Posted: 8/14/2026 1:57:11 PM EDT
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Thinking about getting the stuff needed to build a 1911. The only thing is, I would be surprised if I made more than 1 or two. For that reason, I want to concentrate on things needed, and not the 'nice to have'. So far, I have figured that the following items are needed to build a 1911. What am I missing? Also, am I going about this in a decent way? 1911 Tools Colt 45 Auto Shop Manual-10th Edition Very Extra Narrow Swiss Pattern Pillar File #0 Cut Steel 1911 Plunger Tube Staking Tool BROWNELLS - MAGNA-TIP® 1911 AUTO BUSHING DRIVER™ BITS Ed Brown 1911 Sear Jig HD-806 True Radius PRO sear stoning jig Gunsmith's Premium Hard Arkansas Stone File Set Ed Brown Beavertail Installation Jig 1911 Hammer Squaring File Thank you! |
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Originally Posted By Shinji_Ikari: Thinking about getting the stuff needed to build a 1911. The only thing is, I would be surprised if I made more than 1 or two. For that reason, I want to concentrate on things needed, and not the 'nice to have'. So far, I have figured that the following items are needed to build a 1911. What am I missing? Also, am I going about this in a decent way? 1911 Tools Colt 45 Auto Shop Manual-10th Edition Very Extra Narrow Swiss Pattern Pillar File #0 Cut Steel 1911 Plunger Tube Staking Tool BROWNELLS - MAGNA-TIP® 1911 AUTO BUSHING DRIVER™ BITS Ed Brown 1911 Sear Jig HD-806 True Radius PRO sear stoning jig Gunsmith's Premium Hard Arkansas Stone File Set Ed Brown Beavertail Installation Jig 1911 Hammer Squaring File Thank you! That's not a bad start, but there's so much information on the internet that is contradictory, I would get Kuhnhausen’s The U.S. M1911/M1911A1 Pistols: A Shop Manual and this tool list from the NRA Montgomery (NC) CC short term gunsmithing - 1911 course - https://sftp.montgomery.edu/pdf/nra/tl/Custom-1911.pdf But, doing this 2 week school was the best investment I've made in a while. https://www.montgomery.edu/nra/ - Custom 1911 Pistol Build I did it and can do about anything on a 1911 with that tool list. |
Hell yeah I got a badge and I got balls like Death Stars, let's do this.
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Tennessee Squire
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Originally Posted By Cantshootstrate: That's not a bad start, but there's so much information on the internet that is contradictory, I would get Kuhnhausen’s The U.S. M1911/M1911A1 Pistols: A Shop Manual and this tool list from the NRA Montgomery (NC) CC short term gunsmithing - 1911 course - https://sftp.montgomery.edu/pdf/nra/tl/Custom-1911.pdf But, doing this 2 week school was the best investment I've made in a while. https://www.montgomery.edu/nra/ - Custom 1911 Pistol Build I did it and can do about anything on a 1911 with that tool list. Thank you VERY much for the tool list! I will think about the class. Any idea how much the component kit costs? |
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Originally Posted By Cantshootstrate: That's not a bad start, but there's so much information on the internet that is contradictory, I would get Kuhnhausen’s The U.S. M1911/M1911A1 Pistols: A Shop Manual and this tool list from the NRA Montgomery (NC) CC short term gunsmithing - 1911 course - https://sftp.montgomery.edu/pdf/nra/tl/Custom-1911.pdf But, doing this 2 week school was the best investment I've made in a while. https://www.montgomery.edu/nra/ - Custom 1911 Pistol Build I did it and can do about anything on a 1911 with that tool list. +1 on those Kuhnhausen’s The U.S. M1911/M1911A1 Pistols books. You can find it on Amazon for both books for about $80. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! |
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Originally Posted By Dunderway: What will your starting point be? A base Colt or SA, or an oversized frame and slide? Likely an oversized frame and slide. I am thinking that if I stick to good knowledge (the books) and hand tools (files and stones), it is unlikely I will royally fuck up.  But by using the books and sources like this, and choosing to take my time with hand tools, I should be able to cobble something together that works. Just do not want to go the way of mosinvirus. I remember watching his vids, and it was like he was more and more depressed. |
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Built 2 from parts with these two books. Good step by step with tips, tricks and things to avoid. Attached File |
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1st why are you getting 2 sear jigs Caspian arms will install small parts like the plunger tube, grip bushing for a reasonable cost when you buy their frames For barrels, even if you get a drop in, a 3/16 chain saw Swiss cut file is good to have A gunsmith fit barrel can be done with files, but the Brownells lug cutter is nice to have and get you close but you’ll still have to use a fie for the final fit |
