Building your own 1911; am I crazy?

[Gunslinger1911]

I had fun building mine, lots of meticulous fitting !!
I had customized a few 1911's before so had some hands on.
STI fitted frame and slide, mix of Wilson and Ed Brown parts.
Did I mention 10mm chambering.
Whole 'nother bit of research on how to get recoil impulse right (high pressure and velocity v/s low pressure and velocity).

Could have bought a 10mm DW for about the same price as I have in parts - wouldn't have the satisfaction of doing it myself though.

[marvelshooter]

I have built two - both with Caspian frames and slides. The first is a 9mm that I built because I won the parts in a raffle at a shooting match. I used a KKM barrel and it shoots very well. The second I built into a .45 target pistol. The reason I built it over buying one already built is our anti gun state has a list of approved handguns that can be bought new. There are very few 1911's on the list and as far as I know none are series 70 which is what I wanted for a bullseye gun. Parts including frames and slides are not considered guns and you can buy all you want. A lot of people go this route for target 1911's.

[35remington]

Be sure to account for the "newbie effect." The problem with the pursuit of the self built world beater 1911 is human nature and the fact that you haven't built one before.

Make sure you view it as the value of the learning experience, not just some unrealistic idea that you can do it better because you will not, and especially not with your first one. Believe me, on your first one you always, always think later of what you SHOULD have done. Cheaper 1911's that function better are found when you pay someone else to do the work OR pay yourself a lot of money and TIME to do the work after you pay in time and money for mistakes.

I think everyone should attempt to build a 1911 that wants to do it. It's a worthwhile experience. Just have a realistic perspective on how well amateurs do anything on their first tries.

[Forrest r]

After shooting/building 1911's for 3+ decades in calibers ranging from 9mm to 45acp it's hard to to beat the plain jane springfield armory ro series 45acp. Read allot of good things about them so I went to a gunshow an sold a beater s&w 41 with a couple of extras & bought a springfield ro. Nothing fancy to brag about & did the tried & true h&g #68 with a bullseye load of 3.6g to 4.0g. 15 minutes of testing produced this:

[IMG][/IMG]

I guess I could tweet/modify the 1911 45acp springfield ro but @ the end of the day that group was shot with old eyes/iron sights with the 1911 resting on a rolled up piece of cardboard. Everything I read about the ro said it was a shooter & everything I've done with it has been extremely consistent. Put a progressive spring in it & it shoots anything from mild to wild. No ftf's, jambs of any kind & has cycled the 40+ loads with the 10 cast boolits I've tried without any issues. Jacketed/home swaged bullets do ok in the ro also, Testing some home made swaged buillets/p+ hp's @ 50 ft off-hand with a double tap included.

[IMG][/IMG]

$750 buys allot of 1911, see you at the range.

[wyrmzr]

A large part of the reason for doing this is to test myself; honestly, that's probably the primary reason. That, and the fact I can buy one piece at a time.
I don't expect my first build to be as accurate as a high dollar custom build, and in fact, I expect that there will be some parts that I will wind up buying more than once as I screw something up. With any luck, I can use the screwed up parts to build a less accurate, but still functional 1911.

[Jupiter7]

After shooting/building 1911's for 3+ decades in calibers ranging from 9mm to 45acp it's hard to to beat the plain jane springfield armory ro series 45acp. Read allot of good things about them so I went to a gunshow an sold a beater s&w 41 with a couple of extras & bought a springfield ro. Nothing fancy to brag about & did the tried & true h&g #68 with a bullseye load of 3.6g to 4.0g. 15 minutes of testing produced this:

[IMG][/IMG]

I guess I could tweet/modify the 1911 45acp springfield ro but @ the end of the day that group was shot with old eyes/iron sights with the 1911 resting on a rolled up piece of cardboard. Everything I read about the ro said it was a shooter & everything I've done with it has been extremely consistent. Put a progressive spring in it & it shoots anything from mild to wild. No ftf's, jambs of any kind & has cycled the 40+ loads with the 10 cast boolits I've tried without any issues. Jacketed/home swaged bullets do ok in the ro also, Testing some home made swaged buillets/p+ hp's @ 50 ft off-hand with a double tap included.

[IMG][/IMG]

$750 buys allot of 1911, see you at the range.

i liked my Range Officer so much I bought a second one. For $750, it's really tough to beat. Not to say I don't like nicer guns, I've got dan wesson, STI's, and higher end springfields. I doubt my attempts at building would come close to some of the $1500+ guns I've got, heck probably not close to $800 guns. I'm still in the slow process of a lightweight cheap build from 80% aluminum frame. It'll end up being a 4.25" light GI-esque build with very little money put into it, a real beater.

[KYCaster]

As far as my definition of match grade, it has to be more accurate than me. I want to be able to hand it off to some of the old timers at the range and watch them put a magazine in the 10 ring, like they do with their own $1200+ guns, but I want to be able to say I built it, rather than just bought it off the shelf.

So, go out and buy the cheapest *** 1911 you can find. If it doesn't shoot like you want it to, figger out why and fix it! If you start with someone's custom parts, how you gonna know what it takes to make it what it's supposed to be?

You're going to screw up plenty of parts learning to build a top of the line gun, you may as well start with junk parts and try to learn why they don't work. You'll save lots of money that way....and probably end up with the same skills.

Just my not so humble opinion........
Jerry

P.S. Get both Jerry Kuhnhausen's 1911 books, also Bob Lundergren's book.

[Love Life]

Go for it. There are two paths to follow: Start with premium parts from the ground up, or buy a beater 1911 and replace parts as you go.

I think you'll get much out of the experience either way.

My investment in tools and parts has already far exceeded the cost of the base gun, but I am learning a lot. I own and have read the shop manuals, and building the gun myself is letting me see all the info in the manuals come to life.

I will never, ever get out of this gun what I put in. However, the education has been great. Just by dis/*** a bunch of times I already feel better about taking apart my higher end 1911 pistols.

I can take the lessons learned here, and mistakes, and do a much better job on a future build or a more proficient job working on my current stable of 1911 pistols.

[ddixie884]

Many a good 1911 has been built with an aftermarket frame and surplus parts. Doesn't take a master pistolsmith......
A 4" at 50yds gun is more reliable and I cant shoot that good off hand.

[1911KY]

P.S. Get both Jerry Kuhnhausen's 1911 books, also Bob Lundergren's book.

Before you start, get at least one of these if not both. You will need a good reference on fitting a barrel. Also, on sear and hammer hook geometry.

To get great accuracy out of a 1911, the barrel and bushing have to be fit properly. If you don't have something to reference, you will have wasted a lot of money on the most important part of the build.

I have been researching a build for the past few months. I am slowly acquiring the tools needed to do so.

Sign up on the 1911forum.com and ask questions in the gunsmithing section, a lot of the best builders frequent that sub-forum.

[Green Frog]

wyrmzr, as this thread has progressed, your attitude and expectations seem to have also progressed as well. If you want the experience of building a 1911 clone from parts and of making it as good as you can, that will be a worthwhile endeavor. If you want a gun that will shoot with the Wilsons, Browns, and the other "big boys" you probably will be frustrated, especially the first time out.

I've built a couple of "utility grade" 1911s in the way you describe, and the experience (if not the product) was valuable to me. If I were going to start one today, I would start with a top-end frame and slide with the slide already cut for the sights I intended to use. I would buy good but not necessarily big name parts and fit the less expensive parts rather than trying to alter the frame and slide. In the end, the cost of building the gun would be at least equal to the cost of a good factory built gun, but I would have the advantage of knowing that gun and its parts completely... a valuable experience. You have to decide for yourself how much the experience will be worth to you.

Regards,
Froggie

[oldfart1956]

wyrmzr, since I'm way too computer illiterate to figure out how to post a link try this: go to Google and type in "1911 magazine analysis" and go to that web page. Find his write-up on building his first 1911. He has a wonderful sense of humor and a writing style that's fantastic. He did exactly what you're contemplating. If nothing else it's a great read. Mebbe someone here can post a proper link. Audie...the Oldfart.

