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Thread: Colt Rail Gun Project (DIY/Shade Tree Smithin')

  1. #1
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    Colt Rail Gun Project (DIY/Shade Tree Smithin')

    So long story short I took a hiatus from 1911's as I became more serious with IDPA/2-Gun (I shoot plastic fantastics). I randomly came across this Colt Rail Gun on Gunbroker and had since started rebuilding the collection. I was looking for something that was decent enough quality but also cheap enough that I can learn/fit parts on my own without fear of ruining it. Luckily I snagged this guy for $700 and immediately started putting rounds through it. During that process I noticed some things that I wanted to change, got drunk one night, ANNDDDDDD bought a bunch of stuff from Brownells.

    Pistol completely disassembled and parts inspected:


    First part up was the S&A magazine well. I enjoy the level of forgiveness that these afford sloppy reloads and since I mostly shoot a Glock, I figured this help with my 1911 reloads which need to be much more precise.

    It went it fine but the edges/points of the magwell stuck out some and this annoyed me to no end.


    I raised the ends and gently beat them with a nyloy tipped hammer. Because they were raised this bent them down.


    As a result the edges are tight with no more gap...




    Next on the to do list was to "blend" the frame to match the mag well.


    I used a #2 file since I didn't want to take too much off with each pass.


    Slowly but surely I brought it in line


    Mostly done and with some cold blue to darken it up. The gun will be cerakoted post beavertail and checkering but this will suffice for now. I wen't a little too deep and gouged the mag well in a couple spots. It's not readily noticeable and for a hard use/class gun I'm not losing sleep.


    Next was the trigger, it's OEM but it had a lot of resistance in the frame against it. I slathered some Sharpie all over it and ran it through.


    Rather than start removing material from the frame I used a stone and lightly grazed the area where the Sharpie was scuffed/removed:


    The result? It glides super easily and there is no longer any resistance.

    Next was the Ed Brown magazine release. After I installed it I could not seat magazines unless it was depressed. I tried and tried but couldn't get it. I took it out and found where the ledge was catching:


    I was going to get out the file again but decided to just cut a spring coil. I figured it's cheaper to replace a spring than a magazine catch if it didn't work.


    While it's still hard to seat mags, it's much better and I feel like overtime it will wear itself in. But drastic difference from what is was before.

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    Next up and what I was most nervous about was the thumb safety. I wanted a single sided safety because I don't like the ambi ones and also thought the Ed Brown lines/shape flow better with the blockiness of the gen2 rail gun.

    Initial fit:


    I realized it wouldn't go in because it was hitting the sear:


    So I took ol' number 2 and gave it a couple passes. Still didn't fit so I just kept trying after every 2-3 passes.


    Ultimately I think I started too far back and removed a little material from where it wasn't needed.


    But once I figured it out and readjusted, I took off JUST ENOUGH from the right place:




    Once it dropped in, it still felt kinda hard to engage the safety. I basically kept making passes until it BARELY cleared the sear. I'm not sure if this is the right way, but it has no resistance now and is a super close fit. (it engages fine and does not allow ANY movement of the sear)


    Lastly, since I'm only shooting factory 230gr ammo I swapped to the 16lb recoil spring instead of the heavy dual spring setup. With that I needed a new guide rod and went with the 10-8 one.


    Everything done, now just a detailed cleaning/lubing


    All back together and ready for some drills...

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    Reserved for beavertail grip safety

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    Reserved for front strap checkering

  5. #5
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    Excellent thread! Very nice looking blaster.

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    Nice details, thanks for sharing!
    ETC (SW/AW), USN (1998-2008)
    CVN-65, USS Enterprise

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    Quote Originally Posted by sidewaysil80 View Post
    Reserved for front strap checkering
    I watched that old Wilson Combat video where one of their guys checked a 1911 by hand with a file. I didn't even think that was how that was done. The amount of hand skill in a GOOD 1911 smith is amazing.

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    Quote Originally Posted by bp7178 View Post
    I watched that old Wilson Combat video where one of their guys checked a 1911 by hand with a file. I didn't even think that was how that was done. The amount of hand skill in a GOOD 1911 smith is amazing.
    I'm excited. I'm going with 20lpi and am dedicated a whole day to doing it and taking my time. The prep work (ie leveling the surface and getting rid of "high spots") is what really makes or breaks the job. Since this is a beater gun I'm just doing a simple pattern.

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    Ever since I was a boy, I have always loved 1911s. I have had a few but am currently down to one, a beater series I Kimber. When I started buying them some dozen or so years ago it was with the intent to develop the kind of skill set that the OP possesses. Deployments, transitioning to a civilian career, raising a family, etc all got in the way of that.

    The big question, where does one begin seeking out this kind of information? I have some books, but is this stuff you picked up on your own or were you ever under anyone's tutelage?

    Also, if you're doing the front strap by hand, is it possible you can post up video of the different steps involved in the process?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Don't Tread On Me View Post
    Ever since I was a boy, I have always loved 1911s. I have had a few but am currently down to one, a beater series I Kimber. When I started buying them some dozen or so years ago it was with the intent to develop the kind of skill set that the OP possesses. Deployments, transitioning to a civilian career, raising a family, etc all got in the way of that.

    The big question, where does one begin seeking out this kind of information? I have some books, but is this stuff you picked up on your own or were you ever under anyone's tutelage?

    Also, if you're doing the front strap by hand, is it possible you can post up video of the different steps involved in the process?

    Contact a member of the American Pistolsmith Guild. They might be able to walk you through how to get started on such an education and maybe there might be videos you can order. Many of them are self taught or attended gun-smithing school then apprenticed under a master guild member.

    https://americanpistolsmithsguild.com/
    Last edited by RetroRevolver77; 08-18-18 at 13:36.

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