What do you want in a 1911?

[neil0311]

Thanks! Great explanation. And I think you hit the nail on the head. You do get to a point of diminishing returns where it becomes more about preference. If you shoot in competitions or want a finely tuned gun, then I get it.

GIs went to battle with mass produced mil spec handguns that today cost around $500, and won 2 world wars.

[Ned Christiansen]

First and foremost, it must have some cooly-shaped slots, or at least holes, in the slide.
The barrel must be fluted and fluted tactically.
It must not have an “idiot mark” on it where the slide stop has been swung up into position upon reassembly, leaving an arc-shaped scratch.
It must not be made from cheep steal which results in things like baer medal spots where the slide has been grinding on the frame. Also it causes there to be scratches on top of the barrel where the slide rides over it.
As to other scratches and finishing flaws, there simply must be none. Unless it was bought with the “pre-stressed battel worn” finish in which case it’s OK but it must never show additional wear or that awful soot you get on the end of the slide (unless it’s painted on).
The trigger must be 3 lbs. and have some kind of design worked into it.

I’m attempting comedy here of course. I hope I have not offended anyone and in my defense I will just say that I fully recognize that I may sometimes be a party to some of the above. But only after they have been made to work!

[neil0311]

It must not have an “idiot mark” on it where the slide stop has been swung up into position upon reassembly, leaving an arc-shaped scratch.

My month old Springfield Mil Spec fails then out of the gate. The first time I cleaned the gun, before ever firing it, I struggled for 30 min getting the slide stop back on. Yes…I guess I qualify as an idiot because I have a nice semi-circular scratch. It just doesn’t go on without major gyrations and getting a small screwdriver to hold the plunger in.

The cool thing is that it’s just cosmetic. My guess is most actual GI 1911s sold by CMP have those scratches.

[glocktogo]

My month old Springfield Mil Spec fails then out of the gate. The first time I cleaned the gun, before ever firing it, I struggled for 30 min getting the slide stop back on. Yes…I guess I qualify as an idiot because I have a nice semi-circular scratch. It just doesn’t go on without major gyrations and getting a small screwdriver to hold the plunger in.

The cool thing is that it’s just cosmetic. My guess is most actual GI 1911s sold by CMP have those scratches.

It's actually a low level design flaw that's easily corrected by cutting a small notch in the slide stop.

[Ned Christiansen]

Let he who has no idiot mark cast the first stone won't be me

Good mod, GlockTG. I take it a little further but putting an almost-connecting groove leading from your red to your green. Doesn't have to be deep.

[gaijin]

It's actually a low level design flaw that's easily corrected by cutting a small notch in the slide stop.

aka; “Logman mod”.

[sinister]

This is generally what I look for, and if I can't find it I'll build it myself. I am NOT a gunsmith or certified armorer, but I did take shop in high school.

I want the equivalent of a first-class, functioning military M1911 or M1911A1, right out of war storage, like what the CMP guns are / were supposed to be when transferred from Army war stocks. It should shoot GI Ball or any commercial ammo you can possibly find in a gun or sporting goods store on the road. It should always feed, always fire, and shrug off reasonable amounts of dirt, dust, rain, snow, or mud. I should be able to see the sights, and the trigger should break clean at 4 pounds.

My pistols are generally like this. I assembled it myself, in my own garage, on my own work bench, with my own hand tools. This particular piece started out as a new, naked Springfield Armory frame. I found a refinished 1949 Colt slide with slight pitting. I found a commercial Colt barrel that someone re-crowned and had polished for hollow points and wadcutters. Everything else came from EGW, Brownells, Cylinder and Slide, and Harrison Custom.

If all the parts are close to mil or Colt commercial spec, everything should go together with a minimum of hand-fitting and cold-bluing to assemble and properly function. I am partial to Metalform Elite and Chip McCormick railed feed lip magazines.

Voila. It looks like millions of other M1911A1s -- and best of all, I KNOW IT WORKS. I have absolutely no problem handing it to a pro to do something I can't (i.e., polishing a ramp, milling a slot, or parkerizing).

Unlike youngsters with a plastic striker-fired primary gun and wood-and-steel as curiosities in their collections, I like my 1911s and keep plastic-fantastics to stay proficient with what the student has. It helps to know what goes wrong with new guns.

"It served my country a long time."

[glocktogo]

This is generally what I look for, and if I can't find it I'll build it myself. I am NOT a gunsmith or certified armorer, but I did take shop in high school.

I want the equivalent of a first-class, functioning military M1911 or M1911A1, right out of war storage, like what the CMP guns are / were supposed to be when transferred from Army war stocks. It should shoot GI Ball or any commercial ammo you can possibly find in a gun or sporting goods store on the road. It should always feed, always fire, and shrug off reasonable amounts of dirt, dust, rain, snow, or mud. I should be able to see the sights, and the trigger should break clean at 4 pounds.

