Your hypothetical 1911 build

[Gallachobar]

Maybe. But I don't even have time to reload, let alone learn how to do all of that. And there might be details missed. I won't even trust a general gunsmith to put together a 1911. Must be a specialized 1911 guy.

I do have those Kuhnhausen shop manuals and sometimes read them though.

Yeah I can remember how complex and intimidating they seemed before I started learning how they operated and began working on them myself. The first time I took one apart it took me like three hours to get the trigger mechanism back together--I was seriously about to flip my shit by the end. However a while back my 1911A1 malfunctioned during a power outage, and I completely dissassembled it, found the problem and reassembled it by candelight in under half an hour. The point is once you become familiar with the mechanism it almost seems simplistic--which is one reason why it's so good. I wouldn't recommend someone try to build a custom 1911 without any experience, but for someone who has worked on them even a little it isn't a big deal considering components can be bought with the most difficult tasks completed.

 

[Gallachobar]

I recently talked to John Harrison via email since his shop is about 20 minutes from me. Apparently he isn't taking orders for almost a year because he has so many right now. I also discovered that the only guns he will work on that he didn't make himself are Springfield and colt.

Honestly I don't think it's that big of a deal to learn how to fit parts. I have two manuals on building one at this point and the directions are quite simple. The way I see it is if some other jerk can do it then why not me? I do agree with previous posts about the barrel fitting for sure. If the barrel isn't fit just right you aren't going to be hitting what you are aiming at. Supposedly precision machining can fit a slide/frame and barrel far better than a human could by hand, so I would most likely leave that up to the pros.

Not to nitpick, because you are correct that the barrel fitting is important--but one can be pretty fucked up and the gun will still be reasonably accurate. I have a barrel that someone must have trained on at the factory, because literally every important dimension is out of spec by a couple thousands of an inch or so, and the upper locking lugs fit is just horendous. If I put it in a 1911 the gun is still more accurate than I am capable of being on most days at typical handgun ranges. I can pretty reliably hit a 24 ounce pop-bottle with it at ~30 yards or so, which is perfectly adequate for the vast majority of situations you'd ever need to use a handgun in.

It's just human nature IMO to inflate the importance of certain things which can be changed relative to those that cannot be changed. For instance some people seem to almost obssess about barrel-bushing fit, which I've heard/read multiple experienced smiths say accounts for 5% of accuracy at best--whereas the vast majority of the accuracy is due to aspects of the gun which are not easily modified. It's also true that it is easier to replace a part than it is to become enough of a marksman to actually use all of your gun's potential. I'm as guilty as the rest wrt this but it's good to keep in mind considering the amount of hype and BS about 1911s out there.

 

[Lug's Spear]

I've read about the barrel being the heart of the 1911. I am aware that some 1911s aren't as tightly fit, but still get the job done (such as those built for WWII). It would still work, but if I had to have something done by a pro I would spent a couple hundred extra having them out in the barrel, but that's just my opinion.

 

[FunSized]

kimber 1911 tactical pro 2

drooool....

 

[exHeavyHippie]

kimber 1911 tactical pro 2

drooool....

I owned a Kimber SIS (1200 bucks). After multiple misfires with different ammo and mags I sold it.

 

[Lug's Spear]

My kimber crimson pro carry is awesome after you ditch the kimber mags, man those things suck. I really enjoy shooting it though and I find that I really like the aluminum frame.

 

[jlagman]

So during my trip to the Philippines, I got to handle my grandfather's issued Remington Rand (I think) 1911 that was rusted to shit after being buried under the house for a few years.

An "entry level" 1911 is definitely in the cards next, probably the Remington R1 because the Ruger SR1911 is pretty much impossible to find up here.

 

[exHeavyHippie]

So during my trip to the Philippines, I got to handle my grandfather's issued Remington Rand (I think) 1911 that was rusted to shit after being buried under the house for a few years.

An "entry level" 1911 is definitely in the cards next, probably the Remington R1 because the Ruger SR1911 is pretty much impossible to find up here.

After I sold my Kimber I was looking into a base model to customize and I was pointed to the Springfield MilSpec. But I was also told that "mil spec" is designed for ball ammo. I don't know if that is true or not (I am sure someone will let us know).
Can you get a Springfield?

 

[jlagman]

I guess if I tried hard enough, I could find a Springfield though I know for certain that my LGS has like eight R1s in stock. Aren't the lower end Springfield 1911s made in Brazil, though? One thing that I find attractive about the Remington is that it's affordable and (mostly) American made. Not that I have anything against offshore manufacture or anything, but for me personally, I think an American icon, like the 1911, should be made in America.

