engine, unless you're doing the machine work yourself, there's none of that.

Not saying you cannot do it, but i think going into it thinking it will be easy is a mistake. I would view it more as an enjoyable challenge. :)

I am sure you won't have any problems that you won't be able to solve and I have never assembled a 1911 from parts, but no doubt you will want to be sure you stick with common parts/spring combinations initially. I have farted around with my Glock .22 conversion kit and was able to induce doubles when I did some machining (removed about .020") on my striker while trying to make the trigger feel exactly as the gun does with the 9mm slide on it. I ended up having to put some material back on then with my tig welder then remachine it with only .010 removed. It all works fine now, but I obviously had gone a tad too far in my quest for a "better" trigger. The gun had worked fine with rapid fire, but when bench rested with a slow trigger reset motion it went off...... Point is, just be careful as Frenchy noted!!!!

[QUOTE=m21sniper;5138873]requires much filing, polishing and buffing to get the fit just right.QUOTE]

In other words, "Zen moments in the garage." I love those...hours gone and the wife wonders where I've been.

so this is HOW MONTE DIED! was wondering back on new years if ya went to the COSTUME BALL dressed as MONTE or wearing TRACK SHOES with a french military uniform on(pick any).

yep yer statement to mix and match and do analysis of how parts interchange and werk is about on par with either suicide or ONE HELL OF A LAW SUIT. like sued into the stone age when the prosecuting attorney looks at a heavily modified .45 built by a NON gunsmith that was used in a homicide, be it justifiable or non justifiable. jury will hear GUN NUT and then its ALL DOWNHILL!


and DONT THINK for an instant that isnt standard ops anywhere. even dumass attorneys can figure that one out.

basically playing mix and match, is your building a RACE GUN. and anyjuan with racegun experience will tell you they are very(DID I SAY VERY PRONE) prone to FTF and FTE and a host of other problems.............sometimes deadly for the owner or bystanders(called AD's-accidental discharges). unless you REALLY REALLY KNOW what the hell you are doing. and yes i have an aerospace tooling/machine background(like all my life). i have machined more .45 frames/slides, here than anyjuan unless you own a damn .45 machine shop. name the material,part, we have programmed and machined them.


my suggestion but then WTF do i know, i'm sure frog boy has all the X,Y,Z axis and MOT's memorized for a .45. thats MOT- method of tooling, would be to take this VERY CAREFULLY with a QUALIFIED GUNSMITH as YOUR SPIRITUAL GURU AND MENTOR! cuz yer throwing the dice here "mixing matching parts" with different tolerances.

and my SPIRITUAL GURU AND MENTOR is "THE GUNSMITH" aka NELSON FORD. but then WTF does he know? he only builds them for us lil people and lil people agencies like FBI,DEA,CIA,U.S.MARSHALLS ,U.S. JUSTICE DEPT.,AZDPS,PHX PD,MCSO,ICE,U.S. MILITARY(all branches) and on and on and on. and he shoots with "mr.springfield" aka rob leatham. and FYI rob/nelson use ROBAR for all their NP3 on weapons they build.


the (2) TWO/DOS/ZWEI/DU guns that KILL PEOPLE more than ANY OTHER GUNS ARE:

.22's(their cute)

1911 .45's!


and the 1911 .45 design is ONE OF THE MOST SAFEST DESIGNS EVER BUILT...........until either an IDIOT/MORON attempts to use it...............


or somebody goes and FEEKS IT ALL UP by playing "gunsmith" when they AINT A FEEKING "GUNSMITH"!


its your life savings, your life or others, and possibly your life in prison!


seen wayyy TOO DAMN MANY COME APART OVER MY LIFE AND IT IS UGLY!


and the JUAN THANG MFGS> DONT SHOW YOU................is how many come apart because of FOOLS BUILDING THEM! we saw more than i can count sent back because "somejuan" modified them, NOT because of mfg's ERROR!


if yer gonna "mix and match" parts and play frenchy roulette, PM me and i will give you my address so ya can name me in your WILL!


get somebody COMPETENT that can MENTOR you that DOESNT MIX AND MATCH PARTS!

