1911 Build. In way over my head!

So the UPS man brought me a 40LPI file and the server is down at work, so slide serrations it is. This one made my palms sweat. I could not figure out how to use a guide to keep everything straight, so I ended up with a piece of bar stock clamped to the bottom of the slide to get the first lines started and then eyeballed it from there. I expected to be able to do the entire back all at once, but you don't realize how much curve there is there until you start filing on it. I ended up doing one side at a time. It is ever so slightly not straight on the right side, but you go cross eyed trying to pick it out, so I am hoping it disappears once I PVD it.
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A blue dry erase marker works pretty good as dykem in a pinch
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Looks awesome!
 
My other project last night came out pretty good. I plan to do 40LPI serrations on the rear of the slide to match the Warren Tactical rear sight.
Just to make sure I didn’t miss something (because I admittedly didn’t read this post before looking at the pics)...

The serrations on the rear are purely aesthetic to match the rear sight, right? I was trying to figure out what step/method of handling a pistol I was missing out on if they were there for another reason. :oops:
 
Just to make sure I didn’t miss something (because I admittedly didn’t read this post before looking at the pics)...

The serrations on the rear are purely aesthetic to match the rear sight, right? I was trying to figure out what step/method of handling a pistol I was missing out on if they were there for another reason. :oops:

In theory it stops glare or reflection if you are shooting in a sunny environment.... definitely not there for grip or gun manipulation. Mostly an aesthetic thing you see on a bunch of high end custom guns. A lot of them serrate the top of the slide too for the same reason, but I can’t figure out how to do that with the files I have.
 
Just to make sure I didn’t miss something (because I admittedly didn’t read this post before looking at the pics)...

The serrations on the rear are purely aesthetic to match the rear sight, right? I was trying to figure out what step/method of handling a pistol I was missing out on if they were there for another reason. :oops:
Per Travis Haley, you need to smack the back of the slide when racking to assure lockup before holstering it for duty. No kidding, thats what he said in the Magpul vids :)
All jokes aside, it looks good. Might as well run them down the top of the slide front to back like the Colts.
 
Per Travis Haley, you need to smack the back of the slide when racking to assure lockup before holstering it for duty. No kidding, thats what he said in the Magpul vids :)
All jokes aside, it looks good. Might as well run them down the top of the slide front to back like the Colts.

Ha, well in that case, if you use the Haley method, I have made the rear of the slide so that it leaves a nice pattern in your hand if you smack it. The 40LPI might even cut, they are freaking sharp.

I really like the slide top serrations, but the ones I have seen all have flat or tri tops and I don't want to go that far into it. The slide is a NC Engravers right now for a family crest between the rear sight and ejection port, so I guess top serrations are out.
 
I went to one of Larry Vickers' 1911 courses a few years ago. I found out that Myth #1 with 1911s is that "drop-in parts" don't. The truth is some do, a lot don't. Videos and an abundance of parts from Brownells, etc., sure make it look like anyone can just slap it together, though.

I tried to do the same thing but found out very quickly I was WAY over my head. I shipped a box of parts out to a smith and said "make me a 1911".
 
I really like the slide top serrations, but the ones I have seen all have flat or tri tops and I don't want to go that far into it. The slide is a NC Engravers right now for a family crest between the rear sight and ejection port, so I guess top serrations are out.
He ought to be able to laser cut whatever top serrations you want.
 
He ought to be able to laser cut whatever top serrations you want.
With some of the crazy stuff he had running in there I have no doubt a simple top cut would be no problem. He has some wild stuff. At this point, the engraving will get in the way and end up looking weird
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I went to one of Larry Vickers' 1911 courses a few years ago. I found out that Myth #1 with 1911s is that "drop-in parts" don't. The truth is some do, a lot don't. Videos and an abundance of parts from Brownells, etc., sure make it look like anyone can just slap it together, though.

