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I have assembled several 1911 style pistols for myself and others. I have found that building my own 1911s to be extremely
satisfying.
Below I will outline how I accomplished this. Please remember that I am not giving detailed instructions
to build a competition racegun. What I outline below are general steps to build yourself a decent shooter.
Unless
you are a cometent gunsmith, to not attempt more than the basic steps required to assemble a gun that you can use.
.
Step one: Chose a frame.
I have found the frames or receivers manufactured by Caspian Arms to be of extremely good quality. You can find a link to
Caspian on the RELATED LINKS page.
When ordering a frame from Caspian Arms you will find that there are a number
of options to choose from. For example, you can order your 1911 frame with 20 lpi checkering on the front strap.
You
can also choose a custom serial number and custom engraving, such as your name.
You may also choose to have other
custom work done on your frame (and slide). King's Gun Works in Glendale, California offers some excellent custom work including
installing a Smith and Wesson rear sight or a wide Gold Cup trigger (trigger is extra).
Keep an mind that some of
the work you will want to do yourself and some work will require a competent gunsmith. Know your limitations, know when to
have a gunsmith do the work or you could end up with a useless frame.
An example of the easiest way to render your
1911 totally useless is improperly polishing the feed ramp. This procedure is best left to a qualified gunsmith.
Also
consider that even tho you may desire to do some of the work yourself, such as checkering the front strap, the cost of the
tools, the time spent, etc., may be more than the cost of a professional gunsmith.
Step two: choose a slide
Although I would prefer to build my 1911 around a Colt slide and frame, they are becoming more and more difficult to find
unless you purchase an existing Colt and strip it in order to re-build a gun.
Therefore, I advise obtaining your
new slide from the same manufacturer as the frame, in this case, Caspian Arms.
Step three: where to buy the remaing parts
Most of the parts can be obtained from Brownell's however, they are having a more and more difficult time getting parts from
Colt and Colt is less and less inclinded to sell parts from their existing supply.
Parts can also be obtained from
ZEI (see related links page). ZEI has great prices on parts and accessories from Kings Gun Works and Wilson's Combat.
I prefer the following specific parts from specific companies:
Extended Slide Release - King's
Extended Thumb
Safety - King's
Wide Grip Safety - Kings
Hex Head Grip Screws - King's
Grip Screw Bushing - King's
Long Aluminum
Trigger - King's
Titanium Firing Pin - King's
Pin & Spring Sets - King's
Hammer - King's
Titanium Hammer
Strut - King's
Ejector - King's
Recoil Springs - King's
Barrel - King's
Barrel Link _ King's or Wilson's
Barrel
Bushing - Wilson's
Sear - Wilson's
Disconnector - Wilson's
Mainspring Housing - Smith & Alexander
Plunger
Tube - Caspian Arms
Magazine Catch - Wilson's
Grips - ZEI or Herret's Stocks or Hogue Grips
When you receive the slide and frame, it is unlikely that the fit will be acceptable.
With a large point felt tip
pen, mark the slide rails and put the slide on the frame.
The fit may be acceptable or it may be tight in spots.
In the locations where the fit is too tight you will see where the ink is rubbed of either/or the slide and frame.
With
a file and/or fine grit sand paper, remove a small amount of material from the slide rails. Repeat until the slide moves easily
without removing ink.
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