jkh@jade.BERKELEY.EDU (Jordan K. Hubbard) (01/07/87)
Article: 1:8 [ This looks like it's addressed to me, but it sounds like someone out there would be able to answer this better than I. I've never assembled my own 1911. -jh ] Would you make a list of where to "cheaply" buy the major pieces of a 1911 suitably "well-made" so I/we might be able to assemble it. You brought this up, I hope you can find the time to go through a fairly recent Shotgun News and list your favourite "Parts" shop. I'd like to have a mostly/ completely stainless one with the long slide ( I think ). I've looked a many automatics and the only one that was impressive was the "Grizzly", but I've read enough to know that the Govt model is "ok". I once worked at the Ceramics Shop portion of "Christy Gun Works" and they made every piece of the luger, but they couldn't sell "all" the pieces to one customer at one address. Is there some sort of regulation still in place which makes it unlikely that I can buy all the pieces at one place? Is there any advantage to buying pieces as opposed to >$500 at some dealer somewhere? Thanks for considering this. Dave Wade
jkh@jade.BERKELEY.EDU (Jordan K. Hubbard) (01/11/87)
Article: 1:13 In article <2120@jade.BERKELEY.EDU> you write: >[ This looks like it's addressed to me, but it sounds like someone out there >would be able to answer this better than I. I've never assembled my own >1911. -jh ] > >Would you make a list of where to "cheaply" buy the major pieces of a 1911 >suitably "well-made" so I/we might be able to assemble it. Having assebbled several 1911's back when you could get "kits" from Tom Forest out of the Shotgun News I recommend *NOT* bothering. Unless you want something that is not available over the counter -- and by that I mean something that is not easily converted from an over the counter piece -- the work and worry is more than the resulting savings are worth. On one occasion I put a 1911a1 together and the slide would bind. I took it to a gunsmith who charged me about $20.00 (a lot of money for gunsmithing in 1970) and he fixed it. When I got it home I found that the slot for the clip release was milled too far toward the rear and the clip wouldn't go past it. The frame had to be returned. What a headache. The only time I would bother with this kind of endeavour is when: 1. I was bored and looking forward to a long, cold winter. 2. I was interested in a hot-shot custom piece. 3. I was more of a gunsmith than I am (I made a living of sorts at it for six years -- but not pistols). Do I sound discouraging enough? :-) Bruce
jkh@jade.BERKELEY.EDU (Jordan K. Hubbard) (01/11/87)
Article: 1:18 > [ This looks like it's addressed to me, but it sounds like someone out there > would be able to answer this better than I. I've never assembled my own > 1911. -jh ] > > Would you make a list of where to "cheaply" buy the major pieces of a 1911 > suitably "well-made" so I/we might be able to assemble it. You brought > this up, I hope you can find the time to go through a fairly recent > Shotgun News and list your favourite "Parts" shop. I'd like to have a mostly/ > completely stainless one with the long slide ( I think ). I've looked a > many automatics and the only one that was impressive was the "Grizzly", but > I've read enough to know that the Govt model is "ok". I once worked at the > Ceramics Shop portion of "Christy Gun Works" and they made every piece of > the luger, but they couldn't sell "all" the pieces to one customer at one > address. Is there some sort of regulation still in place which makes it > unlikely that I can buy all the pieces at one place? Is there any advantage > to buying pieces as opposed to >$500 at some dealer somewhere? > The Grizzly is actually a significantly different gun than the M1911. While some parts are supposed to be interchangeable, there are many parts that are not, starting with the frame! (The grip is significantly larger to accommodate the wildcat cartridge the Grizzly was designed to fire.) I believe the maker of the Grizzly went out of business quite recently. Stainless M1911 frames are probably available, but I've never seen one offered for sale. Going through Shotgun News will give you long lists of suppliers of parts -- you can buy everything from one supplier EXCEPT for the frame -- that's considered the gun, and has to be transferred through a Federal Firearms Licensee. I've developed a fair amount of experience replacing parts on my Colt Government Model, and I suspect I could build a functioning M1911 from a parts collection, but I would not encourage doing it unless you have a pretty intimate knowledge of the M1911 -- you are likely to find a lot of tolerance problems interchanging parts from a wide variety of makers. Also, putting all the parts together, even when they have already been together as a gun, can be very frustrating. (Lots of little springs, parts that won't QUITE go together; where's my third and fourth hand to hold this doodad down while inserting this plunger, etc.) I would encourage buying a fully assembled gun. You will spend a bit more money, but I have more confidence that the gun you have will be trustworthy and reliable. > Thanks for considering this. > Dave Wade Clayton E. Cramer
jkh@jade.BERKELEY.EDU (Jordan K. Hubbard) (01/14/87)
Article: 1:33 If your rifle is a target rifle, take the bolt out and run the cleaning rod through, from the back of the barrel. This will minimize any pos- sibility of marking up the end of the bore. Also, try using RemOil (Remington's label). The teflon suspension gives an excellent finish and is great for all moving parts. Dean W. Anneser