I tried to do the same thing but found out very quickly I was WAY over my head. I shipped a box of parts out to a smith and said "make me a 1911".
I feel this is my destiny if I do that. Somethings are best left for the professionals. plus, all the cost in the real tools. wowsa
 
Got a little more filing done this weekend and learned some things. I ordered a smooth Smith and Alexander magwell / backstrap one piece deal. I used the checkering guide designed for the front strap, so it did not fit perfectly, but it was fully flat against the side of the frame, so I though it was good to go. After I finished up, the vertical lines are ever so slightly leaning to the right. It is easier to see in pictures, so not too terribly worried about it, but after looking at it again, I believe it is because of the design of the magwell. It has slightly more curve at the bottom than it does at the top, so the flattening of the backstrap as it goes up threw the file off. even though it was straight to the side of the frame. It still came out pretty good and I really like the checkering all the way across the backstrap / frame. Not exactly how to correct for that next time......
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Got an EGW plus sized firing pin stop in the mail today. I fit and fit on it and was hitting a hard stop every time I tried to put it in. Pro tip...look inside the channel in the slide. The springer slide had a giant machining burr all the way across one side. The Stock FP stop is so loose it was no problem, but with a properly fit one, it was stopping it from going all the way in. Got that cut out and thankfully hadn't cut to much off the FP Stop. The extractor is rock solid now, so I trued it with the rear of the slide and finished the serrations.

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So trying to fit some internal parts last night and ended up with alot of problems. With everything installed (minus thumb safety lever and beavertail) I was getting a dead trigger. Hammer would fall maybe 3 out of 20 pulls and they all fell to half cock instead of going all the way to the firing pin. (falling to half cock a few dozen times also scarred the crap out of the sear tail, so there is another thing I have to fix) I could not for the life of me figure out what the deal was, so I started switching out parts with another 1911. I isolated the issue to the disconnector. The flat piece on the bottom that sits on the trigger bow just rubs on the bottom of the sear instead of fitting behind it and activating the hammer. 90% of the time, it was just sliding under the sear and not releasing the hammer. I guess every once in a while it had enough friction to release, but not with any regularity.

I have a rudimentary idea of how the disconnector works, but I should be able to just file on the ball at the top and shorten the entire thing right? Anybody ever had that issue?
 
google told me this:
The 1911 disconnector has four key dimensions.
1. The dimension of the top of the disconnector head to the lower inside edge of the square opening. S/B .826”
2. The dimension of the square opening. S/B .174” x .174” + .002”.
3. The dimension of the upper edge of the paddle to the lower inside edge of the square opening, S/B .307”.
4. The overall length S/B 1.302” +.002”.
 
google told me this:

That is actually really helpful, so thank you! I just didn't know what to google.

It does appear i have an out of spec disconnector.

1. The dimension of the top of the disconnector head to the lower inside edge of the square opening. S/B .826”
Mine is .844

2. The dimension of the square opening. S/B .174” x .174” + .002”.
Mine is .184

3. The dimension of the upper edge of the paddle to the lower inside edge of the square opening, S/B .307”.
Mine is .326

4. The overall length S/B 1.302” +.002”.
Mins is 1.321

Check me, but by my math, if i take .020 off the top of the extractor, that will correct 2 of the 4 dimensions....the other two I can't do anything about.
 
I bought the Kuhnhausen shop manual and learned enough to know my limitations. If you don’t have that I’d invest in a copy.

That said 0.020” off would put you under spec on both. Dim #4 is 1.302” + 0.002” or (1.302” min, 1.304” max). Your cut would make it 1.301”, under min.

You shouldn’t listen to me tho. I have no idea what I’m talking about w.r.t. 1911 internals and I can’t even be certain these are the correct specs for your gun.
 
I bought the Kuhnhausen shop manual and learned enough to know my limitations. If you don’t have that I’d invest in a copy.

That said 0.020” off would put you under spec on both. Dim #4 is 1.302” + 0.002” or (1.302” min, 1.304” max). Your cut would make it 1.301”, under min.

You shouldn’t listen to me tho. I have no idea what I’m talking about w.r.t. 1911 internals and I can’t even be certain these are the correct specs for your gun.

Yep, I use a Haynes Manual for Miata work, so I should have grabbed the 1911 equivalent.

I did some more measuring and it looks like there is no amount of fitting that will make the disconnector work. Turns out Dimension 3 is the critical one in my case. With the pin through the disconnector and sear out of the frame, at the top of its travel, the paddle still slips under the sear. The only way to adjust that is to file the bottom of the square opening and that is super thin already, so it looks like I am ordering another sear.
 
Whose ignition parts did you use?
Yep, I use a Haynes Manual for Miata work, so I should have grabbed the 1911 equivalent.

I did some more measuring and it looks like there is no amount of fitting that will make the disconnector work. Turns out Dimension 3 is the critical one in my case. With the pin through the disconnector and sear out of the frame, at the top of its travel, the paddle still slips under the sear. The only way to adjust that is to file the bottom of the square opening and that is super thin already, so it looks like I am ordering another sear.
Whose ignition parts?
 
