1911 needs work

I would drive over to Clark Custom Guns and have a talk with the grandsons of Jim Clark Sr. , who now operate the business , tell them my goals and listen to their advice ... then leave it so they can work their magic ... And it is truely Magic that they do .... a trigger job is so sweet ... it puts a smile on your face and a song in your heart .

I had done my share of parts and spring swapping and thought I did a good trigger job ... but having them work over my old Colt Gold Cup , trigger job and tune for accuracy ... my work just flat out sucks rocks compared to the magic they do .... Simply Amazing !
Clark Custom Guns www.clarkcustomguns.com
Gary

gwpercle said:

I would drive over to Clark Custom Guns and have a talk with the grandsons of Jim Clark Sr. , who now operate the business , tell them my goals and listen to their advice ... then leave it so they can work their magic ... And it is truely Magic that they do .... a trigger job is so sweet ... it puts a smile on your face and a song in your heart .

I had done my share of parts and spring swapping and thought I did a good trigger job ... but having them work over my old Colt Gold Cup , trigger job and tune for accuracy ... my work just flat out sucks rocks compared to the magic they do .... Simply Amazing !
Clark Custom Guns www.clarkcustomguns.com
Gary

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To me if I was going to do serious work on a gun with a smith I would buy a Colt. Then the $$$ put into the customization is not lost. Clark is a great choice but an Tisas SDS base gun is not the right foundation. Back in the 1980s if you sent a Colt and a Norinco to Wilson Combat and had the exact same work done on it which one would be worth more today?

tark said:

I prefer the term "Idiot " myself. This guy knows almost nothing about the gun. At 30:48 he tries to describe peening the rails. This was never done with a "big hammer" A steel plate was inserted into the frame groove and a small ball peen hammer was used. Brownell's makes these plates in thickness increments of .001" You peen the entire length of the rail, not just the front and back. At 32:32 he's talking about chamfering the firing pin hole! WHAT! Never heard of this!

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Sorry bro but you are just some guy on the internet what do you know... It is not like you built 1911s for a living. LOL

You are driving home the point that Youtube is a minefield. You have to know who it is you are listening to. For example I will take this guys advice to heart on how to fit a thumb safety. I am pretty sure he knows what he is doing.

A quality bench vice can double as a sear and hammer jig if you know what the proper angle is supposed to look like.

earplug said:

A quality bench vice can double as a sear and hammer jig if you know what the proper angle is supposed to look like.

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Right but please tell me what the proper angle "looks" like.

I’m working on a $319 Tisas right now. Files, brass punches, steel punches, trigger/hammer channel stones, Arkansas stones. I use a Harrison True Radius jig for my sears. I probably Lu have nearly as much in on my tools as I do the base gun itself — but if you’re going to be working on 1911’s in the future, you’ll need them.

Navy87Guy said:

I’m working on a $319 Tisas right now. Files, brass punches, steel punches, trigger/hammer channel stones, Arkansas stones. I use a Harrison True Radius jig for my sears. I probably Lu have nearly as much in on my tools as I do the base gun itself — but if you’re going to be working on 1911’s in the future, you’ll need them.

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Exactly. If it is a one off never to be repeated investing in the tools like a ser jig does not bring a return on investment but almost everything else you have mentioned will help you maintain what you have and keep things running not just this gun.

tark said:

I prefer the term "Idiot " myself. This guy knows almost nothing about the gun. At 30:48 he tries to describe peening the rails. This was never done with a "big hammer" A steel plate was inserted into the frame groove and a small ball peen hammer was used. Brownell's makes these plates in thickness increments of .001" You peen the entire length of the rail, not just the front and back. At 32:32 he's talking about chamfering the firing pin hole! WHAT! Never heard of this!

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More patient than me, I shut it off before the 4 minute mark.

Skylerbone said:

More patient than me, I shut it off before the 4 minute mark.

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guy sounds alright to me… anybody else? no

Mark_Mark said:

guy sounds alright to me… anybody else? no

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I absolutely appreciate your and other people’s enthusiasm for making things better, please don’t misunderstand this point. What tempers my encouragement is a bit of experience and the realization that long after we are all pushing up daisies there may be eyeballs clicking on links and manipulating a firearm without reminder that it: 1. Is dangerous, and 2. May render it inoperable. If you don’t see the follies in that first video, then you won’t know what a member like Tark can spot as the blind leading the uninitiated.

We are all here to learn and share, believe me when I say I have been wrong many times and I have a fond appreciation of those members willing to correct errors, including my own. That’s what community does and THR has become a trusted source by not affirming opinion when it conflicts with fact.

Skylerbone said:

I absolutely appreciate your and other people’s enthusiasm for making things better, please don’t misunderstand this point. What tempers my encouragement is a bit of experience and the realization that long after we are all pushing up daisies there may be eyeballs clicking on links and manipulating a firearm without reminder that it: 1. Is dangerous, and 2. May render it inoperable. If you don’t see the follies in that first video, then you won’t know what a member like Tark can spot as the blind leading the uninitiated.

We are all here to learn and share, believe me when I say I have been wrong many times and I have a fond appreciation of those members willing to correct errors, including my own. That’s what community does and THR has become a trusted source by not affirming opinion when it conflicts with fact.

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but you only watch 4 minutes of the video. You might not like the guys terminology but he sound right to me. Also bro, THR is not the all knowing source of everything right & facts. and pulling the for “ Community Safety card” is a easy way out and puts opinions you don’t agree on as dismissive.

Brah, I’m not trying to argue with you at all. Some people are just rough in their terminology and how they present themselves. And some of us appreciate hood & backwoods explanation on things.

WVsig said:

I am pretty sure he knows what he is doing.

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Looks like he does, but the camera work is terrible. You can't really see what he is doing to the safety, and where he is filing.

Mark_Mark said:

but you only watch 4 minutes of the video. You might not like the guys terminology but he sound right to me.

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Mark Mark, when someone making an instructional video, and they start naming parts with the wrong name, you can rest assured they don't really know what they are talking about. And when they describe procedures done in a manner that is ridiculous and completely wrong...you can bet they are full of it. And chamfering a firing pin hole? I worked for Les Baer for 21 years and I never heard of that being done.

I might add that I would not recommend trying to do a trigger job unless you have done it (successfully) before. It isn't something you want to try as a first attempt.

WVsig said:

Right but please tell me what the proper angle "looks" like.

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That says it all.

tark said:

Looks like he does, but the camera work is terrible. You can't really see what he is doing to the safety, and where he is filing.

Mark Mark, when someone making an instructional video, and they start naming parts with the wrong name, you can rest assured they don't really know what they are talking about. And when they describe procedures done in a manner that is ridiculous and completely wrong...you can bet they are full of it. And chamfering a firing pin hole? I worked for Les Baer for 21 years and I never heard of that being done.

I might add that I would not recommend trying to do a trigger job unless you have done it (successfully) before. It isn't something you want to try as a first attempt.

That says it all.

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I’m not doing a trigger job until I get enough money for one of those jigs. they are $300!! wow! but might be worth it

earplug said:

A quality bench vice can double as a sear and hammer jig if you know what the proper angle is supposed to look like.

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That is true, but only if you have done it in the past , successfully, and you are experienced in the procedure. An amateur attempt at this will almost always end in disaster.

Mark_Mark said:

but you only watch 4 minutes of the video. You might not like the guys terminology but he sound right to me. Also bro, THR is not the all knowing source of everything right & facts. and pulling the for “ Community Safety card” is a easy way out and puts opinions you don’t agree on as dismissive.

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At under 4 minutes the author advertised the below as the “hammer”



and this he identified as the “trigger return spring”



so yes, 4 minutes told me enough about what was forthcoming to not waste a further 36 minutes. Not a bias, not snobbery, not prim and proper felt it was beneath me. This is outright ignorance on display and that does not lead to a better firearm, it leads to dumb luck that nothing gets goofed up, wasted money if something is goofed up, or bad luck if something goes catastrophically wrong. In all cases wrong is wrong.

