Guys,
I recently posted an inquiry about my Israeli 1911 pistol hitting really low. I now wish to expand the conversation to some other 1911 related stuff.
The IAI (Israeli) pistol is commander length. Some years ago, I acquired a Colt Commander Series 80 slide and barrel plus two Colt Series 80 full length slides with barrel. Supposedly the barrels were "matched" whatever that means. Since you will quickly discover it anyway, I freely confess that I am not an expert on 1911 pistols, although I am comfortable with them.
We are a family of tinkerers. My wife, and our younger son (age 20) are certified, practicing locksmiths. Our older son (22), is a chemist.
Our older son, and my wife, will also graduate from machinist school in a couple of months. We now have a lathe and a couple of milling machines, and are ramping up to start a small machine shop. We may or may not open as a business. For now, we're doing it for the love of learning and tinkering.
Now, back to these slides. I've had them for probably close to 10 years. Back when I bought (traded for 'em actually) them, I intended to buy some Caspian frames and try my hand at fitting and assembling a pistol. In furtherance of that goal, on ebay, I bought the Jerry Kuhnhausen book. It just happens that my copy is autographed by him. I think I have volume 2.
More recently, our younger son (the locksmith but not (yet) a machinist) also bought volume 1. He has expressed an interest in becoming a gunsmith.
Among the four of us we have no experience, but I hope y'all will agree, we DO have some "promise". Although our older son will receive a machinist certificate along with his mom, he is now working as a chemist. He has never thought seriously about being a machinist or a gunsmith. I paid his way through the machinist school (a local community college) because I love him, and because he has many of the traits of an inventor. He THINKS about mechanical assemblies and doo-dads. So, my thought was to provide him with the skill set that would enable him to machine his own prototypes.
From their mother, the two boys (now men) inherited a stunning mechanical aptitude. My wife, born poor in Mexico, never had any real opportunities. Early in our marriage I discovered that she is DRIVEN to take stuff apart and fix it. At first, I could barely keep a straight face when she would tear into something. She quickly wiped the smirk off my face however, because with a single exception as I recall, she NEVER failed to get whatever it was, going again. During that one exception that she failed, she was a very very sore loser. She'd have fixed that too but it came down to a broken part that she could not find.
Well, that will soon be history. She has EXCELLED at this course. During the course of study she has outperformed everybody. Her son is runner-up.
Sorry for the bragging. I am so proud of 'em I simply cannot help myself.
Anyway, I haven't yet really and truly STUDIED volume II of the Kuhnhausen book although I have read it. I've always been spatially and graphically challenged. I am a linguist. My world is words on a page. So, the drawings in the Kuhnhausen book more or less caused my eyes to glaze over and drool to start dribbling from my lips.... ;P)
One of the key courses in the machinist course however, was blueprint reading.
So, to the point. Here we are, nearly tooled up, dressed up in our "machinist" suit, with a pillow case full of Colt 1911 slides, a couple of parts kits, the Kuhnhausen book, and an Israeli 1911 that shoots south when I point it north.
With that long-winded preamble, I ask these questions:
a) First of all, is it feasible to tig weld shut the gaping hole in these series 80 slides? No need to give me the liability lecture. I understand it perfectly. But I will never sell these pistols if ever we build 'em;
Two of the slides are some kind of "target master" model. I forget the exact designation but it's printed on the slides. The tops are somewhat flattened for some reason. I don't have those two with me and haven't looked at 'em in several years but all three slides (2 full length "target" slides plus the commander slide, are all "series 80".
So the second question is, assuming we actually buy some frames:
b) Should I just find the series 80 stuff and install it? Or,
c) Close the holes somehow. We have TIG welding capability if that's appropriate.
I haven't talked to the nice Caspian folks in a long time. But the last time I did they claimed that their CAST frames were the best bang for the buck although they did offer forged frames for a lot more money.
d) What would YOU pick? Forged? Cast? And regardless of your answer,
e) Would you pick carbon or stainless steel?
Since Jerry Kuhnhausen WROTE the book for "kitchen table gunsmiths" I ASSUME that my wife and the Tucksters have, if not the skill and experience, at least the FOUNDATION (and machines) to undertake to fit and assemble some pistols from these slides and the appropriate Caspian frames.
Now, back to my problematic israeli pistol. One of y'all mentioned that it might be a fit problem. Assuming this pistol has nothing wrong with the frame, might it be a plan to simply FIT THE COMMANDER SLIDE TO THIS FRAME?
Of course we would only trod that path if we determine there's some unfixable problem with the slide on the gun now.
In summary, what I really want to know is: Has anybody in here (who isn't a professional) been there and done that? I.e. have you successfully fitted a slide to a frame, and assembled a decent pistol?
If (the gun I've got and the guns we build) will shoot a 4" group at 21' that's plenty good enough for my immediate purposes.
I suppose what I'm really trying to ask is: HOW HARD IS IT?
Thanks!