Hey Uno, tell your gunsmith to tell his shooting buddy (TGO :rolleyes:) that Springfield makes some crappy sheet unless you're TGO or willing to write a big check to the Custom Shop. I'm very disappointed with my SA. Not one round down the tube, and already have a call tag from the factory for some crap quality that should have never left the factory. But then some Brazilian factory monkey doesn't give a crap about what happens here... The more time I spend with this thing, the more I think it was a big mi$take to buy it. Could be I expect more than the average spoon collector...hence one reason why I'd like to build one.

I suggested to the factory that I should put some rounds down the tube before send it back to determine if there are any other flaws. Their response, "yes, great idea." Why didn't they think of that.

Point being, not even a factory spoon is perfect. How many times have guys gone on the forums beetching about a factory spoon malfunctioning? We'd probably be rich if we all got a dollar for every new factory spoon that needed work.

As I always say, "gunsmiths are like mechanics, few great ones...but lots of bad ones." Some of the ones I've run into I wouldn't trust to clean my spoons. Like Porsche engines, there's some myth about gunsmithing that causes people to run away. I'll agree that for most it's probaby a good idea to leave it to the pros. If one can't fully understand and appreciate the workings of a mechanical assembly...do not touch. Some just can't appreciate the potential for danger be it spoons or anything else. Those are the ones that cause the myth to grow.

As for a built spoon used in a homicide...does it matter what the spoon is after someone's been blown away by it?

BTW as long as you're dropping names-- my spiritual guru and mentor...former president of CZ/Dan Wesson...he might lead me down the right path and send me good parts that should work pretty well :D

Yep, that's exactly what i mean. I have filed and polished at my firearms for many years. Never made one totally from component parts before, but all of them get a good going over by me.

I polished the feed ramp, ejection port/barrel hood, sear, firing pin shoulder and grip screws on my P7. The trigger is orgasmically good.

What a nitwit you are.

The OP stated he wanted a learning experience. Never did he state he was building a gun for self defense. So no legal issue would exist.

And if your experience is that mixing and matching parts is the cause of numerous failures then that just highlights your lack of gunsmithing abilities or knowledge. Most factories 1911's are built with parts from different manufactures, regardless of whose name is stamped on them. It is the competent fitting of those parts that result in a properly safe and functioning firearm. Nobody was saying just throw those parts together.

But as always, you are quick to illustrate your lack of knowledge and understanding of the issue at hand. Congratulations on confirming your idiocy yet again.

I happened to find a .40 Commander that Bob built for a guy. This is essentially what I'm after in .45.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1264117822.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1264117836.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1264117849.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1264117866.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1264117878.jpg

a few examples be it ferd chebbie porsche springfield kimber ed brown ruger robar.


you have GOOD DAYS MFG. and you have AVERAGE DAYS and you have BAD DAYS!


now your porsche probably was a GOOD DAY!


my 11/86 mfg'd sold as 1987 porsche had a BAD DAY............yep a coupla crap valve guides from a vendor mfg. them. not porsche.........A VENDOR!


now if anyjuan thinks all their guns(name the mfg/type) is ALL MADE IN HOUSE BY LIL ELVES...............well you have bean hitting the CRACK PIPE wayyy too much.


theres this thang called ISO 9001. its a mfg. standard. its a GOOD THANG cuz everypart is followed by paper and every process is documented. ie. we can turn 100 barrels on the cnc lathe and around 101-120 are tolerances are going BYE BYE because of tooling wear. so we stop at 100 cuz WE KNOW up to 100 barrels they are all with in tolerance whatever the tolerance plus or minus something.


so we have 100 barrels that are uber perfect. well............maybe its friday and the machinist(monkley button pusher) is hung over and decides not to chaNGE TOOLING AFTER 100 BARRELS and the 101 or 120 barrel slip on thru. well that should be schecked(checked) by QC. well its now monday and everyjuan is hungover and it slips thru.

then after pistole is built it gets proof fired. since they proof fire ALOT, they buy the cheapest quanity/quality of ammo they can get. because they shoot alot and thats an obvious cost savings.


now that ammo could be low grade/rem/winchester 230 gr FMJ. and as anyjuan knows that will just about always feed and eject. they proof fire, take picture of shell casing for federal file, and then ship to gunshop. and then you buy it.