[seagiant]

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

http://how-i-did-it.org/magazines2/

[1989toddm]

Thank you wyrmzr for starting this thread, I am just starting to read and learn about "building a 1911" and this thread helps greatly!

Thanks seagiant for those links..awesome write up!

[44man]

Lot harder then you think. I built a few for friends that bought the parts.
I did it but to buy a gun ready is really cheaper.

[10sandxs]

If you do decide to go down this road, the kart ez fit barrell (or exact fit bbl as they are trying to rebrand it) is the only way to go. Spend the money on the install kit. While it may not be necessary, it makes the job MUCH easier and more precise. It is the best system to date for supporting the rear of the barrell in a consistent lockup which results in the best accuracy.

I build bullseye 1911's as a side business. There are no secrets in a gun that was designed over 100 years ago. But the execution of the build and the processes that should be followed continue to evolve. There are many resources out there, but trust those from the major builders over joe schmoes YouTube post

[trickyasafox]

ares armor makes an interesting 80% frame if you really want to back up even a step further and finish off your own frame. I've never used so I can't comment on quality.

[44man]

My hardest problem was the link. He gave me a handful but none were correct. I made my own to get the right lock up. It is an area you can't see. Then watch the triggers, we can shoot my work but a friend will go auto with it.

[10sandxs]

The kart barrell has the link and lug leg geometry set. Your controlling engagement by the pads in the locking lugs which makes it much easier for someone with hand tools to get a good fit.

[DougGuy]

Updating my input here, since I have upped and built a 5" Gubmint model since last posting in this thread. I ended up with a WWII era Remington Rand slide made late in WWII, and so I decided to do a GI build the same way as a military armorer might have built one during the war from interchangeable parts. Rather than piece the whole thing together, I used the RR slide, and found a complete Auto Ordnance 1911A1 frame from Gunbroker at an affordable price, and started my build.

Frame arrived, slide went part of the way on and stopped. This, is a GOOD thing as it required the slide to be lapped to the frame, and needed just a teeny tiny bit of filing to get the two mated smoothly together. Military armorer would not have needed to do this part since the slide to frame fit of genuine WWII parts would have rattled like an old Model T on a cattle bridge.. Chalk up one critical improvement that USED to drive 1911 builders absolutely NUTS, tightening the slide to the frame rails.. <-- This part, used to be the MOST difficult and MOST expensive part of the build. Now, with companies making aftermarket components with improved dimensions, we are SPARED the REAL WORK and will have a tack driver to show for those improvements! Next!!

I put up a post looking for a barrel here on the forum, and was connected properly with a barrel AND a bushing from a member here who shall remain anonymous (for no real reason..) and I assembled the pistol from the parts I collected from all over the USA. Gunbroker, Castboolits forum, my own parts box, and ebay.

I was not too concerned with accuracy, although I did luck out and get a really good shooter that locks up very tightly. I was after the look and feel of a WWII issued 1911A1 where they issued you one and you just learned how to shoot THAT GUN because you were stuck with it. It has the horrible gritty very stiff trigger like a stock as-issued 1911A1 would have had, but I learned to shoot it as is, and it's getting smoother over time.

This build was not really a "build" at all, not in any real sense of the word, there were no jigs, no fitting of match grade parts, no trigger job, the ONLY things I did besides lapping the slide to the frame which was necessary to even assemble the gun, was to file and tune the extractor, and throat the barrel so it would chamber and shoot .452" boolits. The rest of it, and the result, is a box stock as-issued 1911A1 which harkens back to the days where the Greatest Generation were proving themselves beyond any conceivable test, with a 1911A1 strapped to their web belt and a M1 Garand slung across their shoulder.

Auto Ordnance frame from Gunbroker ($299 + shipping and there are still some available as of this post) Yep, MADE IN USA too!



Completed 1911A1:



First 8 rounds, fired two hands standing at about 10yds.



Overall I am quite happy with it, I think I have less than $450 in it, and it's definitely a keeper. I was very pleased with the quality and fitment of the Auto Ordnance frame, and have started building a Commander with an older Colt slide and well, might as well get another AO frame for this one too!