Posted: 4/15/2009 6:34:11 PM EDT
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Well my question is i like being hands on with my guns. I built up a AR mainly by myself little gunsmithing work and some of his know how.
my question is can i do the same with a 1911? If so were i can get info and parts. and is it practicle to do? What i mean by that is it a reasonable task for cheaper or close to the same cost. Thanks for your time |
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I am currently building my first 1911 from kit. I am very glad that I decided to go this route, as I am learning a lot. It is much more involved than an AR15 build. There is a lot of fitting to do, and this makes it a much more difficult process. As far as cost goes, if I include the cost of tools, I am probably not saving much money by building it myself.
Here is where I got my parts. There are many other vendors that sell good parts. |
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I have some Fusion stuff on some of my 1911's, but you can do the deed for less money if you buy each component individually. Brownells and Midway both sell everything you need (only need FFL transfer for the frame) and you get to choose each part based on what you think is best or what visually appeals to you. There are a number of good barrels out there, both drop-in (totally...not what you really want and one's that require minor fitting) and one's you will have to do extensive work on to get to fit. Kart has a fitting kit that you can get for their barrels that makes that alot easier. There are other good barrels to choose from...Briley, Ed Brown, Wilson and more. Frames and slides can be had from Caspian and Essex and I'm sure some others. There are a ton of triggers, slide releases, mag releases, beavertail grip safeties and thumb safeties you can choose from as well. Sights can be had from a number of vendors and you can even have an adjustable BoMar style fairly easily by buying a slide already cut for it. Hopefully your slide to frame fit will be so tight you have to use a rubber mallet to pound the slide on as you work the rails for exact fit.
A good set of hand files, a vise and padding to protect the parts for you workbench and some specific tools to tackle the bushing, etc and you're good to go. I've done exactly what I'm recommending more than once and if you're precise, patient and mechanically inclined, it can be a very rewarding project. You can have a great accurate gun when you're done. The key is to go slow, be precise, look before you leap (you can't replace metal) and be very patient. Spend a little time on this and the dedicated 1911 forums and you can get all the info you need. I'm gonna begin another 1911 myself very soon... |
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I built a Fusion 6" 10mm.
You can easily invest more in parts and tools than a complete pistol will cost. Not near as much fun or satisfying to buy one off the shelf. If you plan to build more than one some of the tools can be justified. I bought a jig to hone the sear and stones to polish inside the action. I then tuned all of my 1911's. AGI makes a good video set on how to do just about anything you would ever want to do. I You can rent the entire AGI video set from smartflix.com . I would watch these before ordering a kit. |
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Building a 1911 is a lot more difficult than ar AR15.
Almost all parts on a 1911 need to be fitted, and are not "drop in". If you read closely "drop in" parts will say somewhere that some minor fitting may be required. I would suggest getting the manuals by Jerry Kuhnhausen (spellling??). They are a great reference, and go into great detail on how to work on, build, and fit parts for a 1911. I would suggest buying an in-expensive 1911, and work on upgrading it. That way you know when you start you have a working gun. You can try fitting different parts, and upgrading it as you go. What ever you do be very careful. It is very easy to make an unsafe, dangerous 1911. If possible have a good 1911 gunsmith check over your work before shooting it. There are also some specializes tools, that are not necessary, but make building a 1911 easier. Buy the time you add the parts, frame, slide, tools, etc, it is usually about the same price, if not slightly more than you could buy one for. |
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Quoted:
Well i looked at the fussion kits and they are very tempting. What else would i need to buy to complete on of there kits? thanks for your responses The basic kit is all fitted, Frame, Slide, barrel, Barrel bushing, Link, Pin, Slide stop and recoil system. The small parts you will need to get started will be.: Beavertail Grip Safety Trigger group Pin Kit Firing pin kit Sights Mags Thumb safety Grips grip screws and bushings Mag release kit main spring housing and spring I think that covers the parts. |
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Also, keep in mind that if you change the slide stop you can change the barrel lock up geometry. I put a combat slide stop in mine and had to change the link pin and trim the contact point on the barrel.
With a fusion kit the really hard stuff is done, slide to frame fit, barrel and bushing, and the link pin. He will aslo cut the slide for the sights of you choice. |