building a 1911....

[kir_kenix]

well, i got my first 1911 this last sunday, and i LOVE it. and i want another one. i dont really have the money (okay i do, but my girlfriend would kill me) to buy another one. but she wouldnt notice me sinking $90-100 a month into parts online. what i want to know is if it is possible to get everything i need off, say brownells to build one to my very own specifications? i know that it will pbly end up costing me more money in the long run, but that really does not concern me. I see i can buy barrels, grips, slides, safeties, other small parts, sights, triggers, springs, parts kits, magazines, and grip frames. as far as i can see, everything that i can find on my pistol can be bought off the internet.
so is this a viable option to attaining another 1911? will i need special equipment? am i even going to posess the necessary skills to assemble one? i know there are alot of guys on here that know a ton more than me so any help is appreciated. thanks a bunch guys.

 

[kir_kenix]

oh and i realize i will need an ffl to purchase the frame/reciever, but i think i already have a guy that will do the ordering for me. thanks.

 

[JoeHatley]

Yes. Everything you need parts/manuals/tools can be purchased from Brownells.

That's almost exactly what I did when I put together this Franken-pistol several years ago.



Check to see if your FFL will also place the orders for the small parts for you, and give you a break on the retail prices. Otherwise... you will probably end up with a $1200 gun.

Good luck, and have fun...

Joe

 

[kir_kenix]

thanks joe. i think im ready to begin my "project" then. pbly take me a year to put it together...but it will be fun. maybe i can finish it w/ my taxes or something...lol. now i just have to decide exactly what sort of gun i want it to be...

 

[kir_kenix]

well, i went thru brownells a lil bit and built my dream .45 for about $4500. then i built an "economy" .45 for a lil over $600. i think ill end up settling somewhere in-between. buying less expensive then i would like, but not as cheap as one can go. here was the hesitent list i put together...if anybody knows anything i forgot to put in here please chime in. i dont know why i want to put one together so bad, but ive decided that is what i really want to do. well...heres an economy 1911 offa brownells...
some of these arnt the absolute cheapest parts, but i really got tired of looking at every option after a while.

Building my own 1911:

Frame:
Blued Essex 1911 Auto Reciever $152.00
Barrel:
Double Star 5" non ramped $99.00
DS Bushing $12.93
Slide:
Essex .45 Gov't $142.25
Grips:
Mahogany 1911 Double Diamond Grip $18.00
Grip safety:
DS Grip Safety $11.95
Thumb Safety:
DS Thumb Safety $12.95
Trigger:
Wilson .45 trigger $15.95
Slide Stop:
Mccormick blue slide stop $19.95
Ejector:
AA .45 ejector $11.25
DS pin $1.75
Firing Pin:
AA FP $8.50
DS FP stop $5.75
Link pin
DS pin $1.75
Magazine Catch Assembly:
DS Assembly $18.75
DS Lock $2.86
Mainspring Housing pin retainer
DS pin $1.75
DS cap $1.75
DS cap pin $1.75
Plunger tube:
DS plunger tube $7.91
DS Detent assembly $3.50
Recoil Spring Plug:
DS Gov't $7.57
Hammer, Sear, Disconector
AA kit $39.50
DS sear pin $1.75
DS Hammer pin $1.75
DS Hammer Strut $3.86
DS Hammer Strup pin $1.75



Total: $608.43



ps. DS stands for double star and AA stands for All american. forgot to add in the price of springs too....oh well...too much work. lol...spose ill have to tack on a few more dollars for that as well.

 

[ugaarguy]

Don't forget the cost of tools to build that 1911. For more info, here's a thread I started a while back on the same topic; http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=2601603#post2601603

 

[kir_kenix]

after looking thru that last thread and reading from more experienced writers than i this may be too much of a project for me...lol. for a few fleeting hours there i thought that this was going to be like a pride build...but the more i read about it the more it sounds like a gunsmith is going to do some of the fitting and not me. idk...ill keep looking into it, but maybe ill be better off going to a pawn shop and buying a used 1911 and upgrade it accordingly.

thanks for the link to that thread ugaarguy, it might have saved me a ton of hearache. maybe its a project for further down the line. ill keep looking into it for now, and ill consider buying a used for upgrades. thanks a bunch guys.

 

[TX1911fan]

I had the same urge you do after buying my first 3 1911s. I really wanted to do it so I could learn the 1911 platform really well. Instead of building one from the ground up, I bought a cheap start (SA GI) and then upgraded it. So far I have replaced all the internals, trigger, grip safety, thumb safety, slide stop, pins, MSH and grips. I have now hit the wall for a while because I need to send it to SA to finish (sights, lowered, flared port, checkering, refinish). I promised I wouldn't spend anymore gun money until next year, so I'll have to wait.

I did end up spending more money that the gun is worth, but I learned a lot and had a great time. By the time its done, it will be fantastic, and it will be mine, one that I did a lot of my own work on.

As far as tools, I've only had to use files I got from Home Depot, a bend block from Brownells, and a set of brass punches.

I did have to do a little minor fitting of the thumb safety to get it to fit the profile of the new internals, but that was easy enough to do. Fitting the beavertail was the most fun.

 

[HSMITH]

Switch your order out to an STI or Caspian frame and slide, it won't be much more money. Then fit it all up and shoot it. Once through that learning curve fit up all top shelf parts a little at a time. You will end up with a really high quality 1911 without wrecking good parts fitting them the first time.

Cheap 1911 parts are cheap for a reason. They are GREAT for learning though, and a sensible way to get started.

 

[10-Ring]

I have a buddy that did such a thing a few years ago He bought parts over the case of a few months and learned how to install them himself. I guess he was okay until he put the Dremel to it :banghead:
Good luck w/ your project