1911 Build

[tresguey]

[vlady]

I prefer steel or stainless steel frames, but you can also go aluminum. As for parts, you can get a high end parts kit from Caspian or Fusion or you can piece the parts together. Wilson parts are pretty good in general. The fcg kit from Cylinder & Slide has been really good to me in terms of fitment and not needing to rework every angle on the sear/disconnector.

[cooper74]

Go steel frame IMO - easy to do since you have a matrix jig already (best jig out there).

Kit only if you're on a budget or really that lazy... problem with kits are they're going to have some drop in stuff so you won't be maximizing the fit, although it's easier.

for parts... my opinion: (if not listed, I dont think it matters too much)
slide - caspian, sti, fusion
barrel - kart, kkm, schuemann, barsto (KART & Barsto have pretty good semi-fit barrels that need minor tweaking to get going - KART has a ~$50 install kit that provides the tools needed to install)
bushing - if not included in above, egw
slide stop - egw
firing controls - egw, cylinder&slide (heard good things but they're a lil overpriced imo), brazos, extreme engineering, infinity (overpriced too imo)
ambi-safety - egw (hands down)

[pklin1297]

A few more for your consideration:

Slide - Caspians and STIs are typically best, though the firing pin hole on the Caspian are 0.020 higher than spec, so when fitting your barrel keep this in mind. I typically use Fusion without problems, but recently some have noticed their slide rail widths are wider in the back than the front, which is not desirable.

Barrel - Have used Pre-fit Nowlins and Pre-fit Bar-Sto without problems and with still tight fit and great accuracy. KART easy-fits are great according to most, I just don't like those fitting tabs in the upper lug groove.

Bushing and recoil spring plug - Definitely EGW.

Firing control parts - Harrison Design true radius sear, hammer and disconnector kit, Extreme Engineering and C&S. I have used all three and all good parts. My favorite is Harrison.

Misc. pins - Best I've used so far is Ed Brown's kit.

Springs - Wolff where possible.

Mags - Wilson Combat.

Misc. other parts (slide stop, thumb safety, firing pin retainer, extractor, ejector, etc.) - Harrison Design where possible, and mix in some Caspian and EGW.

Mainspring Housing - EGW, Stan Chen.

Frame - Vitamenc frames are fine. Go with them instead of 1911builders and save some money. They just had a big sale during Thanksgiving; might do it again for Christmas. Don't go aluminum...

Oh and, don't buy complete kits!

[Kayo Kelly]

A few more for your consideration:

Slide - Caspians and STIs are typically best, though the firing pin hole on the Caspian are 0.020 higher than spec, so when fitting your barrel keep this in mind. I typically use Fusion without problems, but recently some have noticed their slide rail widths are wider in the back than the front, which is not desirable.

Barrel - Have used Pre-fit Nowlins and Pre-fit Bar-Sto without problems and with still tight fit and great accuracy. KART easy-fits are great according to most, I just don't like those fitting tabs in the upper lug groove.

Bushing and recoil spring plug - Definitely EGW.

Firing control parts - Harrison Design true radius sear, hammer and disconnector kit, Extreme Engineering and C&S. I have used all three and all good parts. My favorite is Harrison.

Misc. pins - Best I've used so far is Ed Brown's kit.

Springs - Wolff where possible.

Mags - Wilson Combat.

Misc. other parts (slide stop, thumb safety, firing pin retainer, extractor, ejector, etc.) - Harrison Design where possible, and mix in some Caspian and EGW.

Mainspring Housing - EGW, Stan Chen.

Frame - Vitamenc frames are fine. Go with them instead of 1911builders and save some money. They just had a big sale during Thanksgiving; might do it again for Christmas. Don't go aluminum...

Oh and, don't buy complete kits!

The 1911 builders stainless kits are great.

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

[mtenenhaus]

I was hesitant to post but as noted above by pklin1297, the last 2 slides i purchased from Fusion were not uniformly machined...they looked great but when carefully measured thicknesses varied creating a bit of a overall skew. i made it work but it took a lot of work. Under different circumstances i should have brought it to their attention, likely they would have taken care of the issues.

