THE build....

[zarcher]

Originally Posted by powder river

Good luck and post Some pics.

Thanks this should be fun.

What can I expect to spend on a basic model pistol build?

Is Wilson Combat any good? Goverment or comander/ commando?

[The Knight Of Light]

Originally Posted by zarcher

Thanks this should be fun.

What can I expect to spend on a basic model pistol build?

Is Wilson Combat any good? Goverment or comander/ commando?

Not really sure what you are asking? Do you want to build your own 1911 using a Wilson frame?

[techmike]

Originally Posted by zarcher

I have an ar-15 and want a 1911 now.

I don't have the money to just go buy one, so I'm thinking about building it.
What kind of kits are out there for them?
Are they easier or harder than building an AR?
Does somebody have a complete parts list? I have looked at midway lost and don't understand everything that I need.

I'm looking to build a pistol to use in USPSA shooting.

Thank you in advance.

Building a safe, accurate 1911 is much more work than an AR-15. I have built 20 or more AR-15's over the years and 5 or 6 1911's....so I have a little experience. You can build your own 1911 but you will not save any money if you do it right. It's a lot of fun but as others have pointed out quite a bit more work. If you are building it just to save money check into a RIA or a SA mil-spec.

[jtkratzer]

I was looking into this a while back and you certainly will not save money. From all the tools you will need to buy and the parts themselves, depending on what you're time is worth to you, it will not save you money. Most will not build a better firearm than what you can get from a decent production model let alone from a custom shop.

Building a 1911 is going to require fitting quite few of the parts if you're looking to do it right and get an accurate firearm. From what I've read and watched when it comes to building an AR, there is very little fitting to assemble one. That's the difference, with an AR, you're assembling parts. With a 1911, you're building and fitting parts together that may not even fit, let alone function without you working on them.

I ended up buying my first 1911, well, my wife bought it for me, and at some point, I may decide to build one, but right now, I'm enjoying the one I have.

[ghettocruiser]

Ive been toying with the idea of building my own... I was under the impression that it was a good deal cheaper, albeit more work. I like the idea of building it. For the challenge, for the experience, for the satisfaction when done... But, at the same time, Ide kinda just like to buy one. haha.

J.

[The Knight Of Light]

Getting "pre-fitted" fire control parts from Cylinder and Slide, Extreme Engineering, or one of the other manufacturers will eliminate some of the pain of getting the trigger parts to work. Most of the high dollar frame and slide kits you can buy will also make life easier but still they will cost as much or more than a new fully loaded gun.

If you guys really want to try this...

Please get the books I posted earlier and read them The Kuhnhausen books are the best thing going for learning how these parts interact with each other.

[powder river]

I would recommend getting a Caspian pre-fit frame and slide that already has the sight cuts. Cylinder and Slide fire controls and a drop-in or semi drop-in barrel in 45 acp. Bar-Sto is the best but kart is also a good choice. you can do the rest of the fitting using some basic tools and some patience. on your first build, use a 5" gov model as it is the is the least complicated to understand and has the widest margin for error. with some education and patience you should end up with a sweet shooting pistol.

Make sure that you have a firm understanding of the locking system and the function of the link as well as the timing. The books that have been mentioned should help with this.

[The Knight Of Light]

Originally Posted by powder river

I would recommend getting a Caspian pre-fit frame and slide that already has the sight cuts. Cylinder and Slide fire controls and a drop-in or semi drop-in barrel in 45 acp. Bar-Sto is the best but kart is also a good choice. you can do the rest of the fitting using some basic tools and some patience. on your first build, use a 5" gov model as it is the is the least complicated to understand and has the widest margin for error. with some education and patience you should end up with a sweet shooting pistol.

Make sure that you have a firm understanding of the locking system and the function of the link as well as the timing. The books that have been mentioned should help with this.

The Frankenpara has the Cylinder and Slide fire control parts.