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I used to get a lot of requests for advice on how to assemble a 1911. I always said the Number One thing is to buy quality name brand parts. Where people get into trouble is when using no-name gun show quality parts. That's because they're ALWAYS out of spec in at least some areas and most are substandard castings. When you assemble and a part doesn't fit correctly it's hard to figure out what's wrong because a part in not in spec. Also, with poor parts problems stack, which makes it even harder to figure out which part or assembly of parts is causing the trouble. Another piece of advise I usually gave, is if it's your first build, build a USGI type basic 1911 without any custom features. Once you can assemble a properly working gun and know how things fit and function, then you can modify it with custom parts, or build another gun with what you want on it. As a beginner trying to assemble a gun while also altering things for custom features can lead to having to buy more parts to replace ruined parts and a gun that doesn't function correctly. Also as above, buy both the Kuhnhausen Shop Manuals on the Colt .45 Autos. The first book has everything on how to install parts and how to troubleshoot. The second book has blueprints for all parts and more info. |
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Originally Posted By dfariswheel: I used to get a lot of requests for advice on how to assemble a 1911. I always said the Number One thing is to buy quality name brand parts. Where people get into trouble is when using no-name gun show quality parts. That's because they're ALWAYS out of spec in at least some areas and most are substandard castings. When you assemble and a part doesn't fit correctly it's hard to figure out what's wrong because a part in not in spec. Also, with poor parts problems stack, which makes it even harder to figure out which part or assembly of parts is causing the trouble. Another piece of advise I usually gave, is if it's your first build, build a USGI type basic 1911 without any custom features. Once you can assemble a properly working gun and know how things fit and function, then you can modify it with custom parts, or build another gun with what you want on it. As a beginner trying to assemble a gun while also altering things for custom features can lead to having to buy more parts to replace ruined parts and a gun that doesn't function correctly. Also as above, buy both the Kuhnhausen Shop Manuals on the Colt .45 Autos. The first book has everything on how to install parts and how to troubleshoot. The second book has blueprints for all parts and more info. This is sound advice with building a USGI type to start. I went that route and learned a lot, then started building other configurations. It can be addicting! |
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patience, a good shop light, and some files. I'm still looking for a deal on some patience. ETA: JEM turns out awesome frames / slides and can do a bunch for you as well when they do em up. |
Panem et Circenses
I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.
Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it. - Churchill
I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.
Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it. - Churchill
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Really nice to have = a magnifying visor. https://www.brownells.com/tools-cleaning/general-gunsmith-tools/shop-supplies/optivisor/  I put a headlamp above mine and it works out great. |
“In America, the impossible is what we do best"
"(Paraphrased) The best days are still ahead, I really believe this. [Rush Limbaugh]"
When crazy people have a nuclear weapon bad things happen. - President Donald J. Trump
"(Paraphrased) The best days are still ahead, I really believe this. [Rush Limbaugh]"
When crazy people have a nuclear weapon bad things happen. - President Donald J. Trump
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Originally Posted By dfariswheel: I used to get a lot of requests for advice on how to assemble a 1911. I always said the Number One thing is to buy quality name brand parts. Where people get into trouble is when using no-name gun show quality parts. That's because they're ALWAYS out of spec in at least some areas and most are substandard castings. When you assemble and a part doesn't fit correctly it's hard to figure out what's wrong because a part in not in spec. Also, with poor parts problems stack, which makes it even harder to figure out which part or assembly of parts is causing the trouble. Another piece of advise I usually gave, is if it's your first build, build a USGI type basic 1911 without any custom features. Once you can assemble a properly working gun and know how things fit and function, then you can modify it with custom parts, or build another gun with what you want on it. As a beginner trying to assemble a gun while also altering things for custom features can lead to having to buy more parts to replace ruined parts and a gun that doesn't function correctly. Also as above, buy both the Kuhnhausen Shop Manuals on the Colt .45 Autos. The first book has everything on how to install parts and how to troubleshoot. The second book has blueprints for all parts and more info. And I'm going to say it again - this is very sound advice and I've done about 10, with one in progress. |
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What have the Romans ever done for us?
