1911 questions. not necessarily related to cast bullets

[Bigslug]

I know I can buy one for less then $900 but itll never have the tolerances I want nor will it be something I put time and pride into fitting myself. any thoughts please express them as I'm heavily considering building my own. unless someone has a good argument as to why I shouldn't.

I would second Doug Guy's thoughts of having a very specific goal, and I would also ask what KIND of competition are you planning on, as this whole "tolerances" thing is perhaps my greatest 1911 peeve. Diatribe as follows:

One of the cool things about a 1911 is that the design allows one to be built up as a two-pound, 8.5" mini sniper rifle capable of cleaning an NRA 50 yard Bullseye slowfire target all day, every day, until the end of time.

Yet an annoying thing about a 1911 is that the design allows one to be built up as a two-pound, 8.5" mini sniper rifle , capable of cleaning an NRA 50 yard Bullseye slowfire target all day, every day, until the end of time, and that possibility has occupied a niche in the minds of buyers who have barely even heard of NRA Bullseye - let alone ever shot a match - and convinced them their EDC needs to be a $2500 target gun with the Bomars swapped out for Trijicons.

(To say nothing of the hard reality that a lot of target upgrades - hermetic tolerances that render parts normally drop-in to not-so-much, light springs, hair triggers with OT screws,etc... - are things that might not be smart to have on a gun you need stone-axe reliability from)

The net effect of this is that 1911's have become A LOT more expensive than they need to be, especially when you consider that rattletrap GI guns with frosty bores and the Parkerizing worn white are often capable of grouping better than the majority of the folks that shoot them.

I have nothing against the art that goes into building such things, but again, outside of the Bullseye game, it's just driving up our prices. I went through a case of "Gold Cup Lust" as a kid, but now apply more of a "keep it real" acid test of asking "What is this tool actually FOR?" The end result of this thinking is that, if I decided I actually NEEDED another .45, it would likely be a $500-$700 Rock Island from the Philippines. No sense in procuring a Ferrari when an F150 will more than do.

[shaner]

I am never against anybody taking their hand a building a gun of any kind for I have done it plenty of times. When you get through, you will find you don't have anything better than a Ruger 1911 you could have bought for $700.00.

If the pride of doing it yourself is worth the extra $800.00 then have at it. But realize what you are paying for the pride of doing it yourself. I have spent that much or more to have the pride of building it myself, but these days my pride is not worth that much.

Agreed I've been to that mountain top lol

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[Strtspdlx]

Alright I see both sides of how this could go. The main reason I'd build a 1911 is to say look what I've done. This is mine I took the time to put the work into it and this is what it is. Good or bad. And at some point I'd like to do that. Just to say I've done it. Right now may not be the right time as if like to have a mill and lathe when I start getting into it. Which I recently sold to buy a house. But that's another story. What would you guys recommend as a good inexpensive entry level 1911 that if I decide to I can fine tune for more reliability and performance while not breaking the bank. Budget for a built gun would probably be less then $900 depending on what it is.

[Ithaca Gunner]

I like Springfield Armory and Dan Wesson myself in that price range, but there's loads of good 1911's for under a grand. You probably won't go wrong with Colt, Ruger, S&W, SIG, Wilson, Kimber, Ed Brown either, although some may be above what you're looking to pay.

[DougGuy]

Ruger lightweight Commander would be very tempting, and they make excellent edc guns with their 4 1/4" barrel. For a 5" gun the choices are myriad. Do you want new or lightly used?

[Strtspdlx]

I'm not afraid to buy a used gun so long as I can inspect and shoot it. I won't be using it as an edc as New Jersey is worthless in allowing me to use my rights. I may try for a cc permit but right now isn't the time. I also have to apply for a permit that last time took nearly three months to get so I have plenty of time to research and start saving. I'm pretty sure I figured out what my next purchase will be. Now I need to figure out what it will be.

[Strtspdlx]

I'm thinking about something like this. http://www.ruger.com/products/sr1911...eets/6709.html

[B. Lumpkin]

I like Caspian frames and slides for my builds. I also like Les Baer Frames and slides. A Les Baer frame with .250 radius and 30 LPI checkering is $465.00 and add one of their slides. Have a file handy.

[Strtspdlx]

Would someone be so kind as to explain the difference between a series 60 and series 70 1911?

[Ithaca Gunner]

Would someone be so kind as to explain the difference between a series 60 and series 70 1911?

You mean a series 70 vs a series 80?

Simply put, a series 80 has a firing pin block in the slide and a coupling, lever in the frame to actuate the block out of the way of the firing pin when the trigger is pulled. The block can be done away with simply as well as the lever in the frame. There's a filler replace the lever in the frame, the block in the slide needs nothing to fill the void. Some claim the linkage for the block makes for a poor trigger pull, that's why some remove the series 80 parts. I've built guns on series 70 frames and used series 80 slides by removing the block. I have a series 80 frame awaiting my attention that will be built as a series 70 with the filler in the frame.

Colt simply tried to lawyer-proof their guns by adding the block. Theory being that if the gun were dropped muzzle first, the block would prevent the firing pin from moving against the primer accidentally allowing the pistol to fire.

[DougGuy]

I'm thinking about something like this. http://www.ruger.com/products/sr1911...eets/6709.html

Wow now THAT would make even ME jealous! That is a Talo gun, limited run which usually sees better components and a definite nod to better selection and better fitment of the parts.

Mister you made a DANG FINE choice for a first 1911.

Series 70 was a blah blah attempt at accurizing the old slabsides with using a collet style barrel bushing where it was only snug during the last .200" of travel at lockup when the gun went into battery. It sorta worked but for the most part was a failed attempt at fixing something that was a product of sloppy production methods and lax quality control.

Series 80 saw the addition of two levers and a plunger that actively blocked the travel of the firing pin unless the trigger was pulled to the rear which operated the levers that pushed the plunger up and unblocked the travel of the firing pin. This arrangement actually does work and work very well. Some don't like the extra parts bearing against the trigger but I have owned several series 80 Colts and never had a problem getting a decent trigger.

Two other improvements have been made over the years to lessen the possibility of an accidental discharge when the gun was dropped and struck either the muzzle on a hard surface or the hammer on a hard surface while a round was chambered. One was the introduction of the Wolff extra power firing pin spring, a great idea, the other is the introduction of a titanium firing pin, which by virtue of the extremely light weight would resist movement enough to cause a round to actually fire, if the gun was dropped against a hard surface with a round chambered.

The Talo 1911 is equipped with the titanium firing pin.