I hit a point on 1911s with roll your own
1st let me state I'm not an expert (don't even play one on TV or the internet) and for sure am not a pistolsmith.
For years I was an avid shooter at various matches of no particular renown. Issue is and was I shoot left handed so some out of the box guns didn't work for me period and other without at least putting on an ambidextrous safety, along with improving the trigger pull, and usually some better sights. These issues along with finding a holster that worked kind of limited choices.
When I started going to semi autos in the 70s the 1911 was the gun de jour and that's what I went with. Over time I got tired of buying a new gun taking off parts and replacing them. So read up on 1911 builds and figured that was the way to go. Over time and builds that choice has proven to be both right and wrong depending on how the end product comes out.
So anyway I've retired from shooting matches with some health issues and for the most part going to the range, I can shoot in my backyard so I still plink. I had a back problem that pretty much made me a home body for a while and was going stir crazy so found a bunch of old smaller 1911 parts said I'll do one last build and use this stuff up.
Turns out that wasn't as cheap a date as it use to be. Paid more for a frame, slide, and barrel than I ever had in the past, plus found out the old parts weren't all that good which was why I had not used them earlier so I ended up buying about everything.
Got a stainless Foster frame, an old IMI National match slide, and a Kart barrel. One of the 1st problems that slide had a different rear sight cut than I had ever seen, turned out to be a Caspian Rollo dove tail and the slide had to be drilled and tapped for the elevation screw.
Slide to the frame as a long ongoing mess because all I had for a vice at the house was a Black and Decker wood workmate, we're off to a bad start. Barrel to the slide fit went OK got things all together and the gun shot and cycled fine.
Problem now is I'm still on house arrest more free time than I can stand so I order more stuff and do a 2nd build.
This time get a ramped stainless Foster frame, a bald Israeli hard slide, and a ramped Para barrel. This time things went a lot smoother on the frame to slide fit. One of the guys I use to work with lowered the ejection port and cut cocking serrations on the slide for me I bought some dovetail cutters and another buddy milled the slide for the adjustable Sig sights I'd picked up for $30.00. Had to take the frame down and have it milled inside to 31.5 degrees for the ramp and all that went pretty well.
Last thing that kicked my tail on that build was the frame's slot for the sear spring was too narrow. I couldn't get the gun to work right 100% on firing (worked then didn't work) and was completely baffled. Went to reading about any and all 1911 issues and finally to a wild guess that was the problem and shaved the sides of the sear spring to wa la it worked.
I'm in my mid 60s so in my book I'm done with 1911 builds. Gave one to my son and keeping the other but if you get a wild hare have fun.
Last edited by Filo McShoe; 05-08-2018 at 10:42 AM.
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