and then you take directly to range/dezert and start slamming beers and shooting cans(its the american way and its good-well within reason after an 18pak i will put a disclaimer on that).


you have just commited the first sin of any firearm. and por qui is dat?????


you failed to take apart veapon and liberally lubricated and give it TLC that it deserves.


your next failure is you ran out in haste with the baddest ass .45 JHP's that man can buy possibly. or ya bought cheapass crap bunga bunga ammo from liberia slightly rusted with free crack pipe offer inside.


now you have entered the "WTF ZONE" because suddenly you get FTF or FTE!


well its obvious that the rounds you have dont work. but if you were smart LAK US...........you would have grabbed federal FMJ and FEDERAL JHP and done a test. or remington or hornaday. use both FMJ and JHP and test to see which FLAVOOOOR works for 200 rds right then right now not monyana.


you have now excercised it and the action is dirty but HAPPY cuz all tolerances have rubbed themselves into orgazmic DEE-LITE and they do the mazzola party against juan another. and all is GOOD..............most times.


if ya try 3 flavors of quality ammo and still have FTF and FTE then its time to meet a GOOD GUNSMITH and do not mention CHEAP in the equation cuz he will kick yer ass as well as myself. cuz you are ONLY relying on this veapon for YOUR LIFE or OTHERS so dis aint da place to be a CHEAP ASS!


sending it back to the factory cuz of the above will get you a documented sheet from factory finding NOTHING WRONG(CYA LEGAL BEAGLES) because they used their PROOF AMMO!


so the gunsmith will steer you in correct direction and 99% of the time its a lil diamond stone or a die grinder on the ramp and problem cured.


hell even wheel guns have hic-cups with timing because of tolerances kept.


and even if ya spend GA-ZIGGA BUCKS on a mega wunder .45 you will have the same problems.


i have dealt with springfield and their customer service is top knotch muy bueno on their M1-A's or .45s or any of their products. and its a LIFETIME WARRANTY> as well as their CUSTOM SHOP which i have dealt with now also.



once again for those that dont listen:


buy veapon,take home take apart and LUBE IT!

buy 3 QUALITY FLA-VOOOORS of rounds JHP and FMJ

buy cans of beverages or milk jugs.


got to where ya shoot and SHOOT 200RDS! and dont stop until done. if all ok then take home take apart clean lak a mofo and then BE HOPI(happy).


if no workey and FTF or FTE............go to QUALIFIED KNOWS HIS POO .45 gunsmith.


P.S.S. ANY GUN MODIFIED AND CONSTRUED AS SUCH BY COURT/JUDGE/JURY/PROSECUTING ATTORNEY...................WILL MAKE YOU A GUN NUT! mark MY DAMN WORDS ON THAT AND ITS ETCHED IN FEEKING GRANITE!



race guns go to range.


polished /honed/dialed in veapons ARE FOR CARRY!

CARRY WHATEVER ROUNDS YOUR STATE POLICE CARRY! here its federal hydrashocks.

My Springfield was top notch quality for a production weapon. It saddens me to hear the newer ones aren't as good.

frog boy i have bean involved with the mfg of .45s from nothing but a hunk of steel/alloy to the finished product LONGER THAN YOU HAVE SHOT! and i have LITERALLY HAD MY TOOLING ON 100's of THOUSANDS of .45's!


you dont know the damn difference btwn a CNMG 432 nor X,Y,Z axis!


BLOW IT OUT YER DONKEY !

Do we really need conflict in this thread guys?

most of you havent a clue what goes on in an actual mfg atmosphere, not cuz yer stoopid, but because it is difficult to get into just about all mfg facilitys. name the product. why industrial espionage. i had to sign more documents that i would not use divulge designs/blueprints/MOT(method of tooling) etc.