Vernon
I recently posted an inquiry about my Israeli 1911 pistol hitting really low. I now wish to expand the conversation to some other 1911 related stuff.
The IAI (Israeli) pistol is commander length. Some years ago, I acquired a Colt Commander Series 80 slide and barrel plus two Colt Series 80 full length slides with barrel. Supposedly the barrels were "matched" whatever that means. Since you will quickly discover it anyway, I freely confess that I am not an expert on 1911 pistols, although I am comfortable with them.
We are a family of tinkerers. My wife, and our younger son (age 20) are certified, practicing locksmiths. Our older son (22), is a chemist.
Our older son, and my wife, will also graduate from machinist school in a couple of months. We now have a lathe and a couple of milling machines, and are ramping up to start a small machine shop. We may or may not open as a business. For now, we're doing it for the love of learning and tinkering.
Now, back to these slides. I've had them for probably close to 10 years. Back when I bought (traded for 'em actually) them, I intended to buy some Caspian frames and try my hand at fitting and assembling a pistol. In furtherance of that goal, on ebay, I bought the Jerry Kuhnhausen book. It just happens that my copy is autographed by him. I think I have volume 2.
More recently, our younger son (the locksmith but not (yet) a machinist) also bought volume 1. He has expressed an interest in becoming a gunsmith.
Among the four of us we have no experience, but I hope y'all will agree, we DO have some "promise". Although our older son will receive a machinist certificate along with his mom, he is now working as a chemist. He has never thought seriously about being a machinist or a gunsmith. I paid his way through the machinist school (a local community college) because I love him, and because he has many of the traits of an inventor. He THINKS about mechanical assemblies and doo-dads. So, my thought was to provide him with the skill set that would enable him to machine his own prototypes.
From their mother, the two boys (now men) inherited a stunning mechanical aptitude. My wife, born poor in Mexico, never had any real opportunities. Early in our marriage I discovered that she is DRIVEN to take stuff apart and fix it. At first, I could barely keep a straight face when she would tear into something. She quickly wiped the smirk off my face however, because with a single exception as I recall, she NEVER failed to get whatever it was, going again. During that one exception that she failed, she was a very very sore loser. She'd have fixed that too but it came down to a broken part that she could not find.
Well, that will soon be history. She has EXCELLED at this course. During the course of study she has outperformed everybody. Her son is runner-up.
Sorry for the bragging. I am so proud of 'em I simply cannot help myself.
Anyway, I haven't yet really and truly STUDIED volume II of the Kuhnhausen book although I have read it. I've always been spatially and graphically challenged. I am a linguist. My world is words on a page. So, the drawings in the Kuhnhausen book more or less caused my eyes to glaze over and drool to start dribbling from my lips.... ;P)
One of the key courses in the machinist course however, was blueprint reading.
So, to the point. Here we are, nearly tooled up, dressed up in our "machinist" suit, with a pillow case full of Colt 1911 slides, a couple of parts kits, the Kuhnhausen book, and an Israeli 1911 that shoots south when I point it north.
With that long-winded preamble, I ask these questions:
a) First of all, is it feasible to tig weld shut the gaping hole in these series 80 slides? No need to give me the liability lecture. I understand it perfectly. But I will never sell these pistols if ever we build 'em;
Two of the slides are some kind of "target master" model. I forget the exact designation but it's printed on the slides. The tops are somewhat flattened for some reason. I don't have those two with me and haven't looked at 'em in several years but all three slides (2 full length "target" slides plus the commander slide, are all "series 80".
So the second question is, assuming we actually buy some frames:
b) Should I just find the series 80 stuff and install it? Or,
c) Close the holes somehow. We have TIG welding capability if that's appropriate.
I haven't talked to the nice Caspian folks in a long time. But the last time I did they claimed that their CAST frames were the best bang for the buck although they did offer forged frames for a lot more money.
d) What would YOU pick? Forged? Cast? And regardless of your answer,
e) Would you pick carbon or stainless steel?
Since Jerry Kuhnhausen WROTE the book for "kitchen table gunsmiths" I ASSUME that my wife and the Tucksters have, if not the skill and experience, at least the FOUNDATION (and machines) to undertake to fit and assemble some pistols from these slides and the appropriate Caspian frames.
Now, back to my problematic israeli pistol. One of y'all mentioned that it might be a fit problem. Assuming this pistol has nothing wrong with the frame, might it be a plan to simply FIT THE COMMANDER SLIDE TO THIS FRAME?
Of course we would only trod that path if we determine there's some unfixable problem with the slide on the gun now.
In summary, what I really want to know is: Has anybody in here (who isn't a professional) been there and done that? I.e. have you successfully fitted a slide to a frame, and assembled a decent pistol?
If (the gun I've got and the guns we build) will shoot a 4" group at 21' that's plenty good enough for my immediate purposes.
I suppose what I'm really trying to ask is: HOW HARD IS IT?
Thanks!
Vernon
