New 1911 Build

[drillsgt]

This is very cool to watch. Thanks for sharing. I'm thinking about buying my first 1911 style soon and it's interesting to see how someone can build their own.

If you're looking to put one together for the first time you can order all the options you want (machining) pre-done and if you have things like the plunger tube, grip screw bushing, and ejector already installed then it eliminates a lot of the need for specialty tools. You can get trigger kits that are pretty much ready to go so you don't need hammer/sear jigs etc. The most you will need is some good quality files and lots of sandpaper and a good dremel helps as long as you don't go crazy with it. A lot of the specialty files though like dovetail sight files and such can be a little pricey but last a long time. My 65 degree dovetail file is the first one I ever had so its very old and I just recently feel like it's going to need replaced, same with some checkering files.

 

[OD*]

Very impressive work!

 

[drillsgt]

Today I only had time to serrate the rear of the slide. This isn't that hard of a job since you're only cutting horizontal serrations, checkering the rear of the slide is a little bit harder to get to look nice but I like the serrating only better. I cut this at 40lpi and some people use 50lpi but personal preference. Forty lpi is a little easier because the serrations aren't as fine but will take a little longer because of the extra depth. First off make sure the back of your slide is symmetrical and that you're extractor is filed flush with the slide. I always take my file and mark one side or the other and decide which side I am going to use. Once you start using a side stick with that until the end of the job as the other side may be a little different and effect your serrations. In the pictures you can see I put a guide clamped to the bottom of the side to keep the initial lines straight. You want the lines to be parallel with the bottom of the slide and the slide rail cuts etc. I usually don't even use a guide anymore and just freehand it but I put the guide there for everyone to see the setup. All I use is a block of aluminum and a c-clamp. Once you get some lines going you won't need the block anymore and can just continue serrating off your existing lines. Just start with one side and then roll the file over to start some lines on the other side. I did this in probably less than an hour and should have been faster but my file is about on it's last leg. Take your time and get some lines to depth and then move your file on up and then go back over it a couple of times for depth. I usually do one side at a time, take the slide out of the vise flip it and finish the other side. Be careful not to go across and hit the other sides lines. Don't hurry.

You can see the lines I started with just a couple swipes of the file and from here could take the jig apart.

Not the best pictures here but you can see all the lines are to depth and you can just faintly make out the outline of the extractor. After beadblasting you may see some lines that need to go a little deeper but it's not a big deal just re-cut to the depth you need. Don't forget to bevel the edges of the slide for a finished look.

 

[Fordtough25]

Very nice work, I can't wait to see the finished product!

 

[Double T]

Are you going to round off/carry melt any of the sharper edges on the muzzle end of the slide?

 

[drillsgt]

Are you going to round off/carry melt any of the sharper edges on the muzzle end of the slide?

Dehorning the front of the slide was one of the first things I did, it just never showed up in pictures.

 

[drillsgt]

Grip screw bushings and plunger tubes are a fairly common thing in 1911's that can come loose. Today I staked the grip screw bushings in and staked the plunger tube in place. Staking the bushings is fairly easy, first degrease the frame and bushing threads and put on some loc-tite. Then screw the bushings into the frame. From here I have a specialty tool that you insert in the magwell with the pointed side on the underside of the bushing, run a punch through the opposite bushing and give it a couple whacks. You will see a resultant "star" shaped pattern on the inside of the bushing where you expanded the bushing within the screw hole.

Here's everything you need for staking the bushings.

Here's the tool inserted on a bushing ready to be whacked.

A close-up of the staking tool.

To stake the plunger tube I again have a specialty tool. There is a little spacer that fits over the plunger tube, an allen wrench I use so the tube doesn't get crushed and a special set of vice-grips with a little point built in. The first thing I do is trial fit the plunger tube and make sure the legs aren't protruding into the magwell. What you need to do first is check the holes on the inside of the frame and make sure there is a bevel around the holes for the plunger tube legs to expand into. If there is not (like this frame) you need to take a small dremel burr bit and bevel the hole, it can be a pain to get around the hole, especially the rear leg hole but just find the right angle. Once you have the holes beveled, again put a little loc-tite in there and put in the plunger tube, insert an appropriate diameter filler in the plunger tube (I use an old allen wrench). Next put the spacer over the plunger tube, there is a groove cut into one side the fits over the plunger tube. Then take the modified vise grips put the pointed tip into the magwell centered over the plunger tube leg with the flat jaw on the spacer, now just squeeze. Do both legs this way and check that the plunger tube legs have flared out and grabbed that bevel around the hole.