1st problemo. PA(purch agent) buys metal today from pennsylvania, next week because of savings he buys from california, next month he buys from japan. now if its an ISO 9001 or better facility paper follows rockwell hardness............usually but not always. so rockwell hardness changes are BAD JUJU for machining part, which changes ALOT!

next heat treating or plating can be different each day or week or month.


tooling can change in a heart beat because of costs.


coolant DOES GO RANCID! and must be changed be it oil or water soluable.


monkey boy machinist could be good/bad/average


program can be changed and ON AND ON AND ON!


and SPEEDS AND FEEDS CAN CHANGE because of tooling/rockwell blah blah.


more variables than you can imagine and ENOUGH to make ya want to cut yer wrists because TOOLING IS ALWAYS BLAMED FIRST FOR A CRASH OR BAD PARTS! ask me how i know?????



so when ya see all the variables and live with them work with them sleep with them its a damn wonder anything comes out exactly as per tolerance allowed on blueprint. and anyjuan with an iota of machine shop 101 will attest to this.


remember gun mfg liability is HUGE! POO does happen on mfg floors and thats why they call them RECALLS which the NRA does a damn good job of notifying people about as well as mfg's.


(1) job we did stainless steel .45 frames at ruger in prescott here for a seal team contract. the tolerances were killing us. they beat us to death. we finally overcame all of the problems with mfg. after signing documents that we would not divilge anything about these, and sent them back to SANDVICK in fairlawn , new jersey and had our gurus run them on our CNC drilling/milling them and finally got the MOT down perfect and tooling life was not compromised. thereby ruger could make a profit, tooling changes were not every 15min, and we made lots of parts for them.


deal with mfg MIL SPECS all yer life and it can KILL YOU!



now heres another lil tidbit of knowledge frog boy wont give you...............



your USGI issued lowest bid .45 or 9mm..............is SET UP LOOSE. ie. tolerances are LOOSE! why? just rattle a .45 back and forth and if you hear/feel any noise movement..............its probably a GI issue. WHY? cuz of dirt and crap getting in action and lack of field cleaning while getting SHOT AT! ie. it will shoot with mud and crap and sand and blood and guts and french fries and puke ALL OVER IT!



now try a TIGHT ASSED TOLERANCE RACE GUN with "FRENCHYS MIX AND MATCH PARTS" with blood and guts and sand and puke and mud and FRENCH FRIES all over it and WATCH IT JAM SO FAST IT WILL MAKE YER HEAD SPIN! and you will be DEAD!



frenchy YOU are so out of yer league on this topic ITS FREEKING PATHETIC!


go back to reading how monte did NOT win the war quickly. and leave gun mfg. to those of us who have DONE IT for YEARS! I MEAN FREEKING ALL OF MY ADULT LIFE since i was freeking 21!


"MIX AND MATCH PARTS" another reason french guns always land in the mud and dirt!


and for an added KICK TO FRENCHYS CROISSANTS..................i got my name on parts that are in space(NASA), ICBM missile nose cones, F-117 wing flap actuators, numerous F-18/15/ parts, nuke bomb triggers at project mercury(had secret clearance and visited all (3) horizontal test shot bores,white sands,los alamos(machined RADIATED PARTS),sandia labs, YPG yuma proving grounds, and more hot rotating military and commercial turbine parts than i care to remember let alone literally UMPTEEN MILLIONS of TRW AIRBAG TRIGGERS! and SCADS of military and commercial weapons mfgs. over the years let alone surgical machined parts.


yep all of them "MIXED AND MATCHED" parts, WHAT A JOKE!

What you are rambling on about is manufacturing. Not gunsmithing. So you are out of your league here by several orders of magnitude. My gunsmithing knowledge and skill was good enough for me to work for Holland & Holland, Rigby, Boss, Purdey and Fabri. I have over 20 years y hand gunmaking and gunsmithing experience in the most demanding factories in the world.

Large batch production machining is hardly a gunsmithing skill, it is a manufacturing skill. Again your lack of basic knowledge is exposed.

One more time, slowly just for you, no one suggested mixing parts without proper fitting and testing, except you.

No one suggested the firearm created would be a defensive weapon, except you (and even if it was used as such, few examples of the shooter being convicted because it was modified are in the legal records, this is mostly a urban myth).

In short, you have jumped into a nice thread and spread your pernicious dribble around in a feeble attempt to impress. Your lack of a viable knowledge base ensures that you will have your ass handed to you every time. Don't you ever get sick and tired of being wrong?

Soukus, I built (or rebuilt) several 1911's using Kimber and/or Wilson parts. They have everything you need and have great catalogs. I did mine in stainless steel so after I was done, all it needed was a quick glass beed blasting for the finish, they both work great and are still going strong.

