About a month ago I purchased a new no name 4" slide with front and rear serations from a gun show.
It was on a private table so the price was really nice at $80, it has a parked finish and is extremely
great looking. I think I got a great deal, having said that it is a 80 series slide with a internal extractor.
Even better for me. I am about to purchase a frame for it from a company called DoubleStar, I know they
make a great lower for AR's, so I expect the same thing.

I have owned three 1911's in the past but currently I do not have one because I got tired of factory guns.
I am planning on droping most of the internal parts from WilsonCombat and ChipMccormick, so I also
expect a good blaster.

I have tore down all my 1911's 100% and I am very fimiliar with the internals but I have never put one together
from scratch or basically buying seperate parts and slapping them together..........

What I am looking at? What kind of major tinkering am I looking at? I heard most 1911's need major
smithing to get them together and function.

Is this true, or did I waste my money on the slide?

I really want tp put one together but I dont want to smith on this until I am blue in the face, builders help me out please.

good project idea.
the only suggestion would be to get a frame that has the plugger tube for the safety and slide release already staked to the frame then go from there. Saves the staking headake.

Clark Custom guns has a video that shows how to fit a barrel to the slide and slide to the frame. Fair video.

Buy quality parts and good luck

Definitely a good project idea.

But, it is going to take a lot more than 'slapping' it together to make it work. Good fitting skills and knowledge of the 1911 operational cycling are essential to your success.

Charles the Gunsmith.  

I've never seen a "No Name" slide that didn't come up short in the end on a decent frame.

If you want to slap a gun together get an Essex Enhance frame and an Essex slide.. They usually fit together pretty good.

I'm traveling down the build road myself.  

The top half is from an SA mil spec, the frame will be Doublestar, and the guts are Wilson and McCormick, aside from the ejector which came from Brownell's.  I liked that one due to the notch being cut in the front leg- worse comes to worse I am out $8.00.

Fingers crossed.

To do the job right and safe, be prepared to spend on tools, parts, and know-how.

You can't just drop in a bunch of parts and expect good results.  Parts have to be fitted to your patricular gun.

It takes a lot more than a dremel, some files, and a brownells catalog.  

New parts that are "gunsmith fit" are generally made oversized to get a perfect fit.  If you want parts that will drop in, get a set of GI surplus parts.

A lot depends on your frame, too.  Some frames I've worked on needed fitting every step of the way.  I can't say about the Doublestar but it should be OK.  It's a cast frame, probably a rebadged Essex or similar.

do you file/fit the parts or do you fit/file the frame/slide?


I am wondering because the frame and slide are already parked and coated, it would be almost stupid to
file/fit those parts...........did I just make sense?

you file/fit the parts right? or do you file/fit the slide/frame to the parts?

Quoted: do you file/fit the parts or do you fit/file the frame/slide? I am wondering because the frame and slide are already parked and coated, it would be almost stupid to file/fit those parts...........did I just make sense? you file/fit the parts right? or do you file/fit the slide/frame to the parts?

If the frame is within spec, mostly you will cut on the parts.  However if you want to blend a beavertail, for instance, you will need to cut and blend the frame.  

What kind of tools am I looking at?


right now I have dremels, files, sanders, punches............well most any tools you would find in any
garage, with the exception of a few specialiality tools........

I would recommend checking out the www.blindhogg.com/gunsmithing.html.  It has some very good information and will break things down to the tools you will need and the process taken.  This is what I used to do my first build.