1911 build

[austin.brown]

I have successfully put together an AR pistol and have always wanted a 1911.

The market is saturated with AR 15 parts so they are pretty easy to find and it can be cheaper to build one the buy a new one if you watch for sales.

I have 0 experience with 1911s and am looking to get a pistol sometime. Is it cost effective, and easy enough, to buy a frame then the slide and all the parts, or are there enough good quality, low enough priced 1911s out there to make buying one a reasonable option?

 

[Coded-Dude]

There aren't near as many companies out there, but they are out there. However there isn't really a middle of the pack company either. You're either buying top end stuff from the known top end custom makers or you are buying a low end parts kit that may need some fine tuning to make the parts fit/function.

Frame: http://www.tacticalmachining.com/1911/1911-frames/tm-recon-frame-1911.html

Sarco for a budget build: http://www.e-sarcoinc.com/1911gi.aspx

Wilson Combat and Nighthawk for a better build:
http://shopwilsoncombat.com/1911-Accessories/departments/13/
http://www.nighthawkcustom.com/shop.html

There are other places that make/sell 1911 parts(Colt, ed brown, les baer, etc.), but these are the big ones. Also to note the 80% builds are huge in CA, so parts can fly off the shelf quick once they become in stock. The Sarco kit that has everything you need(all parts, minus frame) to finish a cheap build is out of stock, but they have other kits that would require you to find other parts elsewhere(slide barrel, etc.). You can build one for as cheap as $400, or as much as you want to spend.....

 

[surjimmy]

Talk to Dr. Barry, I think he would enjoy walking you through this if you asked him.

 

[JD8]

FWIW, you won't be able to build a 1911 starting from square one in experience for $400. Like Jimmy said, I'd call Barry and get yourself this... http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-t...-m1911a1-pistols-a-shop-manual-prod13815.aspx To get yourself familiar with the platform basics.

 

[Coded-Dude]

Yes sorry, I went into the parts too fast and totally skipped over the learning curve. I would definitely say that building an AR is easier than a 1911, but it can be done. Your best bet is to find a friend that has one and see if he will walk you through taking it down and putting it back together, then possibly let you try doing it yourself. There will certainly be a difference in taking apart(and reassembling) an already built 1911 versus trying to build one from various manufacturers parts(fit and function sometimes need adjustment), but it will get you started. The comments above me are also very good recommendations.

 

[HiredHand]

A walk through by a guy that built a 1911 from a Sarco kit. http://how-i-did-it.org/1911-project/