So I want to build a 1911...

[bushidomosquito]

And I want to do it right. This has been a dream project of mine for many years and I think it's time to get started. I'm no gunsmith but I am a certified machinist with many years of metalworking experiance and my hobbies always center around some sort of metalwork. I like to do the difficult things, which turned me onto working with titanium and damascus about 10 years ago and I have been making custom jewellery from those materials ever since. I've had a thing for Japanese swords all my life, which lead me to making tsuba from any plate of steel I could find. Those have been my main two interests for quite some time but everything I learned was from trial and error because there just isn't much info out there on either subject.

Building a 1911 however, is something I can research the hell out of before even getting started. There is more info out there than I can ever read so I come to the gunsmiths of TFL for advise. I'm looking for something classy, no light rails, doctor sights or lasergrips for me. I've settled on working with steel parts because I plan to have everything hardcoated in black. What I need to know is what's the easiest route with high quality parts? If I stick to one manufacturer, can I expect everything to require less fitting? Are there any kits out there without junk parts?

 

[Hawg]

Numrich used to sell kits to build Auto Ordnance 1911's even after they sold out to Kahr. They don't list them now but might still sell you one if you call and ask.

 

[Harry Bonar]

1911

Sir:
You certainly sound like a very accomplished individual and welcome to the forum.
I do not think you'll have any trouble. I would buy Ed Brown parts, or one of the better makers; Wilson is good, and if you want to upgrade an existing pistol - well, most of them are now featuring pistols already upgraded - I think you want to "build" one! That stated I'd get Brownells catalog and you'll find eyerything you'll need.
Harry B.

 

[jmorris]

I built one from the ground up using a 2011 frame from STI. I fit both a “shorty” open top end and a regular commander top end (for IDPA and USPSA). If you are fitting just one slide it will be a much easier project. There are several specialized tools you will need to buy and/or make if you want a precision fit (no drop in parts. I would suggest taking a look at the AGI video for building a custom 1911 to see the operations required (a picture is worth a 1000 words and a video is worth 100000000’s). http://www.schuemann.com/ sells the barrel I used and has other info you might be interested in.

 

[Dfariswheel]

Here's your first steps.

1. Order a Brownell's Gunsmith's Catalog.
They sell professional gunsmith tools and all the parts to build a top quality gun.
This is the BEST "gun stuff" catalog in the world, and the price is refunded on the first order:
http://www.brownells.com

2. Order from Brownell's the book "The Colt 1911 Automatic: A Shop Manual, Volume One" by Jerry Kuhnhausen.
Volume One deals with how to fit new parts and other practical gunsmithing on the 1911. Volume Two is more into blueprints of parts and higher-end custom work.

READ both the catalog and the Kuhnhausen book cover to cover.

Only after reading the book, do you start to order parts.
For ease of assembly, stick to higher end parts by Wilson, Brown, and others.
The "generic" gun show and discount catalog parts are ALWAYS out of spec in at least some areas. These are usually cast parts of low quality.

Using top quality parts which are in spec makes fitting and trouble shooting parts much easier, since you don't have to figure out what's out of spec.
When you use out of spec parts, problems tend to "stack" and errors cause bigger and bigger problems as parts are added.

Keep it simple for the first build. The simplest 1911 is a standard no-frills Government Model. Once you have a assembled, properly working gun you'll have learned HOW the 1911 fits together and how it operates.
You can then either customize the gun, or build a new one with all the bells and whistles.

3. If possible buy a pre-fitted slide and frame kit. Most of the better makers offer pre-fitted slides and frames that require only assembling the small parts to.
Also buy a "drop-in" barrel, which requires little to no fitting.

 

[jmorris]

All good suggestions above but if you are looking for perfection (by being a machinist for many years) I would leave out.

“3. If possible buy a pre-fitted slide and frame kit. Most of the better makers offer pre-fitted slides and frames that require only assembling the small parts to. Also buy a "drop-in" barrel, which requires little to no fitting.”

If you want one that’s out of the box it’s much cheaper to buy it finished than in pieces (think auto parts). If you want one that is fit perfect someone has to take the time to do it. If you just want to “assemble” a 1911 from parts, I suggest you add up the cost of everything you want and see what kind of 1911 the cash would buy first.

 

[bushidomosquito]

I prefer to do this the hard way, if I just wanted a 1911 I would go out and buy one but the experiance of building it myself is really what I'm after. Aside from the few remaining traditional japanese bladesmiths, I think good gunsmiths are the cream of the crop of metalworkers and I would like to play their game a time or two.

To give myself the best chance of success, I'm thinking Ed Brown parts all around. I added up the cost of everything but frame and slide, chose hardcore whenever available, and it came to just under $700. I can live with that. The Ed Brown website shows no frames or slides for sale so does anyone know where I can find them? I assume from the prices of other quality parts that I can expect to pay around $500 for the set which brings me to around $1400 once I have them GenIII coated. That's about the price of a top of the line Kimber but I get to do all the dirty work.