I'm a big fan of both Bar-sto and Kart barrels, prefer the gunsmith type or e z fit.

EGW makes a lot of great parts and they're terrific to work with, from angle bore barrel bushings to their thumb safeties, grip safety, slide stops etc.

Jemguns makes beautiful quality products. His frames and mainspring housings and grip safeties are perfect. Wonderful attention to detail, very helpful.

Thunder Mountain makes a lot of affordable, good quality parts. Incredibly nice to work with, very fast shipping.

In general i prefer to pick and choose individual parts...but with hammer, disconnector, sear i prefer purchasing a cohesive kit. Harrison is tough to beat and very helpful to boot. His grip safety and sights are terrific.

Stan Chen's parts are works of art.

[MosinVirus]

Yup, sending my Fusion slide back tomorrow. Too bad, they have a good selection of slides, but if they are not in spec it is just asking for trouble.

Caspian slide is great, though the one I got also had a taper, but in a good way.

Wilson thumb safeties sometimes come with bent pins.

Nighthawk pin sets sometimes come with plunger tube plungers having extra tips that have not been machined off.

Wilson ultralight trigger came once with a very loose overtravel adjustment screw.

1 Nighthawk slide I got from Brownells was defective.

Some Ed Brown grip safeties cannot be fitted without a gap, some can...

I guess what I am trying to say here is that even the good name parts are sometimes not as great as you would expect.

I still buy primarily Wilson, EGW (by the way never had a problem with theirs so far), Harrison Design, Nighthawk, Ed Brown...

I will try to post a list of parts on one of mine here in a sec. This was a largely Wilson Combat one.

Slide Parts
Slide (Fusion) 1911-SL-42-125 $274.95
Barrel (Schuemann) CC35CNM0 $210.00
Barrel Link (Wilson Combat) 965-142-278WB $5.99
Firing Pin (Ed Brown) 087-205-825WB $7.99
Extractor (Caspian) 168-000-020WB $22.99
Firing Pin Stop (Caspian) 168-000-030WB $19.99
Sights Set (Novak) 902-952-028WB $133.99
Spring Plug/Barrel Bushing (EGW OD .699, ID .581, Comm) 14004 $56.99
Recoil Spring / FP spring (Wolff) 969-425-140WB $6.99
Guide Rod (EGW) 296-000-114WB $19.99

Frame Parts
Frame (1911Builders) Tactical Ramped 416R Full size $185.00
Ejector (EGW) 10010 $23.99
Trigger (Wilson Combat) 965-000-065WB $34.99
Magazine Catch (Wilson Combat) 965-000-209WB $31.99
Magazine Catch spring (Wolff try-pack) 969-271-700WB $9.00
Magazine Catch lock (Wilson Combat) 965-011-154WB $3.99
Sear (Wilson Combat) 965-314-000WB $29.99
Disconnector (Wilson Combat) 965-000-115WB $26.99
Sear Spring (Wilson Combat) 965-011-290WB $5.99
Hammer (Wilson Combat) 965-000-110WB $59.99
Hammer strut (Wilson Combat) 965-000-206WB $7.99
Mainspring Housing (Stan Chen (included)) $0.00
Hammer spring (Wolff 18#) 969-262-180WB $4.29
Beavertail Grip Safety (Wilson Combat) 965-000-109WB $89.99
Plunger Tube (Wilson Combat) 965-000-027WB $18.99
Plunger Tube Spring (Wolff) 969-000-125WB $7.49
Thumb Safety (Wilson Combat) 965-600-107WB $33.99
Slide Stop (Wilson Combat) 965-000-039WB $59.99
Grip Screw Bushings (Wilson Combat) 965-000-208WB $6.99
Grip Screws (Wilson Combat) 965-313-104WB $8.99
Grips (VZ Grips) Gator Back G10 Black $65.00
Long MSH Pin (STI) 519-1164 $4.49
Pin Pack (Wilson Combat) 965-315-102WB $18.99
Magwell Suite (Stan Chen) 100-005-301WB $189.99


Total $1,688.97

[pklin1297]

I was hesitant to post but as noted above by pklin1297, the last 2 slides i purchased from Fusion were not uniformly machined...they looked great but when carefully measured thicknesses varied creating a bit of a overall skew. i made it work but it took a lot of work. Under different circumstances i should have brought it to their attention, likely they would have taken care of the issues.

