1911 Build Has Started, I Guess. Intro.

1911 Build Index

My "Economic Stimulus" check is coming soon, I've got birthday checks to cash, and my bank and investment accounts are doing okay. I figure it's okay to spend some money.

The Ed Brown Maxi-Well with 25lpi checkering was on sale at Midway, and the CMC grip safeties were in stock, so I ordered them along with the Kuhnhausen shop manual, along with 1500 rounds of the MiniMags for my Glock rimfire conversion, and a Lula mag loader for the AK clone.

I guess the 1911 build has officially started.

Backstory
I’ve been on a quest to build a competition 1911 to my liking. I would prefer not to buy a complete pistol, even if it’s cheaper to go that way. I want a gunsmithing project.

I looked into using a Armscor/Charles Daly/RIA pistol as a base gun, but dropped the idea after reading a handful of reports of rattling pistols. I want to build a bullseye accurate pistol, and I’m not sure that a rattletrap frame/slide fit will cut it.

I looked into using a Taurus pistol as a base, but I’d pretty much be stuck with the grip safety that comes with the pistol, and the slide to frame fit may not be as tight as I’d like. Springfield (actually Imbel made) frames are not made to John Brownings specs, and you are very limited in which grip safeties you can use.

Ideally, I would like a frame with a long dustcover. Les Baer quoted me $595.00 for a Monolith frame, which I think is the retail price for a complete Taurus PT1911. The STI RangeMaster frames are cast/cut for ramped barrels, which are generally not recommended for .45ACP pistols. SVI makes frames with long dustcovers, but will not sell the frames separately.

So, maybe I should just use a standard frame, and maybe someday down the line, a longer frame will be available at a reasonable price. I think it will happen.

So, I think I’m going to start with a Caspian frame and STI slide, and piece together the pistol that I want, with a minimum of leftover parts. Caspian casts and machines their frames here in the U.S. of A, while the Tauri, Armscor, and Springfield Armory frames and slides are all made somewhere else. “Made In America” doesn’t seem that important until it’s the job you do getting outsourced.

Edit To Add
Just to be clear, this pistol will not be replacing any Glocks for carry and/or competition. Should I ever get the itch to shoot bullseye, it may get used for that. Otherwise, I may take it out to the range, or shoot action pistol matches with it if I get the itch. Mostly, it's going to be a puzzle for me, except I know where all the pieces go, they just don't fit together properly yet.

Free Book on Gun Rights/Self Defense

The book, Stopping Power, by J. Neil Schulman, is available for download from The Gunclock Website.

Schulman summarizes the book, saying, "My 1994 book, Stopping Power: Why 70 Million Americans Own Guns, makes the point -- through analysis of history, criminology, statistics, and dramatic examples -- that 'Gun control increases violent crime by disarming helpless victims and shifting the balance of power to the illegally armed criminal or terrorist.'"

The book is over 300 pages, and well cited. Schulman makes some interesting points, observations, and analogies.

Latest Midway Coupon, Expires the 22nd

To receive your $10 off:
1. Place $175 or more of in-stock products in your shopping cart. Enter Promotion Code WEB17568 in the box entitled 'Promotion Code' on the Shopping Cart page.
2. You will see the discount on the Confirmation page before placing your order.
3. Remember, this promotion code is valid for orders placed on MidwayUSA.com.
4. Limited to one per customer and one promotion code per retail order.
5. Hurry, offer ends at 11:59 PM CT June 22, 2008.

I Won! Sort Of. . .

I caught the bowling pin match at Field & Stream this time, having missed the first one in the fall, because I got the date wrong.

It came down to me, and Bob Britton (with a High Standard), and the same Bob Britton (second entry with a Ruger Charger). So we went up to shoot, and I edged out Bob who was shooting the High Standard. Would I have won if Bob had a second magazine for the High Standard, or if he had used the Charger? I dunno, maybe not.

I shot at least one shoot-off clean, 5 shots and 5 hits. When I reloaded, I made my mag changes clean, but I had a few moments of brain freeze, and didn't start the first shoot-off with both hands on the grip, which was just dumb.

It was fun, and was the first match I ever made a profit on, if you consider the cost of ammunition used in practice.

I shot this one with my race gun with the Advantage Arms rimfire upper, and a ProPoint PDP2 that I keep ready and sighted in for the AA upper.


I've tried to use centerfire guns before, and never did very well. I think I'll be sticking to the rimfire conversion.

More on Mini-14 20-Round Mags from Ruger

There was a small article in American Rifleman, saying that if sales of the NRA edition Mini-14 are high enough, Ruger will start making 20-round magazines available to the public. If you are interested in standard capacity (20-rounders, not the reduced capacity) magazines for rifle(s) that your already own, now would be a good time to write a letter to Ruger.

There was another note in Guns magazine a few months later, saying that it would happen as soon as they are finished with NRA rifle production.