We may not be the final depository for all correct information here but we do strive to keep apprised of such matters and I will point out that a second member, who’s understanding of the 1911 far exceeds my own, also chimed in to point out errors. He, as a long time professional builder of 1911s for well respected companies ought to carry a good bit of weight when he chooses to respond.

Much can lead you to deep water with the 1911, I hope everyone here will accept some buoyancy offered by other THR members if and when you venture therein.

Reading so far it feels like I have a lot more needs on my 1911s than other people. In order of precedence: good sights and good trigger. I prefer Novak sights over GI sights. And I have felt good stock triggers and bad custom triggers. 3 hole trigger with overtravel adjustment.

I also like the front strap and MSH to be checkered. Brownells sells a front strap piece that slips in under the grips. Good cheap alternative to paying a gun smith or doing it yourself, and possibly messing up. Grips that both look good and are functional. Like the trigger, subjective. I like specific extended controls: slide stop and magazine release, but standard length safety. And only on the left side. I prefer a beavertail grip safety with a checkered memory bump but have liked every other style fine including Bobtail grip safeties. I prefer full length guide rods because I find them simpler to assemble/dissassemble than GI plugs. Hammer is probably the least picky part on my list. Skeletonized for looks and just don't want it touching my hand when that slide comes back!

Mark_Mark said:

Those shear jigs are EXPENSIVE!

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Not as expensive as a mis-shaped sear filed/stoned the wrong way . . .

CapnMac said:

Not as expensive as a mis-shaped sear filed/stoned the wrong way . . .

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$12 for practice, would be worth it

Personally, I don't find that there are a lot of things to "upgrade" on stock 1911.
Now, that comes from decades of familiarity with 1911 (first shot one circa 13-14 years of age, been a day or two since).

Some from having bought a "box of parts" from Caspian and done a "ground up" build. And that one I sent to a gunplumber to get the sights installed (milling machine is really wanted to get that rear dovetail exact, especially for the old-school Bomar rear I wanted installed). Gunplumber was also tasked with lowering the ejection port 2mm as well, to stop the thing comping spent cases. No scallops or fancy work, just lowering the bottom edge 2mm, elegant and unobtrusive.

That Caspian taught be to hate ambi safeties, too,

Stocks and the like are very much personal preference. And easy enough to swap to fit that preference.

That's my 2¢; others' vary.

uuolf said:

I love this place and the comradery... If that's spelled correctly...lol... Ask a question and get real answers from people who are into the sport as much as I am... Or wanna be!

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take my advice with a grain or salt and a dash of common sense! here a few of what I did to my SDS base model. Mostly buffing and polishing. Shoots GOOD! want to try lighting the trigger spring next

uuolf said:

Feeding area seems like an appropriate place to start... I've always used flitz polish on delicate rifle parts... What do you use?

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Flitz, felt tips, and the baby Dremel

get those felt tips and go to town.

Have you striped it down completely? yet

Mark_Mark said:

I got the Same model and for $319, it’s fun to slick it up.
1: if you mess up, no problem, $319

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The whole $319? Surely you are not going to dynamite the whole slide, frame, and barrel. Of course if you are putting in name brand internals, you could run up a $319 tab.

tark said:

You peen the entire length of the rail, not just the front and back.

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Why? The frame rail cross section over the magazine well is so thin that it has little effect on the fit and will wear back fast. The double stack mutants don't even have rail there.

tark said:

And chamfering a firing pin hole? I worked for Les Baer for 21 years and I never heard of that being done.

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I don't know of anybody specific doing it to 1911 types but every Beretta has a chamfered firing pin hole. A lot of people get scared by their "cratered" primers.

tark said:

I might add that I would not recommend trying to do a trigger job unless you have done it (successfully) before. It isn't something you want to try as a first attempt.

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Then how will you ever get it done if you have not done the first one?