Building a 1911

[T-SULLI]

So I want to build a 1911 from scratch... Is this hard to do, do the parts usually all fit correctly since they are for the same gun? I had a buddy build one a while back and he has not had any problems with it. Any advice on building a 1911 would be great. Thanks.

Tim

[djp7558]

It's a long article, but its interesting.

http://how-i-did-it.org/articles/

Dan

[T-SULLI]

Cool thanks Dan!

[ojisan]

If you have the mechanical gene, go for it. If not, get someone who does.
If you build it yourself, and do it right, you wil have something special to be proud of and pass to your kids! The article is very good. ; )

[leelaw]

It depends on what kind of parts you get. "Drop-in" parts will be more forgiving, but be less tight.

You'll almost certainly have to fit the:
-Beavertail safety
-Thumb safety
-Barrel bushing

Most of the other parts are actually "drop in" if advertised as such.

On the build I made recently, there were less than 12 parts (small springs and detents) which would drop in. Everything else was purchased oversized so I could make it fit.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=88347

Some recommendations: Get a matching hammer/sear/disconnector set. I bought a Cylinder & Slide kit and love it, and it breaks very clean at 3#.

Where are you located? If local, I could give you some tips at the various stages, and I have a bunch of 1911 building equipment.

[T-SULLI]

It depends on what kind of parts you get. "Drop-in" parts will be more forgiving, but be less tight.

You'll almost certainly have to fit the:
-Beavertail safety
-Thumb safety
-Barrel bushing

Most of the other parts are actually "drop in" if advertised as such.

On the build I made recently, there were less than 12 parts (small springs and detents) which would drop in. Everything else was purchased oversized so I could make it fit.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=88347

Some recommendations: Get a matching hammer/sear/disconnector set. I bought a Cylinder & Slide kit and love it, and it breaks very clean at 3#.

Where are you located? If local, I could give you some tips at the various stages, and I have a bunch of 1911 building equipment.

I live in Newport beach California. Where are you located?

[leelaw]

I live in Newport beach California. Where are you located?

Drat. I'm about 6.5 hours north of you, by car.

[T-SULLI]

Drat. I'm about 6.5 hours north of you, by car.

Ohh thats a little far haha. Thanks for the offer to help out though.

[leelaw]

Ohh thats a little far haha. Thanks for the offer to help out though.

Yeah, oh well. Send me a PM if you have any questions about the build. I'll help as I can.

[T-SULLI]

Yeah, oh well. Send me a PM if you have any questions about the build. I'll help as I can.

Thank you very much I really appreciate it.

[tophatjones]

Two books I'd recommend are Jerry Kuhnhausen's "The Colt .45 Automatic" Shop Manuals 1 and 2. Although some of the ideas are outdated, there are good photos and decent explanations to how each of the parts fit and function. In terms of difficulty, it is indeed difficult. But if you have the right instruction, proper tools, mechanical aptitude, and patience (a lot of patience), you can do it. Remember, it is rare to find a part that truly drops in, even those advertised as doing so. If you know this, and are prepared to take the necessary steps to get a perfect fit, you'll be fine.

[T-SULLI]

So how exactly would I get all the parts to fit perfectly? Do I just take it to a gunsmith to get them all sized correctly?

[JTROKS]

Taking it to a reputable gunsmith is one way of doing it. Make sure you check how long it will take to do the job. If he says 3 months it usually means 6. If you are in the bay area I will highly suggest getting with leelaw, he has a great talent in blending aesthetics and performance.

[Mikeb]

Are you planning on starting with a finished frame or a 60 or 80% forging?

You might want to check out

http://www.homegunsmith.com

There have been a lot of 1911's made by those guys.
take care
Mike

[leelaw]

Remember that if you're building from an 80%, you need to have a barrel length of at least 6", and be a single-shot (so get a training magazine and fix it in the magazine well), and meet the required OAL requirement in order for it to fall into the single shot pistol exemption.

Once it is built, you can change it to a 5" semi-auto configuration.