 

[exHeavyHippie]

I guess if I tried hard enough, I could find a Springfield though I know for certain that my LGS has like eight R1s in stock. Aren't the lower end Springfield 1911s made in Brazil, though? One thing that I find attractive about the Remington is that it's affordable and (mostly) American made. Not that I have anything against offshore manufacture or anything, but for me personally, I think an American icon, like the 1911, should be made in America.

"Borrowed" from 1911forum.com

Do a search on this forum [forums.1911forum.com], you will find that many have had the mistaken impression of Brazil forged frames. These are not Taurus and they are some of the finest forgings you will find. Imbrel is not Taurus.

 

[krait]

After I sold my Kimber I was looking into a base model to customize and I was pointed to the Springfield MilSpec. But I was also told that "mil spec" is designed for ball ammo. I don't know if that is true or not (I am sure someone will let us know).
Can you get a Springfield?

The 1911 design itself was not made for hollow points. Older 1911's may have some issues. But that can be fixed with a little work on the feed ramp. Newer 1911's won't typically have that problem.

That being said depending on the actual gun you would need to test out the actual HP you want to shoot. Not every gun is the same. Even in the same model. You can have to of the exact same gun sitting side by side and one may have issues witha a brand that the other does not.

Usually if your having issues at first you can just run a bunch of Ball ammo through it first and then try the HP it'll work.

If you feel really adventurous you can polish the feed ramp a bit to smooth out any machine markings.

 

[exHeavyHippie]

The 1911 design itself was not made for hollow points. Older 1911's may have some issues. But that can be fixed with a little work on the feed ramp. Newer 1911's won't typically have that problem.

That being said depending on the actual gun you would need to test out the actual HP you want to shoot. Not every gun is the same. Even in the same model. You can have to of the exact same gun sitting side by side and one may have issues witha a brand that the other does not.

Usually if your having issues at first you can just run a bunch of Ball ammo through it first and then try the HP it'll work.

If you feel really adventurous you can polish the feed ramp a bit to smooth out any machine markings.

Thanks for the info. What do you think of the MilSpec Springfield as a starting point for a custom?
I love the 1911, but I have not found "mine" yet. I LOVED the Kimber until it failed at the range. Maybe I should have given it more time, but for 1200 bucks, I would expect it to fire flawlessly out of the box.

 

[jlagman]

"Borrowed" from 1911forum.com

For me, it's not an issue of Imbel vs Taurus; it's an issue of American manufactured vs offshore manufactured. I don't doubt the quality of an imported product, I just want my 1911 to be American...shrug.

 

[exHeavyHippie]

For me, it's not an issue of Imbel vs Taurus; it's an issue of American manufactured vs offshore manufactured. I don't doubt the quality of an imported product, I just want my 1911 to be American...shrug.

Understandable. My AK clone is Saiga.

 

[sethk]

I owned a Kimber SIS (1200 bucks). After multiple misfires with different ammo and mags I sold it.

Interesting. I have a Kimber Team Match II (~1600 bucks). Never had a single issue with it firing mulitple different types of ammo using multiple mags. Must be that extra 300 dollars in value :icon_lol:

 

[exHeavyHippie]

Interesting. I have a Kimber Team Match II (~1600 bucks). Never had a single issue with it firing mulitple different types of ammo using multiple mags. Must be that extra 300 dollars in value :icon_lol:

Maybe. Maybe I just got a lemon. The whole reason I went with Kimber was their stellar reputation. Either way for that much money I was very disappointed. And here am I considering nearly that much again on a SIG Scorpion:redface:

 

[Lug's Spear]

Maybe. Maybe I just got a lemon. The whole reason I went with Kimber was their stellar reputation. Either way for that much money I was very disappointed. And here am I considering nearly that much again on a SIG Scorpion:redface:

Yeah I hear a lot of different stories regarding kimber, there are a few stories out there of lemons, but also some out of there of good things. They have good prices usually for what they are selling compared to some of the other brands. The sig scorpion 1911 looks really nice. I think the carry version is really attractive because it has front ****ing serrations and a light rail, which is really hard to find in a commander sized 1911. I need to read up more on external extractors on 1911s though, it seems that a lot of people still think the internal works just fine.

1911 Carry Scorpion

 

[jlagman]

I guess this is partially Cody's fault, but now I eventually want a Coonan .357 Magnum Automatic.