1911 Build, Have Built, Or Buy?

[Thefabulousfink]

Hi, I have been lusting after a 1911 since I first fired my friend's several years ago. Now I am still at a point in my life where buying a gun is a large decision and may require a few months of trimming my budget so I take a long time to plan out exactly what I want. After much soul-searching, these are the features that I have decided I want:

No front slide serrations
Novak style low-profile sights
1911-A1 style guide rod
Extended safety
Beaver-tail
Round Hammer

These are options that I am still deciding on:
Rail mounts. I would not use a light all the time, but it would be nice to be able to. I have though about the bolt-on style.
Ambi-safety. I am left handed, but right eye dominant. I shoot right handed but can shoot almost as well with my left.

My am looking to spend $900 or less on this gun, it doesn't have to be a super-accurate tack-driver, just reliable. My problem is that ther are few companies that offer the options that I want. I thought about trying to build one my self, but lack of metalworking skills and tools might make it too expensive/difficult at this time. My other option is to buy the frame, slide, and parts and have a smith build all or part of it. The final option is to buy the closest comertial gun (RIA or SA mil-spec) and add the parts to it.

So my question is which of these options makes the most sense in terms of cost and effort?

Thanks in advance.

 

[TX1911fan]

Of the options you want, only the beaver tail and rail mounts would require any signifant metal work, and even then, you can add a beavertail pretty easily with the right jig (I did it with files purchased from Home Depot and it was very easy). So, I'd say you need to decide if you really want the rail. If so, then look for the gun that has it (you may have to save for a while, given that they tend to be more expensive). If you don't want the rail mounts, you should be able to easily find a gun with the options you want, and you can easily add those it does not have. Springfield Armory makes several guns with most if not all of the options you want in that price range. The Mil-SPec and Champion are close, with the Loaded being a good fit too (except it has front slide serrations).

I'm "building" a loaded 1911 right now, starting with a SA GI model, and I'll tell you this. It's MUCH cheaper to buy one than to build one.

 

[daysleeprx]

What about a Sig GSR?

http://www.impactguns.com/store/798681313716.html

Looks like it has everything you want. And you could probably find it for about 900 if you look around. I'm not sure about the guiderod, but surely that would be an easy swap out if you so desired.

 

[Thefabulousfink]

Thanks for the replies, I think I may just go with a Rock Island 1911 and spend the money I save on add-ons and gunsmith work. I looked at some of the sites that do custom 1911 but they are WAY out of my price range. I could probably manage fitting the beaver-tail my self, and I could spend some time with the gun before I decided if I wanted to sent it out to get drill/tapped for a rail mount.

daysleeprx,

That sig looks neat, but a little to blocky for my tastes.

 

[Technosavant]

I'd probably begin with a Springfield Armory Mil-Spec and run it through the SA Custom Shop.

Custom Shop prices for:
Novak Lo-Mount sights (rear and dovetail front) $165
Extended non-ambi safety $55
Beavertail safety $90
Commander style hammer (can't find it on price list, but can't be more than $100).

That would come in under $900, and would be a very nice pistol.

 

[Jim Watson]

Buy a Springfield Loaded or a Smith & Wesson and get over the front serrations. They don't affect the way the gun shoots.

 

[Mannlicher]

Any of the top commercial brands, Springfield, Kimber, ParaOrdinance, Rock River, etc, are going to be perfectly servicable. Bells and whistles look cool, but don't enhance reliability or accuracy. These guys turn out consistant, reliable pistols. You can have one built, but unless you are spending $2500 +, it won't work any better than 'store bought'.

 

[kentucky_smith]

Kimber Custom Classic II.

I don't like the front serrations either, but love the rest of the gun.

http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/Kimber_Custom_II_.45acp_1911_Pistol.html

My first series is a tack-driver.

 

[Spackler]

You can get the SW1911 with no front serrations. I believe it meets all the other requirements on your list.

 

[HSMITH]

Buy an Essex slide and frame, send them to Benny Hill at Triangle Shooting Sports with the balance of your money. An STI slide is a great slide and occasionally you can get them for the same money an Essex will cost you. The STI slide comes with a ton of meat left on it for fitting too, so it will be fitted much better than anything 'factory fitted'. I would ask for a Kart barrel, Extreme Engineering fire control group, McCormick grip safety, Brown thumb safety, and EGW for the rest of the small parts. For finish I would ask for a quick blue job, nothing exciting, that way I could save for frame checkering and so on while enjoying it and shooting it NOW. I don't think you can do it for $900 but it shouldn't be a ton over that. Once all that was done I would have it hard chromed. It would definately be worth what it cost to have built.

Benny builds guns that run, every single time on time. He is also pretty reasonable on price and turnaround time.

 

[Quintin Likely]

If you brown bag your lunch for a little longer, you could get a Ted Yost 1* Enhanced model with the stuff you want. The 1* Enhanced is a great deal, considering the work and parts used.

 

[KC&97TA]

To give you my $0.02, from my personal experince with 1911's

I have a Kimber TLE/II and it had every thing I wanted except an Ambi-Safety, now that the Ambi-Safety is on, I realize I only shoot left handed a few times a year, but it's a nice touch. I removed the FLGR, for a GI and Plug, thats the only modifications done to it and I have no plans to ever do anything else, I don't even want to change the grips. I love the gun just the way she is. I do have to mention that it was originially an External Extractor that went back to become an Internal Extractor.

I had a SA GI, that I wanted to clone the "Real MEUSOC 1911" with and it was just going to take too much work, I sold it to my buddy that will probly have 90% of the parts and gun smithing done for beer.

I have a SA Mil-Spec at the Gun Smith right now. I'm building it into a NM Target gun, by NRA rules. So far I have; Bo-Mar Sights $85, Sight Install $35, Barrel Bushing $25, Trigger Job $75, checkered wood grips $10, it's also going to get the FLGR from the Kimber if that's allowed - and figure it'll be $200 more before I quickly out grow of it, barrel link needs to be replaced still, and a few other details, I'm not too keen on investing more than $400 into a $550 gun, I'd prefer to sell it at that point and get a Les Baer for around $1800.

Don't get me wrong, it's great to have a "tinker" gun though, I have a Champion Mil-Spec that I picked up used, so far, I added the oringinial extended safety off the Kimber, hex head grip screws, I'm waiting to put grips on it and I'm trying to find someone with a Kimber who replaced thier plastic mainspring housing, so I can buy thiers used... It's a tinker gun, It already has parts from other guns on it that didn't cost me anything. It's not a junk box, it's just getting hand-me-down parts and I'd like it to stay all black and plain except for the grips.

What I'm getting at is; for your first 1911 get a pistol that's already set up or 95% of what you're looking for. Kimber's TLE and Custom are great places to start, the only thing not on your list would be the Ambi-Safety $55 and the Rail $60 + drill & tap, probly around $40. Springfield Loaded models are great guns too. These guns are around your $900 price range and you'll be able to take it to the range the day you pick it up and hopefully it will never see a gun smith for any major work.

1911's are a sick disease... you'll buy more and then you'll have a "tinker" gun too, to put your extra parts on or to customize.

 

[Thefabulousfink]

Thats a lot to chew on, I knew there was a reason I posted this here.

KC&97TA, thanks for your insight. I am an incurable tinker'er, but it is probably better to have a working gun that is to my liking for a while before I start tearing it apart.

I guess I'll head on over to my local wall O' guns and do some price checking. I really like that S&W. I want to thank everyone, you brought up a few options that I wasn't aware of.