Need a good smith to help fix my 1911

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Chuck Perry

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I have a 1911 that a local smith butchered the Bomar cut on. I need to find a good, reliable gun smith to fix it. Someone who is going to do what they say they are going to do, with no excuses or exceptions. The type of guy that if you call him for an update, if he doesn't have the answer you want he'll at least give you the truth, not a line of BS.

Who's good out there? I'm looking for the type of smith you would recommend to your Dad or your best friend. I'm aware of the nationally known guys, but I've had problems with one of those in the past too. I've heard good things about Novaks, but I'm not sure they take in repair work like I have.
 
What exact 1911 is it. If its a low end model, then its not going to be worth to fix it. In most cases you are looking at buying a new slide to fix a damaged bomar cut, which means fitting a new barrel, slide and installing new sights.

Cost of repairing a slide or installing a new slide would be to expensive and all odds are you will not find any smith out there that will weld up a slide.

1. In most cases your options are to sue the gun smith for the cost of the work and the damaged gun in small claims court, cost is about $25 to file papers yourself.

2. If the gun is operable and shoots fine and your complaint is more cosmetic, then sell it and get a new gun.

3. Even if its a old colt 70 and a $1000 gun its not worth putting a new slide on it, cost would be $400-$600 with all the parts and fitting.

4. Depending on your problem, if your determined to fix it you are going to need a smith that can tig weld like an artist and welding is not usually a gunsmiths primary skill, most are limted to soldering and simple brazing.
 
I know a gunsmith who can do the work, but he wouldn't meet this requirement:
The type of guy that if you call him for an update, if he doesn't have the answer you want he'll at least give you the truth, not a line of BS.
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He is someone who I would recommend to a best friend, but I'd make sure they understood what they were getting into and that they valued the art of what they were buying more than the time it would take to complete.

As xr1200 has said:
going to need a smith that can tig weld like an artist and welding is not usually a gunsmiths primary skill, most are limted to soldering and simple brazing.
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There are very few good smiths who are also master welders. I know another top flight smith ($6000+ 1911s) who has a master welder who does his work...like welding up the tangs on 1911s so that grip safeties can be properly fitted...and he guards that name jealously.

I think you have been giver very good advice in post #2
 
Thanks for the input. You're quite right that the cost of a new slide assembly is more than I'm willing to spend on this gun, an SA Mil Spec. I'm not ready to give up yet. There has to be somebody out there that can weld the slide, or fabricate a filler shim that will correct this. Time is not so much an issue. What is an issue is being told that it will take 3 months, and when I call the 4th month there's no progress nor a valid reason for the lack thereof. An example of an invalid reason would be "the gunsmith said he has to be in just the right mood on just the right kind of day for this type of work, or he might mess it up." This is of course secondary to being initially told how great the guy is and that the job won't be a problem 'cause he's a master machinist.

All I'm looking to do is fix this one up and then sell it. If I can do it for a reasonable price, great. If not, I'll have to adjust my sale price accordingly. I have learned my lesson on customizing pistols.

Good advice on the small claims too. Around these parts, if you're sued and fail to pay the judgement, I'm the guy the court sends to your home/business to compell you to pay. Not an option for me on this one, been too long since the work was done.
 
Here's a thought.

Isn't there a Gunsmithing school in your area? It has been a while, but I remember hearing or reading something about this a while back. You could go there and see if advanced students would like to practice their welding and machining skills to try to fix it.

How bad is this butchered cut anyway?
Was it for a real Bomar sight or one of the clones?

I only ask because I've seen some pretty funky Novak rear sight cuts...there was light under the sight body...on nice (not custom) guns and later found that the problem wasn't the cut, but that the sight body wasn't produced to spec. I've also found that there are different Bomar Cuts that are considered acceptable in the trade...you have to be very specific when describing what you wnat done to a custom gun.
 
An example of an invalid reason would be "the gunsmith said he has to be in just the right mood on just the right kind of day for this type of work, or he might mess it up."
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This might not be a funny to you at this point, but I actually knew a pistol smith to whom this was a real reason for what he would do on a given day.

He did great work on the Colt Python action, but if he wasn't in the right mood, he wouldn't even pick it up to feel the action. He used to say that he had to be in tune with the balance of the action, because of the angles and camming surfaces, to tune it just right. He was lucky that he always had a backlog of S&W revolver work to fill the other times and pay the bills
 
If its just a loose sight problem then, you can simply make a shim yourself from a pop can and slip it under the sight and it should take up any play, or use a set of feeler guages and cut up one that will fit properly and take up the gap. Then I would just sell the gun, the stock mil spec SA is a poorly made gun, I know them well as I had one two mil spec models, had a gunsmith cosmetically screw up the slide.

The only base model I consider any good is the range officer which I just bought a few months ago.
 
Compare the SA mil spec to the range officer, there is a lot of difference in fit and quality. I hate to say it but I would take a taurus 1911 any day over a mil spec SA
 
The problem with the cut is that it is not level. When viewing the sight picture, the entire sight is canted. It is tight in the dovetail that was cut, there are no visible gaps on either side. It is just not sitting level in the slide.

The guy that just had it proposed a shim. He just wasn't able to carry out the work. To me, the job seems straight forward. Mill the sight cut deeper to make it level, then make a shim to fill the gap between the slide and sight bottom. Welding would be best no doubt, but I'd be fine with a cheap shim job.

I haven't found the quality of the gun from the factory to be lacking in any way, for what it was intended to be. I bought it cheap as a base gun and slowly replaced just about every part in it, for no reason other than being brainwashed on the various forums that 1911's aren't worth a damn unless you did so. If I knew then what I know now, there would be an Ed Brown or Les Baer in my safe instead of my cobbled together creation. Live and learn.
 
xr1200, there is a difference between a Loaded Springer and a TRP also. However there are more than several top notch custom smiths that will build on Springfield base guns. Find a smith that will build on a Taurus and get back to me on that.
Aftermarket upgrade parts will fit a Springfield GI or MilSpec. Lurk on the 1911 forums and read the complaints of shooters that try to upgrade their Taurus.:scrutiny:
Joe
 
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