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I've been told by a few top smiths that a few india stones are a must have. |
Panem et Circenses
I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.
Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it. - Churchill
I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.
Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it. - Churchill
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Ok, a couple of things: I have gotten the Kunhousen book and plan to start reading through it once the sun is up. After thinking a little bit more, I am leaning toward getting a 'project gun', buying one that already works, and doing the 'replace one part at a time' method. To that end, I have read that it is popular to get a Rock Island Armory '45 and use that as your project gun. Is that a viable option? And if I do go that route, would I be able to "smooth out" the slide-to-frame fit without messing up the coating? Is there a recommended 'order of operations' when working on a project gun? Have any of you guys had any luck fitting a new slide to an RIA frame? Or vice versa? I do want to build a 1911 from scratch / parts, but since I am a complete noob on the 1911 platform and understand there is a difference between assembling AR-15s and building a 1911, I think it prudent to begin with a functioning firearm. Again, thank you! |
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I would start with a cheap Tisas. All aftermarket parts are built to go in a Colt frame and the Tisas are very close. |
“In America, the impossible is what we do best"
"(Paraphrased) The best days are still ahead, I really believe this. [Rush Limbaugh]"
When crazy people have a nuclear weapon bad things happen. - President Donald J. Trump
"(Paraphrased) The best days are still ahead, I really believe this. [Rush Limbaugh]"
When crazy people have a nuclear weapon bad things happen. - President Donald J. Trump
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Been there, done that, got the t -shirt, wore out the t-shirt. I looked at Jem frames and slides. if you buy a slide and frame, your it's going to cost alot to build a no name gun. Remember on custom guns it's only special to the original owner. If you decide to sell nobody want's a parts gun build by a unknown smith. My Advice is buy a new Springfield Armory. You get a Forged slide fitted to a forged frame with a well fitted barrel. Now the internals are all MIM or cast and that's were you come in. Maybe a Harrison hammer , Sear, disconnector. a Nighthawk trigger, mag release, thumb safety, mainspring housing. then maybe some nice grips. Deep Rabbit Hole trust me 
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| Yup I have 2 STI government frames I bought ages ago along with Fusion slides. Built one into a 9mm government with a KKM barrel. The second one is getying built into a 9x23mm commander with KKM barrel. It cost me $550 just on the small bits to finish out the build on top of what I have in the barrel, slide and frame. |
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Well, I ended up with an RIA base GI model. I went to 4 stores and called another, and only the last place even had an entry-level gun. I could have ordered one and waited but I decided to just go ahead and get what I could find. Earlier in the day, I got a set of various files and some sandpaper (300-1000 grit) at, of all places, a hobby store. We got home late, so I am gonna break it down, clean it, and apply my oil today. I did not realize, but I do appreciate that they dunked it in oil before leaving the factory.  Since I shoot left-handed, I am going to have to replace the safety and likely the grips, since they help hold the right-side safety in place. I have also noticed the trigger has some up-and-down play, so I am going to replace that as well. Is there a recommended order for upgrading or swapping out parts? When I think it through, it is likely better to start at either the first or the last part of a sequence if you plan to change everything one by one. The other school of thought would be to swap 'whatever' part, ensure it works, then pick another part to replace, then rinse and repeat. Believe I have some 1/4 inch square steel stock. If I do, I can grind the opposite side down to a thickness suitable for a sanding block. Thank you, guys! |
