Gunsmith for customizing Colt 1911

[agl1911]

Hi Everyone, just curious if anyone has any recommendations on a gunsmith that hopefully someone has personal experience with a shop you recommend. The following is what i have found so far:

Wilson Combat
Freedom Gunworks (not taking any new clients)
Harrison Customs (they look interesting but haven't had a chance to talk to them)

Anyone else you can recommend?

work i am looking to do is:
Flat topping with serrations
Ejection port work
Trigger work 4lb (skeletonized)
New Hammer (skeletonized)
New grip safety (beavertail)
New sites Fr/Rr(night sites machining will required)
Grip Strapping
dehorning
beleveling mag well
new finish.

[Soginator]

I had a great experience with SACS, but they seem to not be accepting any work at the moment.

[heidad01]

That is a lot of work. Unless if you found a beater colt with extreme centimental value and want to restore it no matter how much time and money.
I fo not eant to discourage you from getting custom work, but for the price that a "semi famous" gun smith will charge for that list of service plus the cost of the parts, you can buy a very high end 1911 that will have almost all you want. And, you do not get to sit around for months hopung that your 1911 gets finished.

[9mmContagion]

Will O'Hara in Norco

[agl1911]

That is a lot of work. Unless if you found a beater colt with extreme centimental value and want to restore it no matter how much time and money.
I fo not eant to discourage you from getting custom work, but for the price that a "semi famous" gun smith will charge for that list of service plus the cost of the parts, you can buy a very high end 1911 that will have almost all you want. And, you do not get to sit around for months hopung that your 1911 gets finished.

You hit the nail on the head. This was my father's first firearm and what he used to teach me how to shoot. I lost him last summer. I have a few high end 1911s now, but none that I will cherish more than this so I'm willing to spend some
Money and time to have it done to my liking.

[Rhyyke]

Evolution Armory. Mark the owner is a former gunsmith for Colt Custom Shop. In my opinion he is the only one I would send my Colt to.

[1911whore]

Business end customs is also very good.

[bwhited]

Will O'Hara is the man.
Will O'Hara +123654789

Will O'Hara in Norco

[hunterb]

Dave Lawver (Daves Metal Works) in Covina.
Alan Tanaka in Gardena.

[agl1911]

Thanks Everyone for the feedback, this is awesome. I will reach out to all of your recommendations and find out what the best course of action is.

[AKexpat]

I do not live in California nor am I from California. I live in WA State, previously from 35 years in Alaska.

It is much a consternation to me why you folks do not work on your own guns for the most part.

I think you folks have much free money to spend upon many upgrades when you could probably do much of it yourself and learn about the 1911 in the process.

I am not downing anyone here. I just wish I could understand why there are not more kitchen table gunsmiths who are knowledgeable about 1911 pistols and post as such.

Once you understand the pistol in its many variations, it is very easy to work on and modify.

I don't have any high end pistols as you folks seem to have. I have highly modified my throated barrel AMT Hardballer stainless and it runs with just about any ammo fed to it, but it does like to be run wet (oil).

Laugh at the pistol (as most have a bad opinion of AMT) if you must but I challenge anyone to stand in front of it.

My guru is Jerry Kuhnhausen and, seriously, you can't go wrong with him.

Carry on...

Jim

[agl1911]

I was actually considering doing some of the parts installation that shouldn't require machining myself. I like to consider myself as mechanically inclined but i don't have the necessary tools especially machinery to attempt the milling work. but i could probably do the trigger, hammer and grip/beaver tail. Since i will likely be waiting months before i send it out I would be open to doing some of it myself.

I do not live in California nor am I from California. I live in WA State, previously from 35 years in Alaska.

It is much a consternation to me why you folks do not work on your own guns for the most part.

I think you folks have much free money to spend upon many upgrades when you could probably do much of it yourself and learn about the 1911 in the process.

I am not downing anyone here. I just wish I could understand why there are not more kitchen table gunsmiths who are knowledgeable about 1911 pistols and post as such.

Once you understand the pistol in its many variations, it is very easy to work on and modify.

I don't have any high end pistols as you folks seem to have. I have highly modified my throated barrel AMT Hardballer stainless and it runs with just about any ammo fed to it, but it does like to be run wet (oil).

Laugh at the pistol (as most have a bad opinion of AMT) if you must but I challenge anyone to stand in front of it.

My guru is Jerry Kuhnhausen and, seriously, you can't go wrong with him.

Carry on...

Jim

[Rhyyke]

I do not live in California nor am I from California. I live in WA State, previously from 35 years in Alaska.

It is much a consternation to me why you folks do not work on your own guns for the most part.

I think you folks have much free money to spend upon many upgrades when you could probably do much of it yourself and learn about the 1911 in the process.

I am not downing anyone here. I just wish I could understand why there are not more kitchen table gunsmiths who are knowledgeable about 1911 pistols and post as such.

Once you understand the pistol in its many variations, it is very easy to work on and modify.

I don't have any high end pistols as you folks seem to have. I have highly modified my throated barrel AMT Hardballer stainless and it runs with just about any ammo fed to it, but it does like to be run wet (oil).

Laugh at the pistol (as most have a bad opinion of AMT) if you must but I challenge anyone to stand in front of it.

My guru is Jerry Kuhnhausen and, seriously, you can't go wrong with him.

Carry on...

Jim

Check out MosinVirus' work, he does some amazing DIY 1911 work.

[B&D]

Top game guys always frequent https://forums.1911forum.com/

I suggest creating an account and go from there to find a REALLY reputable builder. Expect long lead times but second to none work done on your pistol.

[CamW]

+1 for Dave's Metal Works.Great gunsmith and a great guy to do business with. A big plus is that he local to me and easy to talk to and gives great suggestions for your build.

He rebuilt my Colt Commander that I bought 30 something years ago,it was my first 1911. I carried it daily for many years and shot it a LOT, to the point it rattled when you shook it.

Dave did the following:
Fit new Caspian slide
Fit Bar Sto barrel
Install sights, Heinie rear, dovetail front
Fit beavertail safety and blend
Fit Smith and Alexander magwell and blend
Fit ambi safety
Checker front strap
Fit new hammer sear and trigger
Slight beveling of the frame and slide
Cerakote Sniper Gray