Thanks James. I'll probably use several Wilson parts. They seem to be heavily favored especially when some other parts don't work out.


As for finish, I'm leaning towards a blue finish. I like the way well worn (but cared for) "blue" pistols look.

I've always liked Les Bauer parts.

Nice chamfered SS bushing by Fusion. I've spec'd it for my parts kit.

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/f...ushing-5XX.jpg

Liebenburg/Browning Hi-Power cut....nice touch on a full house 1911.

Soukus, where are you located? I've tooled around on a few 1911's, but this is really a skilled trade. I'd get a 1911 guy close by to show me the ropes if I wanted to build something for myself. Honestly, I'd probably get on a plane and take a trip to Issaquah, WA and then ask one of our fellow forumites to show me how to build a 1911 if I ever had the urge.

Shuie: I'm in the Midwest. A bit far from WA.

Anyone in Washington know this guy? He's got some nice examples of his work on the website. I'm debating whether I want the lightening holes in the slide. I'm eventually going to have the frame and slide Ion Bond DLC coated in black and all the "accent" pieces will be polished stainless. The stainless barrel would be visible through the holes.

JPL Precision - Hot Rod Handguns Gallery

http://jplprecision.com/graphics/Slide4.jpg

Here's an Ion Bonded pistol with polished stainless accent pieces.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2650/...a4e5a524_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2523/...04b4d10a_o.jpg

Man i wish i had pix of my two tone stainless steel Springfield Champion. It was stainless frame/high polish blue slide with white lettering and stainless accents.

GORGEOUS...very similar to the look you're going for.

now understand if YOU build this, the learning curve wil be very high, the probability of FTF and FTE will be HIGH, and there will be no warranties expressed implied from anyjuan. and ya better have a machine shop to back ya.


why do i bother with this? because i have seen time after time and so has nelson, ford on .45's "the TINKERER" as we have all seen countless times with other mfg items.

nelsons normal day includes righting the wrongs of the "TINKERERS". now in my book and anyjuan else who has bean around firearms the first thing ya need to be a gunsmith is a GUNSMITH DEGREE. next ya better get a fair amount of experience on a mill and a lathe. and i dont mean drilling a 3/8 hole by "wallering " and a lil more experience than "hawging" out some alum.


now the "worlds most interesting man" on here mentioned that "he only loads one round at a time and then increases it to 2 then 3 then 4 rds so they dont go full auto" WTF IS THAT ALL ABOUT?????????? now thats a closet "TINKERER" and for that to occur...............well something is just DAMN WRONG on those builds.


my suggestion(butt WTF do i know???) instead of salivating over the brownells catalog and coming up with a host of untested goodie parts and becoming a "TINKERER"....................


is to buy a PROVEN model with PROVEN PARTS whatever yer wallet can afford and sit down with a real live GUNSMITH that KNOWS WHAT THE HELLS HES DOING for your vision of the "perfect .45", because yer about to embark on a very very long journey down a very bad road and its gonna get wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

SPENDY before YOU achieve yer GOAL of an accurate RELIABLE .45.


now think about this: YOU are redesigning a 1911 proven firearm with 2010 items.


now if YOU were a GUNSMITH with a MACHINING BACKGROUND and MACHINE TOOLS with a BETTER MOUSETRAP DESIGN...................why are YOU NOT SELLING THIS BRILLIANT CONCEPT to REAL FIREARM MFGS??????


now the SAFEST .45 EVER BUILT...........the HK USP .45. has a DECOCKER which all guns should have in some form or another because thats where AD's occur majority of the time.


want the baddest ass HK .45? go to GREY GUNS and check out his work.


HK's concept on the USP was to make a SAFER .45 design which they have carried thru all the calibers with the USP and USPC calibers. when ya think about it, carrying a .45 locked and cocked,hammer back,safety up,maybe a strap keeping hammer from falling on firing pin, its NOT the "perfect design" its acceptable, it does work with practice, but it still leaves alot of room for error and time and time and time again people either shoot their foot or right down thru the knee grabbing them out of holsters playing "QWEEKS DRAW MCGRAW".


