10-24-2019, 10:50 AM
I have been shopping for a 1911 for some time now. The ones I really want (like Kimber) are premium models and therefore command a premium price. Some of the cheaper options are sloppy at best. I even looked at several used ones, and at least one was so loose that the slide rattled!
So, as a hobby machinist, I decided it was time to build my own, to make the fits as nice as the better examples out there, without the matching price tag. Time is of no consequence, and if it takes me several years, that is just fine. Just as a point of reference, this will not be for carry, but simply a backup woods gun when I'm hunting and a casual shooter/plinker other times.
As a result, I have been shopping the various frame manufacturers. Aluminum, stainless steel, plain steel, steel with polymer grip/mag well; and that's just the materials. Front grip already checkered or DIY, frame size, etc. The options are somewhat bewildering. I like the idea of aluminum for easier gunsmithing, but am somewhat concerned for strength and/or service life due to fatigue. Thoughts and opinions will be welcome.
So, has anyone built one of these? Which manufacturer/vendor did you go with, and would you use them again? Parts kits (Rock Island, for example) can be bought complete, or each component can be purchased separately. Recommendations for going either route?
So, as a hobby machinist, I decided it was time to build my own, to make the fits as nice as the better examples out there, without the matching price tag. Time is of no consequence, and if it takes me several years, that is just fine. Just as a point of reference, this will not be for carry, but simply a backup woods gun when I'm hunting and a casual shooter/plinker other times.
As a result, I have been shopping the various frame manufacturers. Aluminum, stainless steel, plain steel, steel with polymer grip/mag well; and that's just the materials. Front grip already checkered or DIY, frame size, etc. The options are somewhat bewildering. I like the idea of aluminum for easier gunsmithing, but am somewhat concerned for strength and/or service life due to fatigue. Thoughts and opinions will be welcome.
So, has anyone built one of these? Which manufacturer/vendor did you go with, and would you use them again? Parts kits (Rock Island, for example) can be bought complete, or each component can be purchased separately. Recommendations for going either route?
Full of ideas, but slow to produce parts