Custom Guns by Will O'Hara

[Hank15]

Will built this Colt for me a few years back, but I've grown accustomed to heavier guns that have more aggressive front strap treatments.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=820748

In this thread I'll share progress/complete pics of the following. I'll do my best to post in order.

1) MC Operator
2) MC Operator (my bud's)
3) Les Baer
4) Remington 1911 R1 Hunter 10MM
5) S&W 625 JM Originally had a 627, decided to keep caliber consistent and switched to a 625 JM.

[damngato]

Looking forward to it. Will does amazing work

[Andyman562]

Yeah I’m looking forward to this post! Let’s see some awesome 1911 work!

[bug_eyedmonster]

Looking forward to this! Did Will texture the two 1911 frames, or did you purchase them like that?

Jerry

[JRJCP]

Custom Guns by Will O'Hara

SWEET!!!, looking forward to this too!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[golfrj]

Get pics of his cat too, Friendliest cat ever!

[CifaldiPrecision]

Get pics of his cat too, Friendliest cat ever!

[Hank15]

Looking forward to this! Did Will texture the two 1911 frames, or did you purchase them like that?

Jerry

Steve Morrison from Mars Armament did the textures for me.

Snake Skin is my friend's, Golf Ball is mine.

[Hank15]

Grip Safety Fit

Grip safety on the Springfields are always a challenge (unless you're working with the mil spec).

The tang is almost always over cut and require buildup of material for .245/250 radius fits. I was told in the olden days only .220 was available so this didn't used to be an issue.

Take a close look at the very edge of the grip safety tang and you'll see the advantage of having a larger radius grip safety fit to your gun.

Final pic is blurry, but that's just to show that there is no daylight between the grip safety and the frame.

[Hank15]

Magazine Guide

Magazine guides basically enlarge the funnel by X%, making the reloading process an easier procedure.

Some designs also allow an extra 1/4" of grip, which helps people with wide palms.

In the before pic, you can see the ledge between the silver mag guide and the green frame. Although your magazine really wouldn't get caught...what's the point of installing a mag guide if it's narrower than the existing frame's magwell?

In the after pic you can see how the mag guide is opened up more extensively and follows a gradual taper into the frame. All areas leading to the frame are chamfered and smoothed out for an effortless reload.

In slight contrast to the Springfield Professional's mag guide blending - which is actually pretty dang good for a factory gun, but still leaves some edges here and there, and the blending/taper isn't quite as smooth.

[Hank15]

Undercut and checkering of trigger guard

1911s need a few things to feel "right". A grip safety that permits a high grip is important. It's just as important that it's complemented by modifications to the trigger guard area.

The Pachmayr grip makes it less obvious, but there's extra material where the trigger guard meets the front strap. That's what forces your grip lower (middle finger).

Undercutting the trigger guard removes that material, and allows you to grip the gun about 1/4" higher.

[Hank15]

Ed Brown vs 1 man shop

Take it from my firsthand experience - the infamous idiom "fast, good, cheap, pick two" holds true in the custom gun world.

This thread could have been titled "Ed Brown did a great job for 1/2 the time!", but it's obviously not.

Ed Brown did do a decent job, but not "good enough". They were fast and cheap though!

I don't want to belabor the good/bad/ugly experience with Ed Brown on this thread, I'll just highlight one item on the work order to show you the difference between going to a semi custom shop vs a 1 man shop.

1st pic is Ed Brown, 2nd and 3rd are the 1 man shop. 4th is before pic.

[Hank15]

Snake skin MC Operator

My buddy's MCO just came back from Metaloy hard chrome.

[Hank15]

The Brothers Together

It really is difficult to take good pics with my phone. Better pics to come in the near future.