1911 Budget Race-Gun

[Michael Tinker Pearce]

A buddy of mine traded me a GI RIA 1911 9mm earlier this year and I decided to build it as a budget race-gun. I'm pretty much always on a budget so that was kind of the obvious part. A couple other friends let me raid their parts-bins which I gleefully did. I added some 20 LPI serrations to the front of the slide (not my best work but functional,) tri-topped the slide, removed the stock sight and ported the slide, bushing and barrel, filed in a new front-sight dovetail and installed an Xpress Sights dot on the front. I filed a Novak cut into the rear of the slide and installed an adjustable sight. I installed a 9 lb. recoil spring and tightened the slide-frame fit and smoothed out the frame rails so it's very slick now.

I bobbed the GI hammer, then installed a beavertail grip safety and cut it as high as I could. I blended a flat mainspring housing to the frame, then cut 20 LPI checkering. I also undercut the trigger-guard and cut 20 LPI checkering on the grip frame and under the trigger-guard. I made custom walnut grips and textured them and cut my Makers Mark that I use on my hand-made knives into one grip panel. I added a mag-well funnel and reshaped the heel of the grip a bit. I also installed an ambi safety and a slide-stop with a built-in gas pedal. It does keep the slide from locking back, but that's really not an issue on a competition gun. Last but not least I installed a long trigger with an overtravel stop.

I tuned up the trigger to have a little take-up and a crisp break at 2lbs 1oz. with a very short reset. As near as I can measure it the reset is 12/1000". The gun is a super-quick shooter and excellent for accurate rapid-fire.

I'm at the point now I'm ready to call it good, and as soon as the blast cabinet is set up I'll strip the gun, blast is and finish it with GunCote.

I plan to shoot the gun in Action Shooting International matches next year.

 

[Bronco72]

Pretty nice work there

 

[Tallball]

Nice work! Thank you for sharing it.

 

[doubleh]

Very nice work. If it belonged to me I would blue it but that is a personal thing. IMO 1911's should be either blued or stainless.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

Good idea starting with an RIA.

I understand they cast their components from a fairly hard alloy -- did that give you any particular trouble when making cuts?

In the estate I've been working with there's an otherwise perfect Remington-Rand 1911 that had the slide cut for an adjustable rear sight.

 

[Michael Tinker Pearce]

Good idea starting with an RIA.

I understand the cast their components from a fairly hard alloy -- did that give you any particular trouble when making cuts?

In the estate I've been working with there's an otherwise perfect Remington-Rand 1911 that had the slide cut for an adjustable rear sight.

No, it didn't give me any trouble and was not notably harder than what I was used to- but two of my 1911's have RIA slides, so I'm sorta used to them. As for the Remington-Rand from a modern collector's standpoint it's a shame, but we need to remember that for decades these were just cheap surplus guns, and a fitting target for modifications.

 

[Joshua M. Smith]

A buddy of mine traded me a GI RIA 1911 9mm earlier this year and I decided to build it as a budget race-gun. I'm pretty much always on a budget so that was kind of the obvious part. A couple other friends let me raid their parts-bins which I gleefully did. I added some 20 LPI serrations to the front of the slide (not my best work but functional,) tri-topped the slide, removed the stock sight and ported the slide, bushing and barrel, filed in a new front-sight dovetail and installed an Xpress Sights dot on the front. I filed a Novak cut into the rear of the slide and installed an adjustable sight. I installed a 9 lb. recoil spring and tightened the slide-frame fit and smoothed out the frame rails so it's very slick now.

I bobbed the GI hammer, then installed a beavertail grip safety and cut it as high as I could. I blended a flat mainspring housing to the frame, then cut 20 LPI checkering. I also undercut the trigger-guard and cut 20 LPI checkering on the grip frame and under the trigger-guard. I made custom walnut grips and textured them and cut my Makers Mark that I use on my hand-made knives into one grip panel. I added a mag-well funnel and reshaped the heel of the grip a bit. I also installed an ambi safety and a slide-stop with a built-in gas pedal. It does keep the slide from locking back, but that's really not an issue on a competition gun. Last but not least I installed a long trigger with an overtravel stop.

I tuned up the trigger to have a little take-up and a crisp break at 2lbs 1oz. with a very short reset. As near as I can measure it the reset is 12/1000". The gun is a super-quick shooter and excellent for accurate rapid-fire.

I'm at the point now I'm ready to call it good, and as soon as the blast cabinet is set up I'll strip the gun, blast is and finish it with GunCote.

I plan to shoot the gun in Action Shooting International matches next year.

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Very nice. Chip McCormick would approve.

Here's my current carry piece. It's made from an RIA. Only the frame, barrel and slide are stock. The internals are the highest quality I could get that met my requirements.

Regards,

Josh

 

[CapnMac]

Not bad at all.
Mind the notion is complicated, as everyone seems to have a different notion of just what is a "race gun" and also what "budget" might mean.

Back in the 90s "budget" meant you sepent less than a grand all up. Mind, "race gun" wanted as long a slide as you could get away with, which was often a triple or quadruple chamber muzzle comp (whether on barrel or on slide, or as the bushing). Extended levers and ambi safeties and "memory bumps" were de rigeur, too. Super-flared mag wells were also pretty common. Everyone had a different notion of what add-on would help them shave a hundredth.

 

[nofendertom]

MTP --- Is that a RIA adjustable rear sight ? I like the idea of using a 1911 with a bushing instead of a bull barrel.

 

[Michael Tinker Pearce]

MTP --- Is that a RIA adjustable rear sight ? I like the idea of using a 1911 with a bushing instead of a bull barrel.

No, I don't remember who the maker is; came out of someone's parts bin.