Building 1911...suggestions, recomendations?

[DazedandConfuzed]

So my youngest son wants to build a 1911 in either .38 Super or .45. Does anyone have any experience with this, maybe some pointers, suggestions. He's got a Brownell's catalog of 1911 parts the he has been referencing as well as a slough of internet sights. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

[Press Check]

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/lid=10304/GunTechdetail/Building-A-1911-Part-I

That should get you started, but building a 1911 is a tremendous undertaking, and that's an understatement. As most know, each part needs to be precisely fit. To give you an idea, it took me two hours to fit an oversized magazine catch to my frame. Using a single, one-directional stroke at a time with a hard arkansas, it took another hour to fit an oversized trigger to my frame.

Besides that, since you live in California, ordering a Caspian or likewise frame is simply out of the question, which leaves you with one of those God-awful eighty-percent frames. No offense to those that have them, but in my opinion, franken-pistols are unappealing.

[SMR510]

Yea getting a frame is the hardest part...

Assuming you and your son have the mechanical know how to make it all work from there on.

[SLO1911Fan]

Has he ever done anything like this before? If not, I do applaud his thinking, but a 1911 isn't an easy gun to start with. And you will almost certainly spend more money building it that if you had just bought one. That aside, it's an awesome project, and one I intend to start when I move out of state.

I have both Kuhnhausen 1911 shop manuals on PDF if you need them. They're probably the number one resource I've found for the 1911.

[fennecfrank]

Sounds like he's going to do all the work himself:

1. Decide the caliber
2. Find a frame
3. Get all the parts
4. Start working

Be sure to get some reference materials as mentioned above. I also suggest to browse through the internet for photos to get some ideas.

[Press Check]

Has he ever done anything like this before? If not, I do applaud his thinking, but a 1911 isn't an easy gun to start with. And you will almost certainly spend more money building it that if you had just bought one. That aside, it's an awesome project, and one I intend to start when I move out of state.

I have both Kuhnhausen 1911 shop manuals on PDF if you need them. They're probably the number one resource I've found for the 1911.

In California, the only benefit I see is having a non-registered, non-serialized firearm, which would be great for someone who intends to keep a firearm off the grid, but chances are, anyone building one has been registered, which means you're already on the gun-grabbing grid.

Of course, there's the self-sufficiency and satisfaction associated with building one, but that same satisfaction can be had in a restoration or rescue pistol. Give me a tattered, scratched, marred, beaten and neglected Colt Government or Springfield Mil-Spec any day. Not much different than an eighty-percent frame, since nothing simply drops in a 1911, you're essentially building from a frame and slide.

Based on the list-prices, the eighty-percent frame is $249, and the jig is $129. Add $499 for their low-end, GI kit, and you're at the cost of a production pistol. Call me a snob, but GI triggers are far beyond terrible, so add the cost of a videki style trigger, delta hammer, beavertail grip safety, and a fitting jig for the beavertail.

Unless the sear and hammer are matched, add the cost of EB sear and hammer jig, in addition to the cost of a hard arkansas stone to cut the angles.

Since there's no single, multi-use file, you probably need a fitting and deburring file set, and a slide / frame rail file to name a few, so that adds to the cost as well, and puts you at the price of a mid-level production pistol. IMO, diminishing returns.

Not trying to discourage anyone, but there's a lot to consider. Since the OP didn't mention anything about tools, access to a mill, or skill level, my response is nothing more than a shot in the dark.

[DazedandConfuzed]

Thanks everyone for the responses...He definitely has the desire, the skill is there, but I'm not sure about the patience level, not to mention the lack of tools and experience with something that sounds like a major undertaking.