Can you help me??

[kodawolfe]

I am a new member here and I was hopping I could get a little help from some of you guys out there that have some experience in this matter. I am considering buying components to build my own "custom" 1911. I have a couple of ways I could go about this it seems, I just need a little guidance. My first thoughts were to buy a frame from Caspian or Wilson Combat, same with barrel and guts type stuff and send it in to be finished and partially assembled (the delicate stuff that the local guy might not be as skilled to do) or buy a low end Springfield Mil-Spec and have it worked on my a Wilson Combat type outfit. In terms of cost it seems as though building it would be a bit better as I could pay for it as I go rather than coming up with the cash up front at once. I have rambled on too long, any suggestions??

[Hawkmoon]

What's your goal for the pistol? Is this primarily to better learn the 1911, is it to create a "truck gun" (sort of a cheap beater that shoots but doesn't have to look pretty), or is the goal to create a super nice tack-driver of a pistol?

The reason I ask is that the advice will be different depending on the goal. I recently built up a pistol. My goal was self-education. I wanted to understand how the parts go together ... if it actually shot real bullets when I was finished, that was going to be a plus. I bought a parts kit from www.sportsmansguide.com that inlcuded everything except the frame. Then I picked up a Caspian frame to assemble the kit on. It actually functions and is acceptably accurate, so in that respect I am pleased. But I would do it differently if I were to do it again.

First, the parts kit includes a slide that has modern-looking slide serrations, front and rear. I don't like the appearance, and if I were doing it again I would seek out a lit that either included a traditional military slide, or included no slide so I could shoose my own.

The Caspian frame was unfinished ... "in the white." Trying to finish the internal nooks and crannies is impossible. After considering spray applied, oven-baked polymer coatings, I realized that I am not set up for spray painting so I used a cold bluing from Brownells. Brownells specifically advised NOT to immerse the frame ... but I think I will have to ignore that advice and dunk it, because a lot of the interior didn't get finished.

If I were to do it again, I would buy a pre-blued Essex frame from Brownells or Sarco. Not only would the frame be cheaper than a Caspian, I wouldn't have to worry about bluing it.

[kodawolfe]

Thanks for the imput I think it will help me a great deal.

[stans]

If you are looking for a 1911 for formal competition shooting, especially precision shooting such as NRA bullseye matches, then having one built makes sense. If you just want a plinker, informal target shooting or defensive pistol, buy one off the shelf and use the money you saved to buy ammo. Building a pistol, even with an Essex receiver, can get real expensive real fast. The days of building one for less than buying one are long gone as are the days of buying a surplus military 1911 and having it rebuilt.

[Hawkmoon]

What Stans wrote is true. I could have bought an RIA for less than what my project pistol cost me ... but I wouldn't have learned how the 1911 works. With what I have subsequently learned, I think I could buy some parts cheaper and build a pistol for about the same price as an RIA, but it would be virtually impossible to beat their price by any significant amount.

Which comes back to asking what it is you wish to accomplish. We can't advise you how to get there unless we know where you want to go.

[Jim Clark]

Due to my interest in things mechanical, I decided to do the work myself. I started with a SA Ultra Compact because I wanted a carry gun.
First I got an Ed Brown BT grip safety & installed it. Then I made my own grips because I wanted the gun to be thin. Then I got an EB Ambi safety & installed it. The story goes on & confidence builds. Extractor, Novak night sights, extended slide release & more. If you want info, print out & study everything '1911tuner' has on this site. He's a prince of a guy (I hope he gets back on line soon) ;)

Thanks for listnin'
jim