I'm a big fan of both Bar-sto and Kart barrels, prefer the gunsmith type or e z fit.

EGW makes a lot of great parts and they're terrific to work with, from angle bore barrel bushings to their thumb safeties, grip safety, slide stops etc.

Jemguns makes beautiful quality products. His frames and mainspring housings and grip safeties are perfect. Wonderful attention to detail, very helpful.

Thunder Mountain makes a lot of affordable, good quality parts. Incredibly nice to work with, very fast shipping.

In general i prefer to pick and choose individual parts...but with hammer, disconnector, sear i prefer purchasing a cohesive kit. Harrison is tough to beat and very helpful to boot. His grip safety and sights are terrific.

Stan Chen's parts are works of art.

I would love to get my hands on a Jem "Master Tactical" or "Master extended" frame...

I had stumbled upon Thunder Mountain a while back, but the lack of feedback made me hesitant on ordering their parts. I will give them a try.

Like MV said, it is a shame Fusion's recently trouble with slides, given their slide selection being the best I can find right now. I have only ordered their old line of slides before they introduced their new "Diamond" series, and they were okay, so if the recent problems are isolated to only their "Diamond" series, I would not hesitate to order from them again...

MV, was the latest slide you ordered part of their "Diamond" series?

[MosinVirus]

MV, was the latest slide you ordered part of their "Diamond" series?

Yes. DIA for diamond? It was this one: http://www.fusionfirearms.com/1911-s...ing-serrations

[pklin1297]

Yes. DIA for diamond? It was this one: http://www.fusionfirearms.com/1911-s...ing-serrations

I think their old series of slides were made for them, but their current Diamond series might be made in house, or they simply switched suppliers. Regardless, they have some QC/programming issues they must work through or this "exciting new project" (as stated by Bob in our email correspondence) is going to be a non-starter...

I don't think you had problems with the old series of slides from Fusion? The only problem I had was what we talked about regarding the possible out of spec barrel shoulder on the slide...

Sorry to hijack this thread... But hopefully all this discussion can help the OP decide on parts...

[d0rkb3r7]

speaking of steel frame, just received one from Discount Parts & More (aka Thunder Guns.) It's pretty rough; uneven machining, poor casting (think early TM frames.) I don't recommend it.

edit:can't seem to get imgs to show.

[MosinVirus]

Pics, pics, pics!!!

[pklin1297]

Pics, pics, pics!!!

https://thundertactical.com/collections/1911/products/1911-80-full-size-frame-416r-stainless-steel?variant=29493924742

False advertising strikes again... Good looking pics until you get it in hand... Reminds me of these frames: http://www.hellfirearmory.com/1911-80-Frame (Also on my Do-not-purchase list).

[d0rkb3r7]

https://thundertactical.com/collecti...nt=29493924742


False advertising strikes again... Good looking pics until you get it in hand... Reminds me of these frames: http://www.hellfirearmory.com/1911-80-Frame (Also on my Do-not-purchase list).

I do have hellfire frames and i think they're better than thundergun's frame.

[pklin1297]

I do have hellfire frames and i think they're better than thundergun's frame.

Compare the hellfire to a set of prints first if possible. I can't remember exactly where the specs were off, I think the hole locations, but they were off. For sure the deck height from the slide stop pin hole was shorter than the .346 - .348 than I'm comfortable with. If you've checked yours against prints and it was good and you feel comfortable, go for it.