HK started the concept with their HK P9S design. once again a decocker. but their design entailed dropping lever on side of trigger, and THEN PULLING THE TRIGGER to decock. if done in the wrong sequence..........KABOOM! this was not met with good applause because as always STOOPID PEOPLE!


next attempt at this decocker design was on the USP and on other mfgs like beretta. this has caught on as the "HAPPY PLACE" for gun people because if ya have round in chamber and yer ready to fire, and decide not to fire for whatever reason, you can safely DECOCK veapon unlike grabbing the grips front/rear on a 1911 design, pulling the trigger and riding the hammer back down safely. ALWAYS A TREAT I ASSURE YOU! and ya better have yer barrel pointed in safe direction each and everytime.


so your dealing with a complicated design. are you gonna "race this gun"? or are you gonna daily carry? are ya gonna bet yer life on it?


we have seen countless multi mega buck 1911's take a GIANT CRAP and a lil old cheap ass USGI mil spec parkerized model spin circles around the "UBER TINKERERS" pistol and GO BANG EVERYTIME!


have fun and send pics. we LOVE PICS!

UNO. Give it up man. Just because you've been conditioned by your smith to think he's God as you write him a big check doesn't mean it's the only way. I seem to recall your posts on the "good bolt action" thread as if there was no way in hell one could own a good shooting rifle for less than a couple of grand and none that wasn't blessed by some iconic smith. It's just not true.

A 1911 is an extremely simple design and the parts market is full of high quality parts. I don't expect this to cost me anymore than what I spent on my last factory pistol. I've added up the parts cost using premium parts that I like and it's not going to cost me the fortune you think it will.

There are plenty of successful builds out there and plenty of failed builds, but I think we can group the builders into two groups of logical and mechanical aptitude. It's not due to a lack of parts selection, flawed design or lack of gunsmith degree (can't you get those online nowadays?) :rolleyes:

I hate to go OT, but your comments about manufacturing are just not entirely true. I have worked as a test engineer in a manufcturing environment that was posted full of ISO certificates and the floors packed with multi-million dollar machines.

These places are not the pinnacle of great manufacturing because of ISO. ISO is a joke for the most part and has more to do with paper work than the actual work being performed. The people making a living off ISO certs must laugh their arses off every night while sipping aged Scotch in their pricey homes.

There is more than one way to do things right, and it's not always that which one has been conditioned to believe.

Hey Souk,

Don't you just love it when someone trys to tell folks like you and I that we are incapable of some mechanical task. From homebuilt airplanes to homebuilt violins, to custom bike builds, to restoring Porsches, to rebuilding 911 engines, to DIY alignments, to converting R12 to 134, to tinkering with guns and etc etc. It is always fun to prove the skeptics wrong. Nothing better to me than the satisfaction of starting a new hobby and after careful research, being able to produce professional results in my home shop. ;):D Nothing motivates me more than having someone who spends a fortune on "custom" work tell me I am not capable of doing the same quality of work out of my home shop. ;):D

Can't wait to see your finished spoon.... I am 100% sure it will be first rate. What OddJob fails to comprehend is that while there are all kind of levels of mechanical competance out there. To make blanket statements about all who choose to do their own work is ridiculous. If all gifted tinkerers quit tinkering, advances in technology would cease to exist.

Yep. Great gadfly to my greater works :)

Are you still in IL? Anywhere near Quincy? Give Dick Heinie a call and ask him if he can recommend a smith to help you out, or someone that you can bounce ideas off of as you go through the process. Heinie does not build 1911's anymore, but he might be willing to help you get through the process if you get stuck. There is also a lot of online help available to you on the 1911 tech forums. I'm not sure if the websites are still up or not, but Chris at BlindHog used to post a lot of in depth build details as well as a guy whose name I can't remember that built up a pair of Argentine Systemas.

Millers Custom (in central IL) is popular place for the localS. Bob is active on one of the forums I go to. Like a lot of good smiths, he is years behind and charges too much for me to justify for a finished product. I'm sure Bob Miller will answer questions as well as Bob Serva, who's providing the foundation for the piece.

Thanks for the tip on Heine.

Honestly compared to modern pistols a 1911 is a very complex design. Modern pistols tend to be much simpler....but that still doesn't mean you cannot build a 1911 yourself. :)

Getting the proper fit/engagement of the sear and trigger are the trickiest parts.