Bob Rodgers
Member
I just finished one of the longest weeks of my life. Seven would-be pistolsmiths pushed aside their lives and journeyed to Arkansas for a five, (later changed to six) day class on building their very own 1911 pistols.
Lesson plans were written, workbenches built, vises and lights installed, work stools set in place, special tools made, parts ordered. I was as ready as I could be.
Class was to begin at 8:00 AM sharp on Monday, but some of the students swung by the shop late on Sunday afternoon to drop off their tools and get the lay of the land.
I expected long hours at the bench during the week, I’m not sure they did. Skill levels varied, of course. Two were women, four of the seven had never touched a file to a piece of steel. Five of seven had never touched a file to gunmetal. Pre-class practice was, of course, non-existent. Every student is a hardcore member of the Southern Exposure shooting school in Florida. They wear the badge of “window-licker” proudly and intended to keep the tradition alive and well in Arkansas. They did.
Instruction was mostly by demo. I showed what was expected and involved in fitting a part, they returned to their benches, and my helper and I then ran around the room putting out fires and trying to solve problems.
The end of Day 1 found us about 4 hours behind my targeted schedule, so Day 2 started an hour earlier and we stayed at it for a full 12 hours. That remained the schedule for the rest of the “Longest Week.” Gunsmith fit Kart barrels were finally in, linked, and timed, grip safeties were fit and blended, the work continued…
All seven pistols were test-fired for function and front sight regulation on Friday morning. None puked. Zip, zero, nada. Amazing! The best group was turned in by a female shooter, .881” center to center, 5 rounds of BLAZER, at 25 yards. DO NOT get in a gunfight with her.
Day 6 was added at the student’s request with the time to be spent on cosmetics. One student had prior commitments and pulled out on Friday.
Don’t tell ‘em I said so, but I’m really proud of this crew. They worked long and hard and in my opinion turned out remarkable guns for their first attempt. And don’t get the wrong idea. Even among all the industry there was still plenty of time for joking around and bouncing filthy language off the walls of the shop.
What can you do in 5 or 6 days of intensity? Scroll on down to see the finished product. Only 5 of the 7 are shown. Two are already on their way home.
The classroom and some shots of the REAL stars of this thread:
Lesson plans were written, workbenches built, vises and lights installed, work stools set in place, special tools made, parts ordered. I was as ready as I could be.
Class was to begin at 8:00 AM sharp on Monday, but some of the students swung by the shop late on Sunday afternoon to drop off their tools and get the lay of the land.
I expected long hours at the bench during the week, I’m not sure they did. Skill levels varied, of course. Two were women, four of the seven had never touched a file to a piece of steel. Five of seven had never touched a file to gunmetal. Pre-class practice was, of course, non-existent. Every student is a hardcore member of the Southern Exposure shooting school in Florida. They wear the badge of “window-licker” proudly and intended to keep the tradition alive and well in Arkansas. They did.
Instruction was mostly by demo. I showed what was expected and involved in fitting a part, they returned to their benches, and my helper and I then ran around the room putting out fires and trying to solve problems.
The end of Day 1 found us about 4 hours behind my targeted schedule, so Day 2 started an hour earlier and we stayed at it for a full 12 hours. That remained the schedule for the rest of the “Longest Week.” Gunsmith fit Kart barrels were finally in, linked, and timed, grip safeties were fit and blended, the work continued…
All seven pistols were test-fired for function and front sight regulation on Friday morning. None puked. Zip, zero, nada. Amazing! The best group was turned in by a female shooter, .881” center to center, 5 rounds of BLAZER, at 25 yards. DO NOT get in a gunfight with her.
Day 6 was added at the student’s request with the time to be spent on cosmetics. One student had prior commitments and pulled out on Friday.
Don’t tell ‘em I said so, but I’m really proud of this crew. They worked long and hard and in my opinion turned out remarkable guns for their first attempt. And don’t get the wrong idea. Even among all the industry there was still plenty of time for joking around and bouncing filthy language off the walls of the shop.
What can you do in 5 or 6 days of intensity? Scroll on down to see the finished product. Only 5 of the 7 are shown. Two are already on their way home.
The classroom and some shots of the REAL stars of this thread:
