Looking for LA area 1911 Gunsmith recommendations

[Nom de Guerre]

Just like the title says, I am looking for recommendations for a good Los Angeles area 1911 gunsmith who can hopefully fix a problem I'm having.

It seems most have either retired or moved to other areas. The only one I have found through Google is Jim Hoag.

Does anyone have any info about him or anyone else?

Specifically, I have an issue with my recoil spring guide short rod and barrel, such that the tip of the short guide rod is contacting the lower part of the dust cover on the slide during cycling. The gun seems to be functioning without hiccups, but material is being gouged out of the tip of the guide rod at a very rapid rate, and now I am noticing that the lower part of the dust cover on the slide is starting to show a bit of beveling from the repeated contact.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions. I am hoping to be able to get this looked at locally, but if I have to, I guess I'll send it out to somebody.

[HCz]

Jim Hoag in Canoga Park and Alan Tanaka(?) both have great reputations. I think you can see plenty of satisfied people in handgun forum.

[Colt]

Jim Hoag in Canoga Park and Alan Tanaka(?) both have great reputations. I think you can see plenty of satisfied people in handgun forum.

+1 - they get rave reviews from many folks. Jim Hoag is a legend.

[Mute]

I have used both Hoag and Tanaka and they are top notch. I also recommend Dave Lawver of Dave's Metal Works in Covina (626) 859-0299. Dave does great work at a decent price. Best to call him after 1pm.

[randy]

+1 to Mute.

I've never had Tanaka work on my guns but I've had Dave build me a few. They've always been flawless. He has a Colt Commander in there for a complete rebuild and custom work now. He's built STI race guns and single stacks for me. I think I put his one of his kids through school. If other gunsmiths had done as much work for me I'd have put 3 kids through grad school.

Great work, great prices great turn around and great guy.

[Nom de Guerre]

Thanks to all for the leads! I will make some calls Monday. I really appreciate it. This forum rocks!

[IceMan711]

I've had good experience Alan Tanaka. He's a good guy with a great shop.

[Army]

Or...you could simply put in a full length guide rod.

[Nom de Guerre]

Or...you could simply put in a full length guide rod.

Yes, that option had occurred to me, and I have a friend/neighbor with a couple of extra FLGRs from King's, and he offered to lend me one.

The thing is, this is a pretty nice, high end "name" brand 1911, and I want it to work 100% as designed. This particular model is supposed to have the short guide rod. Unfortunately, the manufacturer is apparently unwilling to admit that there is a problem with my gun, even though I provided ample evidence of the issue in the form of high quality photographs from various angles of the various parts involved. What irks me most is that the gun is still under warranty, as I only purchased it last June.

I intend to post down the line with a full report of the issue, and the fix (once I get it fixed).

Let's just say, customer service is not this manufacturer's strong point. That's coming from prior reputation reports I've read coupled with my own experiences. My next 1911 purchase will be from a different company, despite the fact that I love this gun other than this issue.

[Mute]

The manufacturer's response was b.s. If the gun is doing what you say, there are some tolerance issues with that gun and it needs be fixed under warranty. I'd see if I can move up the chain to get a resolution.