1911 build coming to fruition

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loose_holster_dan

New member
I figured I had better start a new thread, since the old one started last year.

I just got in a huge chunk of my parts from Fusion last night.

He forgot to send me some of the parts, but I was able to fake it up enough for a picture.

I paid him to fit the frame to Caspian slide and Ed Brown bull barrel I bought on gunbroker. The fit is extremely tight. It actually takes some muscle just to move the slide along the frame. With the barrel and guide rod installed, it becomes very difficult. The barrel likes to lock up once in battery. I actually have to press down on the top of the barrel to get the slide to come forward again.

I expected a better fit using all his frame parts on his frame, but this was not the case. The thumb safety does not want to go all the way through the frame and grip safety. That's going to require some fitting. Also, the Wilson Combat mags do not fit without modification. I removed the baseplate, and it slid all the way in. Hopefully, it is the right height. Also, I have to press the mag release to get the mag to go in.

I don't have the mainspring housing pin, the mainspring retaining screw, the plunger parts, or the grip screws. Bob told me he would send them to me.

I definitely plan on replacing the front sight. The all black blade just isn't visible enough for my tastes. I'll probably end up with some kind of fiber optic.

IMG_20120201_230138.jpg


IMG_20120202_234823.jpg
 
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mellow_c

New member
Looks real nice, sorry to hear about all the complications. Hope you can get them all worked out and it becomes a real nice shooter:)
 
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KC Rob

New member
Looking at the pics again (love those grips, what kind of wood is that?) it appears that the front sight is in backwards? Maybe it is the angle of the picture, but shouldn't it be taller in the back and slope towards the front? All my handguns (trust me, I went and looked to make sure I wasn't a dummy) are taller facing the shooter and slope down towards the muzzle.

**Edit** The more I look at it, the more convinced I am that it is an optical illusion, a shadow or something making it look that way to me. Now I am pretty sure the sight is level from front to back, not sloped at all, am I right? **
 
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loose_holster_dan

New member
it's sloped on both sides. in fact i think the slope may be more pronounced towards the rear. it's weird that's for sure. i might try painting that surface to increase visibility, but chances are, i'll just replace it.
 
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loose_holster_dan

New member
upon further inspection, it looks like the lower barrel link is not doing its job correctly. it seems to be a little late in pulling the barrel down and taking it out of battery when the slide is pulled towards the rear. still not sure how to fix that.

i was working on the thumb safety last night. i finally got it to pin thru the frame and grip safety, but now i can't get it out! it seems to be catching on the sear, so i can't get it high enough to clear the frame. it only moves about half way between fire position and safe position. it gets stuck just before the position where you could take it out. i plan on tinkering with it some more at some point this weekend. not sure when i'm going to have the chance tho. i'm working today and have the super bowl festivities tomorrow.
 
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loose_holster_dan

New member
still don't have all my parts from fusion.
work is crazy busy right now, so i haven't had time to do much with this project. i did do a little fitting on the safety on friday night. as you can see below, the safety was hitting the sear even with the sear all the way down.

IMG_20120204_231046.jpg


i didn't quite get it all the way cleaned up before i had to run out to a bday party. it feels like it may be hitting on the hammer as well. this is not a part of the gun that have ANY experience with, so i will be taking it slow and one step at a time. i'm going to make sure the sear isn't giving it any more trouble before i move on to the hammer.

i also think i got the barrel link where it needs to be. it's still a little tight, but the barrel link seems to be pulling down when it should now.

IMG_20120203_183747.jpg
 
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loose_holster_dan

New member
I had a little time last night, so i did some fitting on the mag release and the wilson combat mag floorplates. I wanted to make sure the slide would lock back on an empty, so i put a mag in and racked the slide. It would stay back if i REALLY pulled it back hard, but then i couldnt release the slide until i had dropped the mag. Upon closer inspection, i found that the slide position while fully locked forward is a tiny bit too far forward. This is most likely causing my slide catch problem as well as the problem i was seeing with the barrel link. It will def cause issue when it comes time to fire as the hammer wont be striking as far forward as it should. Time to do some research. I know what parts to suspect, but I have no idea how to fix this.

i believe all other fitting is done with the exception of the grip safety. i need to remove about 1/16" from the surface that contacts the trigger bow. with the grip safety pinned in place by the thumb safety, the trigger can't go all the way back. with the thumb safety out, i can watch the through hole go out of alignment when i pull the trigger. this shouldn't be too difficult.

IMG_20120208_230157.jpg
 
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loose_holster_dan

New member
i contacted Bob at Fusion, as the slide/barrel to frame fitting was supposed to be done by him prior to shipment. he has agreed to take a look at it free of charge and will be paying for shipping both ways. while i wish it was done right the first time, i do appreciate good customer service when someone needs to take responsibility for their mistake.
 
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Don P

New member
Maybe it was done right the first time. Careful to point fingers at this point until the cause is known. As the say no need to shoot one self in the foot just yet, ( no pun intended)
 
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loose_holster_dan

New member
i'm not really sure who else could be responsible. i'm using all the parts he gave me. nothing has been modified since he sent it other than fitting the thumb safety. regardless, i'm sure he'll fix it. he seems like an honest guy.
 
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Don P

New member
My point is he is picking up round trip shipping and inspecting it and I'll assume will fix and make it right if it is there fault. To place blame on a open forum not really knowing what is wrong is sort of like putting the wagon in front of the horse. You need him in your corner instead of across the ring.
Just my 2 schillings worth
 
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WVsig

New member
Sounds like a Fusion Custom job to me..... :eek:

Sorry but Bob Serva's shop is hit or miss. This is his MO. The level of attention to detail out of that shop is IMHO lacking.

Some people get great guns and great work some people get return shipping labels. LOL ;)
 
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loose_holster_dan

New member
that's kind of the feeling i get. if he wasn't such a nice guy, i'd be pretty angry. as it is, he is extremely friendly and willing to correct his mistakes so far. as long as the final product is a gun that shoots reliably and accurately, i don't mind the trouble.
 
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vladan

New member
The way I understand it the Fusion is expanding and Mr. Serva have bunch of new people in shop who might not be as experienced as he is...
I have built my 10mm 1911 on Fusion frame, slide and barrel combo about three years ago that performs absolutelly flawless. After several thousands double tap, buffallo bore and "full house" handloads it is still one of most accurate and reliable guns I own.
Once my budget allows I am going to use his frame/slide/barrel combo for my next build - .40/10mm hi-cap STI 2011 style pistol
 
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