 

[45-70]

Looking good, very good!

 

[dtkw]

Nice job putting it together. What color is it on the pictures it looks like wood, it must be the light you have shinning on it.

 

[drillsgt]

Nice job putting it together. What color is it on the pictures it looks like wood, it must be the light you have shinning on it.

In the first few pictures it's just sitting on my desk in the study and the lighting was bad.

 

[drillsgt]

Okay, i'm almost done. I moved on to the trigger. I used a C&S kit which I use almost exclusively. All the parts are very very nicely finished and usually require very little work to get a good trigger pull. After I installed this kit I was getting a little bit of creep but was about 99% sure it was not coming from the hammer/sear relationship. After checking likely sources I was getting some drag on the sides of the sear so I polished the inside of the frame some more as well as polished out the sides of the sear. So far so good but I was getting some hammer follow in what was not that light of a trigger pull. By dropping the slide a few times with the trigger back it ruled out a problem with the hammer/sear engagement. This left the likely culprit of trigger bounce. I put the hammer on half-cock and checked the trigger and there was zero play, the trigger was extremely locked up. There needs to be some almost imperceptible play there called pre-travel for things to work right. Usually this is caused by a trigger bow that is too long (which for whaterver reason a lot of aftermarket triggers are coming). The choices are to either try a new trigger or work on the disconnector and sear. So, I filed the disconnector face down the minimum of .030 and worked the back of the sear legs down to .081. Now I had the little bit of play I needed. I also noticed my sear spring was binding a little on the side of the frame so I dressed that back a little bit and increased the trigger spring pressure a little bit (middle leaf). Things work well now. Other than that I have just been detailing here and there making sure all the bevels are symmetrical etc. Had to polish up the dustcover and bottom of the slide as I was getting some minute scratches when racking but that's good to go now. I am going to sell these VZ grips though as they are just too thick for me. Final details after testfire will be to dress the sides of my rear sight and refinish. That sight has been on and off many 1911's and is starting to look it. It will look like new when I refile and polish though. I'm still debating whether to refinish in all black or go with a black slide and some kind of grey/silver frame for a two-tone. Took some quick pics but sorry for the lighting.

 

[IndyGunworks]

I vote silver slide, and controls, black frame or vise versa.

Looks GREAT though. great work. I have not seen many oversized triggers though like you have. what brands have you been seeing them with?

 

[dtkw]

Great job it looks beautiful. I agree with INDYGUNWORK make it two tones would awesome.

 

[Kafer_Mike]

Nice build you have there.

 

[drillsgt]

Got a chance to go to the range yesterday to fire it for the first time. Ran about 50 rounds through. I started with loading a single round and then progressed to several iterations of 2 rounds to check for proper fire control functioning. Everything worked great, after that I proceeded to shoot the rest of my ammo (random 230gr. FMJ out of my ammo can). Ejection was good and uniform, no rounds came back at my face etc. No failures to feed or failures to return to battery or any other malfunctions of any kind. I'll clean it up and get it refinished and go from there. I was initially worried that there may be some POI issues since I just ordered a random novak sight but it worked out anyway. I was only using this sight anyway until I confirmed POI and then I am going to order the appropriate height in a gold bead front sight.

10 yards with a 10 shot group

 

[dtkw]

Great shots and very accurate. Good job building such a nice 1911. You should start a custom shop building 1911.

 

[drillsgt]

Great shots and very accurate. Good job building such a nice 1911. You should start a custom shop building 1911.

Thanks for the compliments, I used to do 1911 work in Michigan years ago, maybe again someday.

 

[GUNFIGHTER01]

Great build sir! I hope to build the 1911 of my dreams some day soon too!

 

[DocIndy]

Are you doing the finish work yourself? I'm still waiting for my slide from Caspian..... might have to get all the pieces ordered to complete the frame while I wait.

 

[drillsgt]

Are you doing the finish work yourself? I'm still waiting for my slide from Caspian..... might have to get all the pieces ordered to complete the frame while I wait.

Indygunworks is going to coat it for me. There's a lot you can do to a frame while waiting for the slide, go for it. Is it a Caspian frame as well? I have some parts (wilson beavertail, wilson mainspring housing, and I have an ed brown safety) i'm getting ready to send back to Brownells I didn't use I can make you a good deal on.