1911 parts kit and frame

[Horsesense]

1911 parts kit and frame

what do you guys think?

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=180417

http://www.centerfiresystems.com/mi...ode=CSI&Product_Code=DS45FRA&Category_Code=HG

 

[MICHAEL T]

You won't get much. A bunch of used parts some very used. I guess you could build a shooter Time you pay for transfer ,shipping and your time to assemble You could buy a Springfield or one of the lower priced pistols from the Philippines and have a new gun that works

 

[SpookyPistolero]

Rather than start a whole new thread on the same subject, I thought I'd just wake this up this old thread.

A couple of years ago my dad bought me that same 1911 parts kit from Sportsman's Guide. I was just wondering if anyone else had purchased the same kit and made good of it, or new anyone who had? I have seen all the parts and they seem to be workable, obviously not match grade type stuff though. I'm not looking for a beauty queen, just a functional 1911 for knock-around use and backpacking duty. The only real quality I'm looking for is reliability. I have no money to throw at the project other than the cost of the frame, which I lack, but might be able to buy the small necessary part here and there.

Anyone have thoughts or experiences with these, por favor?

 

[Old Fuff]

SpookyPistolero:

Well Spooky it's this away...

The second link is dead. All I got was an error message. The first one still seems to be around though.

The seller didn't specify who made the parts, but he sure does like to impress you with "tactical" and all that stuff.

Some folks like to think that if they put the parts in a box (along with somebody's frame) they can shake it and a complete, functional gun will fall out. Most of the time it doesn't work that way.

I suspect that the seller doesn't have $200.00 in that collection, and whoever made the stuff had even less. I'd bet that most of it, including the extractor, sear, hammer, safety lock, disconector - and maybe even the slide are investment castings. I don't even want to think about the barrel. Truly good castings aren't so bad (look at Ruger) but they also aren't inexpensive.

John Browning's almost 100 year-old design depends on high-quality parts machined out of high-carbon steel and heat-treated to certain specifications. It also required that the workers that put them together have some experience and knowledge about how exactly to do it. Current day makers have tried to get around this by using technology Browning never thought of, and it shows in the many posts and threads on this and other forums from people that have bought a new (fill in the blank) 1911 pistol, and it simply won't work. Usually poor quality parts combined with sloppy workmanship and lack of inspection are to blame.

I can understand why you'd like to find an inexpensive .45 pistol, for as you put it - "... just a functional 1911 for knock-around use and backpacking duty. The only real quality I'm looking for is reliability;" but I think if you go this route you'll end up being disapointed. If I was in your shoes I'd look at Ruger and CZ-USA.

At least you'd know who made the parts, and what they were made out of.

 

[SpookyPistolero]

Wanna know how lazy I am? So lazy I didn't check to make sure the links were still active...

Actually the parts kit I got was a 'GI' type, the only real difference I can tell being that I wouldn't get to be tactical (standard GI type sights instead of novak knock-offs). As far as the frame, I haven't really started looking for one, and not at that one from centerfire systems for sure.

Anyway, I'd say that you're right and it's a crap shoot at best. I guess I was hoping that since I already had access to the parts, that I could have a chance at something workable with just the investment of a new frame. But there's no such thing as a free lunch, eh?

Thanks much, Old Fuff!

 

[railroader]

http://www.gunparts.citymax.com/page/page/1396334.htm GI frames(phillipines). Mark

 

[Old Fuff]

Railroader:

You miss the point: The frame you recommended is relatively inexpensive, but it may or may not be within specifications - both dimensional and material.

If it isn't Spooky Pistolero is throwing more good money after bad. If the frame is O.K. he still has to deal with the questionable quality of the other parts he has. Rather then continue this crapshoot he'd be better off using his money to buy something else - such as a Ruger or a pistol from CZ-USA.

The basic problem is that the 1911 pistol was never intended to be made with some of the materials that today's makers are using, and all too often they may not be dimensionally correct either. This is especially true of those that are on the low end of the price scale. Consequently we see endless threads or posts from individuals who have bought a new (fill-in-the-blank) 1911 style pistol and it's either unreliable out-of-the-box, or soon becomes so.

This is not to say that none of the lower-cost (and some more expensive ones too) pistols will work - of course some do, at least in the short term. But results vary from gun-to-gun with no assurance that a buyer will get a good one.

That's why I say to a person that's on a limited budget - either buy a used gun that's proved its worth, or go look at something else - and at the top of my short list you'll find Ruger and CZ-USA. They make relatively inexpensive models that have good reputations, offer good service if you do have a problem (especially Ruger), and you don't have to worry about the quality of the internal parts.

If you take a typical so-called “mil-spec” pistol that’s retailing for a street price of around $400.00 and subtract the manufacturers or importers profit, as well as the distributor and retailers mark-up it should be clear that the true cost of the gun itself is around $350.00 or less. For that kind of money no one can make a good 1911 pistol in today’s economy. Nor can you buy parts and assemble your own gun with any expectation that what you end up with will be something that's reliable. In the end you get what you pay for – not necessarily what you expect.

The truth of what I’m saying should be self evident, but it’s clearly not what some people what to read. But the truth is indeed the truth, and wishful thinking won’t change it.

 

[nrmcolt]

what do you guys think?

Slide is definitely Armscor, ask me how I know

 

[carolinaman]

Hi there horsesense,

After building two of my own 1911's, I can tell you from experience that for what you will invest in parts, tools, and labor that it will be more cost effective to buy a Springfield Mil Spec or RIA.

Unless you have workshop stocked with a wide variety of Brownell's 1911 tools, you are going to find it challanging to attempt to assemble a 1911. However, if you are up to the challange, buy the AGI video on building a 1911 to preview.

I spent a lot of nights at home slowly trying just to fit the frame to the slide and remember fitting the barrel lugs and wondering "will it turn out OK, or did I just blow $180.00 on a new barrel?"

Chris

BTW-My $400.00 budget 1911's turned into about $600.00-$800.00 projects!