Anyone build a 1911?

[ianb1116]

Looking again at building a 1911. PSA has frame and slide for a combined $270.

I know there will be a lot of fitting. Any do's and dont's?

[IronButt]

I'm a big 1911 fan. I have four of them. Over the years, I've become a fairly good 1911 mechanic, (You'll notice I didn't say gunsmith!), but even if I had the absolute best conponents to work with, I seriously doubt I'd be able to build one that would come anywhere near to the reliability & fit of my Wilson CQB, or even my Springfield TRP.

Sounds like a worthwhile project though, if you have the knowhow. Good luck.

[ianb1116]

I'm a big 1911 fan. I have four of them. Over the years, I've become a fairly good 1911 mechanic, (You'll notice I didn't say gunsmith!), but even if I had the absolute best conponents to work with, I seriously doubt I'd be able to build one that would come anywhere near to the reliability & fit of my Wilson CQB, or even my Springfield TRP.

Sounds like a worthwhile project though, if you have the knowhow. Good luck.

I figured it might be a good long-term project rather than buying a new gun every 3 months!

[JStem1283]

Looking again at building a 1911. PSA has frame and slide for a combined $270.

I know there will be a lot of fitting. Any do's and dont's?

Unfortunately its mostly a luck of the draw with 1911 parts. My RIA has had damn near every part replaced/upgraded over the years and the only thing I had to fit were the TFO sights, everything else was a perfect drop in. On the other hand my Para GI Expert is almost the polar opposite, I swapped the trigger and added an extended beaver tail safety and both had to be fit.

[Urban_Redneck]

You could buy all "drop-in" parts and end up with a decent gun.

If you want a great gun, there are specialized tools needed to properly fit oversize parts.

Good Luck and Have Fun

[Klyde]

Lots of 1911 build possibilities

Look at Caspian Arms slides and frames and check their outlet store at Foster Industries (Foster Ind. is the Caspian parent company) for the possibility of discounted slides or frames.

SARCO, Inc in Easton, PA, has NOS slides available from ParaOrdnance and other surplus parts from various manufacturers.

Tactical Machine of Tampa,FL does production runs of 1911 frames, complete frames and 80% frames. The 1911 frames usually are offered for sale online on Fridays. Blems sell out in a few minutes to a few hours, with unblemished frames lasting, longer, until the previous week's production is sold.

Fusion has parts and build opportunities on their web site and sells 1911 parts on eBay as the seller whitetail1911

Do not overlook EGW (Evolution Gun Works, Inc) in Quakertown for top of the line, quality, 1911 parts.

Brownells is a source of any and all 1911 parts.

Get a 1911 book that has 1911 gunsmithing tips, such as The Colt .45 Automatic- A shop manual, by Jerry Kuhnhausen.
You will not save any money building a 1911, but building a 1911 is a good educational experience.

[ianb1116]

Has anyone else heard of or used the TM Recon frame? I like the looks of it.

Also, has anyone tried to build a double stack before?

Anyone tried their hand at bluing the raw stainless?

Love the platform, there's just so many damn options!

[Klyde]

Has anyone else heard of or used the TM Recon frame? I like the looks of it.

TM has a web page of completion ideas, accessed from the bottom of the 80% Recon description pages.

The most TM 1911 Recon builder experiences and opinions can be found online in the Calguns.net Forums.
The Forum has numerous active TM builders threads in the Gunsmithing & How To section with the one linked having started with development of the 80% Recon frame and still running.
TM's Nathan Krynn has been participating in threads with input, suggestions, and handling criticism.

[ianb1116]

TM has a web page of completion ideas, accessed from the bottom of the 80% Recon description pages.

The most TM 1911 Recon builder experiences and opinions can be found online in the Calguns.net Forums.
The Forum has numerous active TM builders threads in the Gunsmithing & How To section with the one linked having started with development of the 80% Recon frame and still running.
TM's Nathan Krynn has been participating in threads with input, suggestions, and handling criticism.

Looks like they've gotten some pretty rave reviews. I'll probably send my money their way. As for a slide, any suggestions? I'd prefer to stay away from SARCO if possible (a lot of mixed reviews regarding new/used parts).

EDIT: I'd like a 5" Government slide, probably in the raw. I like aggressive cuts. Here's one example:
http://www.fusionfirearms.com/parts/...rbon-gov-bomar

But $275 for a raw slide seems high. Input?

I know building is not the cheapest way to own a 1911. But I'm most likely going to spend another $400 on internals, bringing totals around $800.....Ouch.

[Klyde]

Looks like they've gotten some pretty rave reviews. I'll probably send my money their way. As for a slide, any suggestions? I'd prefer to stay away from SARCO if possible (a lot of mixed reviews regarding new/used parts).

EDIT: I'd like a 5" Government slide, probably in the raw. I like aggressive cuts. Here's one example:
http://www.fusionfirearms.com/parts/...rbon-gov-bomar

But $275 for a raw slide seems high. Input?

I know building is not the cheapest way to own a 1911. But I'm most likely going to spend another $400 on internals, bringing totals around $800.....Ouch.

The total expenditure numbers are a reasonable conservative estimate.
It will, easily, get more expensive with the addition of a few quality parts.
Keep in mind; you are buying a 1911 for custom retail prices, a piece at a time, and, adding additional shipping costs.
A mass produced Philippine piece could easily be a better use of your dollar.

SARCO slides from ParaOrdnanace seem to be the least expensive new slide option. They are un-used new production, however, SARCO service is terrible.
I have used them as a source for slides that are other than .45acp and have been pleased with what I received, and, the PARA logos can be stoned away.
I am unsure about the usefulness and quality of SARCO 1911 part offerings beyond the PARA slides and SARCO has stung me in other unrelated transactions.

If you go with the PARA slide option use caution:
(1)some slides are for DA trigger action only. A milling machine cut is needed to make a disconnector radius for use in a standard SA 1911.
(2)Some sight cuts are LDA
(3)some slides use a proprietary ParaOrdnance PXT extractor, available, from EGW and Brownells, or, require the use of an adapter sleeve to install a standard 1911 extractor.
The caution points are in the SARCO descriptions. All, are easily handled when you are aware beforehand. Use of a milling machine will probably be needed, already, should you decide to go with a TM 80%Recon. Some people have done the milling with Dremels and cutoff wheels.

Caspian will custom machine any slide option you desire, and, even discuss what you want on the phone. They are open to all cut options, including, blank sides with no logo markings.

For Fusion: Fusion origins stem from the sale of Dan Wesson 1911 production to CZ.
Like Caspian, you can arrange for most anything you want.
Watch the web site, and, the eBay store, some offerings change daily, occasionally, things may get discounted.

Both, Caspian and Fusion, maintain quality, and, their products are in demand, often requiring some extra time for product delivery making the time almost equal to the frustrations experienced with SARCO.

If you do not rush, discounted slides occasionally appear from all the vendors.

GunBroker and eBay can be sources for used slides and other parts from people parting out 1911s.