1911 Gunsmith?

[TexasVert]

Does anyone know a good gunsmith that can work on 1911's? Not repair but improvements and action work.

I have been looking at the prices of Les Baer and Wilson Combat 1911's and I think I can take a Colt and have a gunsmith work on it and make a hyper-accurate 1911 cheaper than to buy one already that way.

Anyone with any experience with this topic? Let me know what you think....

Thanks,
Mike

[CJ]

Does anyone know a good gunsmith that can work on 1911's? Not repair but improvements and action work.

I have been looking at the prices of Les Baer and Wilson Combat 1911's and I think I can take a Colt and have a gunsmith work on it and make a hyper-accurate 1911 cheaper than to buy one already that way.

Anyone with any experience with this topic? Let me know what you think....

Thanks,
Mike

Mike, would you rather learn how to do it yourself?

[TexasVert]

Mike, would you rather learn how to do it yourself?

I'd love to but I think what I have in mind would require a real gunsmith. I don't think I want to take a dremel to a Colt 1911 and just hope I don't mess it up too bad.....

[jwalk]

Mike, would you rather learn how to do it yourself?

I would.

[AnthonyS]

Trust me, you can do it yourself.

I upgraded my lil ole Rock 1911 with some Wilson parts and it had some smithing work.... it is by far a sweet pistol now.

I can't imagine what a Wilson and smithed Colt would be like.

Do it yourself!

The 1911 is not complex and there are plenty of online how-to's, books, videos, and I bet CJ can help you out too.

[CJ]

I'd love to but I think what I have in mind would require a real gunsmith. I don't think I want to take a dremel to a Colt 1911 and just hope I don't mess it up too bad.....

What exactly did you have in mind for your pistol?

[AnthonyS]

I bet with a polished feed ramp, throat, a wilson spring and guide rod and a trigger overhaul he'd be so happy he'd want to buy everyone a round. All of this can be done easily yourself sans a dremel tool.

[Fatass]

Cylinder & Slide for fire control parts. Not cheap but well worth it for quality work. I pieced together a setup I loved with there parts from midway, I miss that gun. What will you be starting with? Something like a custom build I'd pick up a new series 70. That's basically what I started with (Springfield mil spec) and got a Wilson combat book and started ordering parts. The only factory parts that were left in mine when it went away were frame, slide and barrel.

[CJ]

I've done considerable work to most all 1911's. It can be tedious, but its not difficult. I have tools to polish anything, only takes a few seconds if you need something done.

[YALE]

Either let CJ do it, or have him show you how. He worked some wonders with my old Colt Commander.

[TexasVert]

What exactly did you have in mind for your pistol?

Well I don't have the pistol yet I don't think. I have a Gold Cup that could be the base but I am not sure what would be better. Like someone said a new series 70 or something like that or maybe just a plan series 80. I was hoping a gun smith could tell me things like what made sense. I know all the basics like the feed ramp and throat, probably a full length guide rod, trigger job, and so on. But like I said I was counting on advice from a smith. I am sure you can go crazy and make mods that are so far out that the accuracy gain is beyond normal skill to make use of. I just want to create a 1911 that is so good I can never out grow it in skill and then shoot it for a while and see how good I can get. Also I like the investment/collector side of guns so I would also just like to have/own it. I have mostly just plinked with stock pistols and would like to own/shoot something more juiced up and see how much difference it makes.....

I would love to be a gun smith but I don't think I have time to become one and I have tried some "do it yourself" things that went well and some that did not. I am certain that I am going to start with an actual Colt so the initial investment will be close to $1000 so I would rather pay someone who knows what they are doing to get it right. Also if in some odd circumstance I should ever want to sell the gun I would have a receipt from a gun smith to show what had been done to the gun and that it was done by a professional.

So does everyone in here do their own work? Nobody know an actual good gun smith in the area? CJ, if you can do what I am describing, perhaps you are the guy I need?

BTW I am still considering your suggestion that I build my own AR15. I am doing a bunch of research to discover what I would want. There is so much to learn about the rifle and so many options.....

Thanks,
Mike

[CJ]

Well I don't have the pistol yet I don't think. I have a Gold Cup that could be the base but I am not sure what would be better. Like someone said a new series 70 or something like that or maybe just a plan series 80. I was hoping a gun smith could tell me things like what made sense. I know all the basics like the feed ramp and throat, probably a full length guide rod, trigger job, and so on. But like I said I was counting on advice from a smith. I am sure you can go crazy and make mods that are so far out that the accuracy gain is beyond normal skill to make use of. I just want to create a 1911 that is so good I can never out grow it in skill and then shoot it for a while and see how good I can get. Also I like the investment/collector side of guns so I would also just like to have/own it. I have mostly just plinked with stock pistols and would like to own/shoot something more juiced up and see how much difference it makes.....

I would love to be a gun smith but I don't think I have time to become one and I have tried some "do it yourself" things that went well and some that did not. I am certain that I am going to start with an actual Colt so the initial investment will be close to $1000 so I would rather pay someone who knows what they are doing to get it right. Also if in some odd circumstance I should ever want to sell the gun I would have a receipt from a gun smith to show what had been done to the gun and that it was done by a professional.

So does everyone in here do their own work? Nobody know an actual good gun smith in the area? CJ, if you can do what I am describing, perhaps you are the guy I need?

BTW I am still considering your suggestion that I build my own AR15. I am doing a bunch of research to discover what I would want. There is so much to learn about the rifle and so many options.....

Thanks,
Mike

Well, to be honest with you any of the work done on the pistol would essentially be reversible so you wouldn't get into a situation where you got something you didn't like. Overall 1911's can be tedious but the work isn't that difficult. I've been firm believer that you should understand your weapon as best as possible to truly get everything out of it you can. There are plenty of articles you can find online that will describe every bit of what you want done and the entire process to better help you decide. I would suggest searching a few websites on 1911's and get an idea of how you want to approach it. Many of the modifications for a 1911 will be at your discretion and personal preference, understanding more about the benefits of those modifications will greatly influence your decision. If you feel like expanding your knowledge on the guns you could certainly do the modifications yourself without the worry of damaging your gun. In in the process, you'll know everything about it to further help you refine it.

[Fatass]

CJ knows what he's doing and I agree with him. I've been playing with 1911's for 7 years and started doing my own work as soon as I got into them. One of my dads buddy's from work was a VERY accomplished smith and was the person we had do our work until he passed. When I started I had no one (I'm po folk) to show me how it's done, I did it all my self, slowly and carefully (quality in mind) and was very pleased with the results. It gets addicting, I see 1911's and think about what I could do to them.

If you pick up a factory colt I HIGHLY doubt it's going to need any throat work to the barrel, MAYBE a polish. I would go series 70 based off of personal preference, I find the original (as close to) safety and firing system adequate. The fire control mods will be the best noticeable accuracy mods you can do. Cylinder & Slide sells very high quality pieces that I wouldn't hesitate to put in something I'd count my life on.

[S_K]

If you want a pistol smith to work on your 1911, I highly reccomend 10-ring Precision in San Antonio. Quality work, decent turn-around time, and not outrageously expensive. But before you call... Figure out what you want to do. Do you want an IDPA race gun, an uber-accurate range toy, or a reliable carry gun? Each is an entirely different build. And - NO - you can't mix and match. If you want all three, get three guns.