They came from CDNN.... unbranded, but I believe they are most likely Remington. They have what appear to be a bunch of Remington 1911’s that have been disassembled for sale as parts.

Learned my lesson on that one.... Wilson combat sear and disconnector on the way
 
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For wh
They came from CDNN.... unbranded, but I believe they are most likely Remington. They have what appear to be a bunch of Remington 1911’s that have been disassembled for sale as parts.

Learned my lesson on that one.... Wilson combat sear and disconnector on the way
I’ve not ordered any of their ignition parts, but probably a half dozen of their thumb safeties in various styles and there is a world difference between their Bulletproof parts, and standard Wilson parts.
 
I had a hard time deciphering the value line / standard / Bulletproof...especially from the Amazon prime descriptions. I need to do a little more research tonight, but I may end up doing EGW parts. Too many dang options, but I won't cheap out again!
 
I had a hard time deciphering the value line / standard / Bulletproof...especially from the Amazon prime descriptions. I need to do a little more research tonight, but I may end up doing EGW parts. Too many dang options, but I won't cheap out again!

Of the parts I’ve bought from EGW I’ve been pleased.
 
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Got the EGW Disconnector in over the weekend and of course, it didn't drop in. A little sanding around the ball head and it finally dropped in there with zero wiggle. It is properly in spec, so miraculously the trigger now drops the hammer!

I fit the second thumb safety...didn't take too much off this time....and got everything together. The trigger is gritty and 5-6 pounds, so I have an Ed Brown sear jig and trigger track polishing stones on the way, but it is now a working gun! I test fired it yesterday and it passes all safety checks. Now it is off to bead blasting and a final polish before it goes in for finishing.
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I bet those first shots felt good :)
 
The FIRST one was a little nerve wracking....I couldn't figure out a way to tie a string to it. No reason to think I had created a grenade, but one of those You don't know what you don't know situations!

Second round and after was great haha. The flat bottomed EGW firing pin stop really does make a recoil difference. I was a little surprised by that.
 
Haven't updated this one in awhile. I sent the frame to Wyoming Precision Armory for Color Case Hardening and finally got it back this morning. It turned out much better than expected and I can't wait to get it all back together. The slide and small parts are at Middlebranch Machine for Aluminum Titanium Nitride, so hopefully they get that back to me before March so I can break it in good at the Coastal Carolina match!

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I was just thinking about this build last night, wondering what happened to it.
 
It has been the project that never ends, but I think I am closing in on getting everything together.
I am quite envious. I have rarely ever started a project that I couldn’t finish, and fairly respectably, but my front strap checkering project went to heck in a hand-truck, and PDQ.

Plus my trigger finger which is on the business end of the file is getting some arthur-itis, and I just didn’t know if I could bear that many repetitions of the checkering file.
 
Man that's awesome looking. You and @cold1 are making me and my AR "builds" feel like a 5 year old with an erector set.
 
Outstanding!
 
That looks great! Job well done OP.


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Man that's awesome looking. You and @cold1 are making me and my AR "builds" feel like a 5 year old with an erector set.


haha, you should see my pile of screwed up parts. It took 3 thumb safetys to get one fit correctly, and I jacked up two sears when an out of spec disconnector was making the hammer fall only to half cock. Saying I learned ALOT is an understatement.
 
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This grip safety is the best I have ever found. It isn't as big.
Finished product looks fantastic!!!! Don't lap in....shoot it in....you won't be sorry...

I think you are right on shooting it in. I have hand cycled it a few hundred times today and it will now feed a dummy case from slide lock with a full mag, so I think I am going to just shoot the snot out of it.

Case Hardening it made the steel swell JUST enough to make an OK slide/frame fit end up like a bank vault. I'd like to take credit for it, but I think I have to chalk that up to complete luck!
 
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I think you are right on shooting it in. I have hand cycled it a few hundred times today and it will now feed a dummy case from slide lock with a full mag, so I think I am going to just shoot the snot out of it.

Case Hardening it made the steel swell JUST enough to make an OK slide/frame fit end up like a bank vault. I'd like to take credit for it, but I think I have to chalk that up to complete luck!
I'ma go out on a limb and say that you will be surprised how quickly that tight fit "shoots in".
 
I'ma go out on a limb and say that you will be surprised how quickly that tight fit "shoots in".

Ran a few boxes of Factory 45ACP through it and it will now run with my just barely power factor IDPA rounds. Still tight, but no longer binding at slide lock. It still feels rough when you run the slide by hand, but it works, so I'm not gonna worry about it.
 
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