My pistols are generally like this. I assembled it myself, in my own garage, on my own work bench, with my own hand tools. This particular piece started out as a new, naked Springfield Armory frame. I found a refinished 1949 Colt slide with slight pitting. I found a commercial Colt barrel that someone re-crowned and had polished for hollow points and wadcutters. Everything else came from EGW, Brownells, Cylinder and Slide, and Harrison Custom.

If all the parts are close to mil or Colt commercial spec, everything should go together with a minimum of hand-fitting and cold-bluing to assemble and properly function. I am partial to Metalform Elite and Chip McCormick railed feed lip magazines.

Voila. It looks like millions of other M1911A1s -- and best of all, I KNOW IT WORKS. I have absolutely no problem handing it to a pro to do something I can't (i.e., polishing a ramp, milling a slot, or parkerizing).

Unlike youngsters with a plastic striker-fired primary gun and wood-and-steel as curiosities in their collections, I like my 1911s and keep plastic-fantastics to stay proficient to what the student has. It helps to know what goes wrong with new guns.

"It served my country a long time."

This is essentially what my very 1st 1911 was, except mine came fully assembled in a very early white cardboard box from Springfield Armory, for the princely sum of $349. I had it throated and polished till it would reliably feed Speer 200gr "flying ashtrays" (later switched to 1st gen 230gr Hydra Shoks), and added a Wilson Combat beavertail, commander hammer, extended safety and trigger. I carried it for many years in a then newfangled Safariland Top Gun holster on a basketweave border patrol rig.

Wish I still had the whole kit.

[Diamondback]

This is generally what I look for, and if I can't find it I'll build it myself. I am NOT a gunsmith or certified armorer, but I did take shop in high school.

I want the equivalent of a first-class, functioning military M1911 or M1911A1, right out of war storage, like what the CMP guns are / were supposed to be when transferred from Army war stocks. It should shoot GI Ball or any commercial ammo you can possibly find in a gun or sporting goods store on the road. It should always feed, always fire, and shrug off reasonable amounts of dirt, dust, rain, snow, or mud. I should be able to see the sights, and the trigger should break clean at 4 pounds.

My pistols are generally like this. I assembled it myself, in my own garage, on my own work bench, with my own hand tools. This particular piece started out as a new, naked Springfield Armory frame. I found a refinished 1949 Colt slide with slight pitting. I found a commercial Colt barrel that someone re-crowned and had polished for hollow points and wadcutters. Everything else came from EGW, Brownells, Cylinder and Slide, and Harrison Custom.

If all the parts are close to mil or Colt commercial spec, everything should go together with a minimum of hand-fitting and cold-bluing to assemble and properly function. I am partial to Metalform Elite and Chip McCormick railed feed lip magazines.

Voila. It looks like millions of other M1911A1s -- and best of all, I KNOW IT WORKS. I have absolutely no problem handing it to a pro to do something I can't (i.e., polishing a ramp, milling a slot, or parkerizing).

Unlike youngsters with a plastic striker-fired primary gun and wood-and-steel as curiosities in their collections, I like my 1911s and keep plastic-fantastics to stay proficient with what the student has. It helps to know what goes wrong with new guns.

"It served my country a long time."

So much this. A plain-jane M1911A1-style setup with solid internals, "Good Enough for Grandpa to Kill Nazis With."

[sinister]

So much this. A plain-jane M1911A1-style setup with solid internals, "Good Enough for Grandpa to Kill Nazis With."

Yup. I don't do piece-by-piece nickel-and-dime accounting, but it didn't cost me $3000, either. Damn near every small bit and part is new-production from a good brand.

Treating anyone who does their own pistols and rifles like a Vietnam-era low IQ draftee who can't sign their own payroll signature insults me. Maybe it fits -- I've seen "That guy" in several civilian training courses -- but I've also had guys ask me who did my 1911, since I didn't have stoppages or malfunctions.

I don't mind paying a good 1911-smith his due if I jack something up, or work is beyond my abilities or budget (I don't blue or park at home, weld, or checker, nor do I have a mill or lathe). I'm all about American Capitalism (tm), and fair work includes profit -- I just don't want to be the only guy who funds all his kids through Harvard Medical School and residencies to become brain surgeons.

I've built a number of these and given them as personal gifts to guys who did me right -- my last (of six Special Forces Team Sergeants [of three ODA commands]; my last Command Sergeant Major [of two battalions I commanded]; and a brigade commander I had served with in three different commands, from when I was a first lieutenant and he was a captain). I passed two to my son, who would rather shoot an M9 (the service pistol he was brought up on).