Posted: 11/15/2016 10:25:41 PM EDT
| So when I was 18 I built my first AR and fell in love with it and consequently the idea of building my own things and in general making things my own with my own personal touch. Sense then I've become a Machinist and tool maker, building things for a living. So now I'm wanting to build a 1911. I'm wondering if any of you guys have any experience in building them and if so what are some horror stories that you might have and what would be the difficulty level of putting one together. I also already own a 1911 and have shot it many years so I'm not new to the platform. And feel free to post pics of your builds! Thanks in advance for your replies. |
| I have seen RIA kits on eBay for $340. Get a frame for $100 and you are at the buy price for the factory gun. I love tinkering so it could be a fun project but it's still a project with the best outcome being equal to buying the factory gun with a lot of man hours involved. |
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I have seen RIA kits on eBay for $340. Get a frame for $100 and you are at the buy price for the factory gun. I love tinkering so it could be a fun project but it's still a project with the best outcome being equal to buying the factory gun with a lot of man hours involved. Caspian sells blem frames for $110-$115. Seems like a good place to start if you are putting an RIA kit on it. But who are we fooling. By the time it's done it will be full of high end parts. |
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Caspian sells blem frames for $110-$115. Seems like a good place to start if you are putting an RIA kit on it. But who are we fooling. By the time it's done it will be full of high end parts. Quoted:
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I have seen RIA kits on eBay for $340. Get a frame for $100 and you are at the buy price for the factory gun. I love tinkering so it could be a fun project but it's still a project with the best outcome being equal to buying the factory gun with a lot of man hours involved. Caspian sells blem frames for $110-$115. Seems like a good place to start if you are putting an RIA kit on it. But who are we fooling. By the time it's done it will be full of high end parts. Yep, and while you're at the range trouble shooting FTEs the guy in the next bay over will put 4 boxes of trouble free ammo through his (insert maker) tactical model that cost $500 less then what you have in the project gun. |
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I built one a year or so ago, it was fun and the gun turned out great.
You will not save any money by diy, but that's not really the point. no horror stories here, buy quality parts, use a file not a dremel. don't force things, use the file a little more. measure 3 times, then use the special file |
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Like you, I started with ARs, have always liked the 1911, and wanted to really learn how the 1911 works. The other factor was that I wanted a real 1911A1 as a shooter, so learning to build was a logical step.
My first build as a learning experience. Learning points - (1) I had to file the frame rails to fit the slide (2) I had to fit the thumb safety 
My second build - (1) I had to file the frame rails to fit the slide (2) I had to fit the thumb safety 
I think that I have spotted a trend. |
| If you are a machinist the. That is a huge leg up. I would echo most here a pile of high quality parts will cost as much as a new Colt 70 series reproduction. As also said even if you are a talented machinist when done if you decide to sell expect about 70% of the parts cost for the value of the complete gun |
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Yep, and while you're at the range trouble shooting FTEs the guy in the next bay over will put 4 boxes of trouble free ammo through his (insert maker) tactical model that cost $500 less then what you have in the project gun. Quoted:
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I have seen RIA kits on eBay for $340. Get a frame for $100 and you are at the buy price for the factory gun. I love tinkering so it could be a fun project but it's still a project with the best outcome being equal to buying the factory gun with a lot of man hours involved. Caspian sells blem frames for $110-$115. Seems like a good place to start if you are putting an RIA kit on it. But who are we fooling. By the time it's done it will be full of high end parts. Yep, and while you're at the range trouble shooting FTEs the guy in the next bay over will put 4 boxes of trouble free ammo through his (insert maker) tactical model that cost $500 less then what you have in the project gun. Kit is $350 + $115 frame = $455... so where do you get a problem free pistol someone gives you $5 to take? |
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There isn't that much machining involved as there is hand filing and fitting.
Depends on the parts too. If you buy a bunch of gunsmith fit parts like Kart barrels and EGW internals, you will be doing a lot more fitting than if you just slapped together some random parts kit. Detailed knowledge of how the 1911 works and the dimensions, tolerances, and specifications are required knowledge if you want to have an accurate, reliable gun at the end of the process. Not to say you can't get lucky and build one anyway. |
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ARs are assembled.
1911s are built. If all you want is a GI quality gun buy one. If you want something 'better' (at least in the eyes if the beholder) build one. Kuhnhausen is the 'standard' manual for the start of a target grade gun. You will notice that many 1911 parts come 'pre-fitted' or 'gunsmith fit.' 'Gunsmith fit' generally means they are slightly oversize in critical areas and require the removal of metal from the part to match the gun it is going into. Read at least Volume 1 of Kuhnhausen before you do anything else. Do not buy anything else first (unless it is a complete and operating gun). |
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If you actually plan on using GOOD QUALITY parts, save yourself the time and money and get a nice semicustom.
Something along the lines o a Wilson, Baer, nighthawk, ed brown, will cost you about the same or probably a little less than building a 1911 with good quality components. |
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I recently finished a 2011 in 9mm on an 80% frame. No horror stories. I wasted about 30 rounds of ammo clipping/tuning a Govt recoil spring to get it to function before my commander springs got in. Lots of filing, lots of Dykem, more filing, then bam it's done. I am not a machinist and have only done 80% ARs on my mini mill. This was my first foray into 1911 building. It wasn't too bad. Oh, my price in parts was about $400 less than a factory STI offering. I probably ended up way over including a cost for labor.   CHRIS |
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Yep, and while you're at the range trouble shooting FTEs the guy in the next bay over will put 4 boxes of trouble free ammo through his (insert maker) tactical model that cost $500 less then what you have in the project gun. Quoted:
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I have seen RIA kits on eBay for $340. Get a frame for $100 and you are at the buy price for the factory gun. I love tinkering so it could be a fun project but it's still a project with the best outcome being equal to buying the factory gun with a lot of man hours involved. Caspian sells blem frames for $110-$115. Seems like a good place to start if you are putting an RIA kit on it. But who are we fooling. By the time it's done it will be full of high end parts. Yep, and while you're at the range trouble shooting FTEs the guy in the next bay over will put 4 boxes of trouble free ammo through his (insert maker) tactical model that cost $500 less then what you have in the project gun. People who build 1911's are generally not the type to call a plumber when the sink stops up or AAA to change a flat tire. DIY is not for every one and may not save any money but it is fun and educational. Put another way, DIY and scratch building can be considered a creative outlet or another art form. |