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Originally Posted By Sierradyne: +1 on those Kuhnhausen’s The U.S. M1911/M1911A1 Pistols books. You can find it on Amazon for both books for about $80. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Both manuals are online PDFs as well, if you don't need the printed books. |
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Going from maintaining a 1911 to turning one into “the one” (at least for now) is a pretty deep rabbit hole. Be prepared… The sear spring in my son’s “fresh out of the box” RIA failed after less than 50 rounds. Wolff Springs to the rescue, and I had the gun back in working order as soon as the spring came in the mail. Point: while RIAs can be great pistols, “trust but verify” that puppy. I can’t remember whether the RIA mainspring housing is plastic or steel, but while plastic ones work, you may want to change it for the profile you prefer anyway. There’s some benefit in actually shooting a pistol you plan on messing with before you start messing with it. There could be glaring problems that only show up when it’s actually fired, like the slide and disconnector not getting along under pressure. This can also give you a functional baseline to compare your work against. I’ve written and deleted a bunch of advice here because it just got too wordy. It boils down to take your time, know what you are trying to do, keep your reference material open when you do it, and (most important) only do one specific thing - i.e. stoning the sear - at a time. |
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Originally Posted By GHPorter: Going from maintaining a 1911 to turning one into “the one” (at least for now) is a pretty deep rabbit hole. Be prepared… The sear spring in my son’s “fresh out of the box” RIA failed after less than 50 rounds. Wolff Springs to the rescue, and I had the gun back in working order as soon as the spring came in the mail. Point: while RIAs can be great pistols, “trust but verify” that puppy. I can’t remember whether the RIA mainspring housing is plastic or steel, but while plastic ones work, you may want to change it for the profile you prefer anyway. There’s some benefit in actually shooting a pistol you plan on messing with before you start messing with it. There could be glaring problems that only show up when it’s actually fired, like the slide and disconnector not getting along under pressure. This can also give you a functional baseline to compare your work against. I’ve written and deleted a bunch of advice here because it just got too wordy. It boils down to take your time, know what you are trying to do, keep your reference material open when you do it, and (most important) only do one specific thing - i.e. stoning the sear - at a time. The main spring housing is metal. Yeah, everyone has said to only work on 1 part at a time and ensure it works. Thank you! |
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Originally Posted By 0100010: Both manuals are online PDFs as well, if you don't need the printed books. Originally Posted By 0100010: Both manuals are online PDFs as well, if you don't need the printed books. I’d go for the printed books. The one place I found Jerry’s books online with a free download had this as the only review: My name is Robynn Kuhnhausen Browne. My dad wrote these books and my family sells them to this very day. It's how we make our living. Please pull these down ASAP. You might own the books that you scanned, but you do not own the rights to distribute the books in this way. You are essentially steeling from my family by your unauthorized sharing of our intellectual property. It might not seem like a big deal to you but my dad and mom spent thousands of hours writing, photographing, typesetting, designing, and editing each title they wrote. They also invested their hard earned money having the books printed. Additionally, the books have copyrights which makes your activity illegal. Please take these PDFs down, it is the ethical and moral thing to do. Thank you, Robynn The books are still under copyright, and Jerry’s family still publishes them. You can buy them directly from Heritage Gun Books or from Amazon. I’m expecting mine to arrive next week. |
