Best Gunsmith to "Assemble" a Custom 1911?

Status
Not open for further replies.
C

Commander Crusty

Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2008
Messages
130
Location
South East
I want custom features on a Commander slide Officer's frame .45 ACP. I'm thinking of ordering the slide and frame with the options I want from Caspian and a few parts suppliers. No offense intended, but with high end pieces, isn't this almost an assembly job rather than a "hand crafted piece of art"?

I like the compact Sig, but don't want to pay extra to swap out the sights and thumb safety.

I like the S&W, but don't want a guide rod or all the sharp edges.

I don't want, or need, a match barrel and fit.

I am just not willing to pay $2,500-$3,500 for a Wilson or Brown.

Could Robar, for example, put something like this together? The pistol will be carried a lot and shot a little, but MUST be 100% reliable and drop safe.

Suggestions?
 
Find a 1911 that is close to what you want, then have a good smith fix it.

I don't think many smiths are going to want to put an entire 1911 together from a bag of misc parts. If they do, it'll cost $2500 just like a custom. Expect to spend $$$ for anything custom and good. Keep in mind that paying extra to swap parts isn't really that bad.

A custom build is going to cost more usually than an equal quality 1911 with a few mods.

I'd recommend starting with a LesBaer or Dan Wesson as a base for a custom build. That way you'll only need to make minor changes.

Severns Custom is a great place to look into custom work. Especially refinishing.
 
I'll be very interested in the replies to this thread as I am in the same quandary. I have several 1911's, and over the 30+ years that I have shot 1911's, I have come to prefer certain grip safeties, thumb safeties, triggers, sights, etc. By the time any "factory" pistol is just the way I want it, the only original parts left are the slide & frame, and these too have been modified. Between the cost of the original pistol, the replacement parts & the gunsmithing, I end up having $2,000-$3,000 invested in the pistol. So, for my next 1911 I have decided to purchase a Caspian frame & slide and all of the other parts that I prefer to complete the pistol. I also am having Caspian do most of the machine work (sight cuts, frame checkering, etc.) as they charge far less than any gunsmith would. While looking for a gunsmith to do the "assembly" (and yes I realize that it does entail more than just assembly), I have found that while there are 'smiths that will do this, most that I have spoken to tell me that they prefer do do their own machine work, or will only do the work if I use a certain brand of trigger group components, etc. I would use the same 'smith that I have used for 15 years, but he has retired and moved away.
 
Commander Crusty said:
I want custom features on a Commander slide Officer's frame .45 ACP. I'm thinking of ordering the slide and frame with the options I want from Caspian and a few parts suppliers. No offense intended, but with high end pieces, isn't this almost an assembly job rather than a "hand crafted piece of art"?
Click to expand...

If you are starting with a Caspian slide and frame, you are going to need more than just assembly. Sig tried that with their original runs of the GSR and that is how they got such a horrible reputation for guns not working.

LensWork said:
I have found that while there are 'smiths that will do this, most that I have spoken to tell me that they prefer do do their own machine work, or will only do the work if I use a certain brand of trigger group components, etc.
Click to expand...
This is pretty normal with 1911 smiths. They have to stand behind their product and like to use parts they they know have a good track record of holding up. While there are parts changers (they are not smiths) who will install your parts into pre-milled cuts, most smiths wouldn't want they work associated with a cut that isn't correct. Standard cuts, like drop-in parts, really aren't. It might not make much difference to you is there are gaps between the sights and the slide or the tangs and the grip safety, but any smith who takes pride in their work wouldn't want that associated with them
 
No offense intended, but with high end pieces, isn't this almost an assembly job rather than a "hand crafted piece of art"?
Click to expand...

No. I build my own guns, getting it right is not assembly. If you want reliability, longevity, accuracy, and safety, and excluding pure dumb luck, it must be built by someone experienced who genuinely understands the pistol. Caspian parts are fine but will still require expert fitting. See for example, Schuemann's explanation of barrel timing and linking, or 1911 writings from a ns expert local to this board, 1911Tuner.
 
Just do what Eli Walach did in The Good The Bad and The Ugly.

Get two of the same brand 1911s' one in a commander model and one in an officers model and switch the top ends on both of them and sell the one you don't want.
 
Check with Bob Serva at Fusion. They offer prefitted kits that have most of the major work already done and you or your 'smith finish it off with your choice of trigger group, sights, finish, etc. I have a Fusion CCO so I'm sure Bob could accomodate your need for an Officer frame/Commander slide and the kit prices are very reasonable for what you're getting. If it looks like something that might interest you give them a call, usually Bob answers the phone and he's great about answering questions, plus their customer service is second to none.
http://www.fusionfirearms.com/

Here's a pic of one of their kits -
comm_kit.jpg
 
What features are you looking to put onto the gun. If you go the full house custom route from a good smith it is going to run you $2500+ IMHO.

Sounds like you want a CCO. Commander slide on an officers frame. I would consider starting with this...

IMG_0464.jpg

If you like the Sig why not just swap the parts? You can take off the Novak Nights and sell them and install what you want. You can swap the thumb safety for less than $100 with the part included. You will still be OTD in under $1250 to $1500 depending on if you need the slide to be milled.

If you still want to go the full custom route PM I will give you the name of someone who will built it for you from the frame up but it is not going to be cheap...

PS I would not buy a Bob Serva gun. He has over booked his shop and QC has suffered.
 
Last edited:
I also think the Dan Wesson CCO is a better way to go to get what you are looking for...besides already having superior fit and many premium parts, there is factory support if you should have a problem down the road....additional, I think the Dan Wesson line is a very good value in the mid-priced 1911 range

Is there a reason you would avoid a production gun?
 
(like the S&W, but don't want a guide rod or all the sharp edges.)

This might be your best option. Find out if a plunger tube system will work, then have a shop do a good carry bevel treatment and refinish.
Not rocket science doing it this way.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top