Posted: 9/2/2008 3:58:42 PM EDT
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Please forgive me. I am new to the idea of gunsmithing. I am interested in building my own 1911A1. I have read a bunch of post on building your own. Since it is my first home build I dont want to waste a bunch of money and screw something up or spend a bunch sending stuff out for machining. Granted it may not be true smithing, but is there a place like Del-Ton that sells 1911A1 kits that has all the parts in a kit, that perhaps I can just pick a few select items I want, cold blue or finish it of choice and assemble it....Yes I know an FFL is needed for the reciever. I plan on lots of reading and instructional videos on how to. Seems like it is a long parts list of which I am still learning and many slides dont have the site channels pre machined that I can locate. Any other advice like tools or tips trick is also appreciated. Thanks |
Do yourself a BIG favor. Find someone who had done it before and ask LOTS of questions. Book reading is also a requirement but the knowledge you'll acquire from a knowledgeable individual is priceless. Also don't be stingy when it comes to buying the right tools. They will be an extremely good investment.
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Check out Jerry Kuhnhausen's (sp?) books on 1911s. I would also order a catalog from the following folks: Dillons, Brownells, Midway, Denny's Shooters Supply & maybe Cylinder & Slide. There'll be some repeating in there, but if it's made in the 1911 world, one or more of those guys will sell it. +1 on talking to as many people as you can before you ever start building a 1911. This gun isn't like building a hot rod or an off-road 4WD vehicle. (Not implying you don't already know this, just stating the obvious.  )Good luck! |
| whatever you do DO NOT BUY A KIT FROM SARCO. They're complete garbage. You're better off calling up custom smiths or emailing them asking for take off parts from factory guns. The slide and frame you're on your own most of the time. Keep an eye on www.fosterind.com for good deals on frames, they're the same as caspian frames but have a cosmetic blem or are overruns. Essex arms also has factory seconds for sale too from time to time, but you have to call them to find out and good luck getting them on the phone |
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Start here: JERRY KUHNHAUSEN THE COLT .45 AUTOMATIC JERRY KUHNHAUSEN THE U.S. M1911/M1911A1 PISTOLS A SHOP MANUAL As far as where to start with parts, this is about as close as you are going to get to a place like Del-Ton. Caspian Arms Because you are not wanting to utilize a machine shop, you can have your frame and slide totally machined when it hits your FFL dealer's shop. They give you a wide range of sight cut options, you can have your frame and slide pre-fit. You can also have the frame checkered, etc. You can decide if you want to tackle cutting the radius for the beavertail, or if you want them to do it. You may decide to have them fit the frame to slide on your first project so you can see how it is supposed to work and decide to do the next one yourself. Same with the beavertail radius. Once you decide on your frame and slide combo, you will need to decide on a barrel. I have never used one of these kits, however, I have heard really good stuff about them. This barrel would allow you to fit your first barrel with a minimum amount of tools and effort. Next build you could acquire the tools and try to fit a full match fit barrel. 1911 AUTO EASY FIT KART BARREL KIT EASY FIT TOOL KIT You could acquire a drop-in trigger pull kit and have all of your ignition parts pre-fit to work together. Then on your next build you could get some stones and a trigger jig and do your own trigger job from scratch. CYLINDER & SLIDE 1911 AUTO TRIGGER PULL KITS Other small parts are a matter of personal preference. Get the Kuhnhausen books first, read them from front to back. That will give you an idea of the tools that you will be needing to take on this endeavor. Also, get the Brownells catalog, that is THE source for tools and parts. There are cheaper places, but there is not better customer service within this industry. The main thing to keep in mind, there are no true drop-in parts in the 1911 world. I worked on Glocks and ARs before I began working on 1911s and it was kind of a rude awakening when I decided I was going to replace my own parts on 1911s. You are embarking on a hobby that makes BRD look like Pixie Stix compared to Cocaine. However, there is a certain satisfaction in building one exactly like YOU want it, not the way some bean counter for a manufacturer decided to build it to save money. Good luck, it is a lot of fun. |
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I'm going to buck the trend a bit here. There's plenty of free and actually quite good info available online regarding building and working on 1911's. I never cracked the cover of the kuhnhausen manual (never even purchased it actually), and had no trouble with the partial or full builds I've done over the last few years. Good luck whatever path you take, but no amount of reading or studying is ever going to take the place of simply finding the "balls" to pull the trigger on buying the parts, tools and such to get started with the build/learning process. |
I used to have an 1984 CJ-7.......... Two more Wranglers since then. 
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Another good source for info is to attend something like the SHOT Show or the NRA Convention & talk to the guys manning the booths of 1911 goodness. Never met a jerk yet at the NRA Convention, FWIW. Wonderful gun people tend to be pretty nice folks overall, IMO. |
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I had a scrambler, and still have an 83 cj7 (off road toy) and my freshly rebuilt 85 CJ7. Well chatting with some people at work turns out a co-worker has built a few 1911s. We already have spoken and next week he is planning on coming over and showing me some hands on stuff.. So I am on my way... I am making a parts list of what I like and will post it so any of you builders can chime in on likes and dislikes... and tell me if somethign flat out wont work! Thanks and keep the advise coming...Thank you. |