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Originally Posted By Cantshootstrate: That's not a bad start, but there's so much information on the internet that is contradictory, I would get Kuhnhausen’s The U.S. M1911/M1911A1 Pistols: A Shop Manual and this tool list from the NRA Montgomery (NC) CC short term gunsmithing - 1911 course - https://sftp.montgomery.edu/pdf/nra/tl/Custom-1911.pdf But, doing this 2 week school was the best investment I've made in a while. https://www.montgomery.edu/nra/ - Custom 1911 Pistol Build I did it and can do about anything on a 1911 with that tool list. Originally Posted By Cantshootstrate: Originally Posted By Shinji_Ikari: Thinking about getting the stuff needed to build a 1911. The only thing is, I would be surprised if I made more than 1 or two. For that reason, I want to concentrate on things needed, and not the 'nice to have'. So far, I have figured that the following items are needed to build a 1911. What am I missing? Also, am I going about this in a decent way? 1911 Tools Colt 45 Auto Shop Manual-10th Edition Very Extra Narrow Swiss Pattern Pillar File #0 Cut Steel 1911 Plunger Tube Staking Tool BROWNELLS - MAGNA-TIP® 1911 AUTO BUSHING DRIVER™ BITS Ed Brown 1911 Sear Jig HD-806 True Radius PRO sear stoning jig Gunsmith's Premium Hard Arkansas Stone File Set Ed Brown Beavertail Installation Jig 1911 Hammer Squaring File Thank you! That's not a bad start, but there's so much information on the internet that is contradictory, I would get Kuhnhausen’s The U.S. M1911/M1911A1 Pistols: A Shop Manual and this tool list from the NRA Montgomery (NC) CC short term gunsmithing - 1911 course - https://sftp.montgomery.edu/pdf/nra/tl/Custom-1911.pdf But, doing this 2 week school was the best investment I've made in a while. https://www.montgomery.edu/nra/ - Custom 1911 Pistol Build I did it and can do about anything on a 1911 with that tool list. Here's the pistol I built at Montgomery:  A typical 25 yard target:  New target with 16 shots:  I want to go back to build a Commander size gun. I have taken a few courses at MCC. Here's the pistol when it was a "single shot":  |
Keep your powder dry, and watch your back trail.
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Originally Posted By Andrapos: This is sound advice with building a USGI type to start. I went that route and learned a lot, then started building other configurations. It can be addicting! The Kuhnausen manual and the above advice. Don't really care what you start with, but I would start with a complete gun and mod it to whatever you want FIRST. When you are done with that you'll know what tools you need with the exception of the slide fitting. Fit a barrel, bushing, trigger assembly, safety, beavertail, Fit a couple extractors from New and refit your original (because that's the most common Failure point of a 1911 behind the mags so get familiar with it) etc etc You can start with a Tisas (bought my last one about 5 yrs ago so that's what I reference this from) the quality was GREAT and the price was awesome. Don't know what they are now. Or Springfield. I have Rock Island that's a good gun but in working on it there is quite a bit that is out of spec a little that will cause you issues on your first time. Don't have any experience with anything else I would recommend you starting on.. the only thing you miss out on here is fitting the slide to the frame... If I were learning the 1911 over again I would start that way. I wouldn't jump in with both feet on a full build for the first one. If you start with a 9mm you can fit a 38 super or 9x23 barrel and have a switch barrel gun, Start with a 10 mm and fit a 40 S&W. both those platforms are more finicky than a 45 ACP however. EGW for extractors btw (because they are oversized enough to fit correctly) Edited to add. Since I just got to the end of the thread and you bought the RIA - I would not start doing literally anything until you put a couple boxes of shells through it . Preferably a couple hundred. Make sure it actually WORKS. Then for order.... not really. I would start with reliability, extractor, springs mags Trigger - yes there is an order - buy ALL the Fire control /trigger parts at one time Hammer, Sear, Disconnector. You want to fit all those together not fit and refit and you can refit your existing parts and learn on them. My RIA internal parts were TRASH and the actual Trigger shoe was Steel and heavy as hell. The up and down on your trigger is just slop and youll have to buy a new trigger and fit it, or you could go the old gunsmith route and drill holes and install delrin pins to take up the space (thats a joke - WAY too much work) from there its whatever you want to do. |
| Look at Caspian's integral plunger tube option on their frames. It probably costs less as a frame upgrade option than a plunger tube and the tools to install it. |
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