CSEMARTIN

This is the primary angle using my Marvel jig. I have been looking for a hammer hook jig made by a guy named Charlie Franks, but I can’t find him. Does anyone here know anything about this guy or his jig?

Hello wanttolearn, I appreciate your patience. This project has been a huge undertaking. For the past several years, Bob has continued to evolve. The 1911 pistols we are building now have been absolutely outstanding. For the past six years that I have been working with Bob Marvel, I have learned at least 6 different ways to fit a barrel. I believe we have settled on a technique which will be outlined very carefully in the book. The barrel fitting chapter has been the most difficult for me to document, and it brings me immense joy to share Bob’s genius with the world. There simply isn’t anything like it anywhere. If you are interested in learning more or perhaps wanting to build a pistol yourself, you can find information about the Bob Marvel Training Center at NelsonCustomGuns.com. https://www.nelsoncustomguns.com

Hi Lem, I have been and continue to work with Bob Marvel on this project. It is a huge project, and it is going to take time. I am currently an instructor at the Bob Marvel Training Center in Crete, Nebraska. The biggest hurdle in writing this book has been barrel fitting. Bob continues to evolve, and he has been perfecting his barrel fitting methods over many years. I/we believe we have decided on the technique which will be described in his book. Stay tuned! Thanks for reaching out. Chris Martin

I started this thread when I was 36. Now It’s my turn. I just turned 50. My nervousness stems from the fact that I have seen the complications associated with this procedure. As a surgeon I have personally taken care of three patients that have had their colon perforated. All three perforations were caused by physicians that weren’t surgeons. One perforation was caused by an internal medicine doctor, and the other two were caused by a family practitioner. Over the years I have personally trained more than 40 surgeons. There is one surgeon practicing in my area that has earned my utmost respect, and I have 100% confidence in his ability. He is by far the best surgeon in our community. The only problem is he isn’t in my insurance network so I find myself having to decide to either pay out of pocket or choosing someone I don’t know. This sucks.

Great advice! Luckily, I have an editor lined up. My wife has her Master's in Education, and she has a gift for finding mistakes. The book will be comprehensive. I will put everything I can think of in the book. Discussing shop safety isn't something I had considered until you mentioned it. I do think it's a good idea. I will be discussing tools, machining and the fixtures we use as well as where to get them or how to make them. Thank you.

I do think a series of videos is a great idea. Bob and I have discussed doing this, and for now, that project is on hold. Our biggest concern is loss of intellectual property. Accepting something less than perfect is something I tend to struggle with, but I agree with you that perfection may not be attainable. I will do my best to obtain perfection though. A goal of 1-2 years is what I am planning on. This project is a huge undertaking. I have amassed a mountain of information. The detail that goes into one of these builds is enormous. Unless you have spent time with Bob Marvel building a 1911, you just can't fully appreciate what goes into one of these builds. A book or video series will certainly get that point across. But for now a book will be our focus. Unless I have his explicit permission, the videos I have will never see the light of day. I do hope to one day share the video as well. Bob has trusted me with this information. I am a loyal friend, and I will never betray his trust in me. As far as profitability goes and the size of our audience, that really isn't a concern of mine. I'm going to do this regardless of the outcome. Bob has spent an incredible amount of time with me over the years, and doing this for him is a way of showing my gratitude and respect for him. He has spent decades developing the processes he uses in these builds, and I just can't stand the thought of that knowledge getting lost or forgotten. I need to preserve his legacy. I am researching cameras right now. Everything I have right now was recorded on my iPhone. The quality is not ideal. If there is a specific camera you would recommend, please let me know what you recommend. You read my mind with coming up with an outline. That is precisely what I am doing. Thank you everyone for your insight and advice. I really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts.

I wanted to start getting the word out that Bob Marvel has a book coming out, and he has asked me to write it. Some of you know that 1911 pistolsmithing has been a passion of mine since I began competing in 2004. It wasn't long until I gravitated towards the single stack .45 ACP, and I quickly wanted to learn how to put one together. After I finished my surgical residency, I signed up to take a vertical knee mill course at the JT Blong Technology Center in Davenport, Iowa. Then a forum member contacted me to let me know his neighbor was selling his Bridgeport. It was in pieces, but the price was right. Plus, it was easier to move! I bought some books and DVDs, and I started building pistols. Looking back I'm afraid I have to admit they were lousy. I really had no idea what I was doing, and I had no business doing this. Then life got really busy for me and everything else took a pause. But the desire to really do this right never left me...... Fast forward to 2017. I stumbled upon a 1911 pistolsmithing course sponsored by Deep River Customs in North Carolina. The instructor- Mr. Bob Marvel. I called my surgical partner and asked him if he would cover me for twelve days so I could head down and build a pistol. He agreed and luckily I got the last spot in the class. It was a two-day drive and 8 very long days in the shop. If my memory is correct, I finished the pistol on a Saturday, went out to shoot it and started driving home late that afternoon. I have since given that pistol to my father-in-law, but the experience of it all is what really mattered most to me. I reached out to Bob later on and asked if I could spend more time with him. That was the beginning of an incredible journey into the world of 1911 pistolsmithing, and the beginning of a great friendship between the two of us. During my time with Bob, I have documented everything I have done with him. I have hundreds of photos, several hundred pages of notes and over 600 videos. Last weekend I spent another four days with him. While I was there, he asked me to write his book. My binders were on the bench packed with notes. I pointed to them and said to him, "that is your legacy". I want to share this with the world. If anyone here would please offer me some advice, I'm open to your ideas. What would you like to see in this book? I don't want to leave anything out. I want it to be perfect. I have to get this right. Thank you everyone.

Content removed due to copyright infringement.

Edit: Content removed after consideration of the implications. Instead, please watch this Ted Talk about Covid-19:

Not true! This threat applies to diabetics, anyone with high blood pressure, anyone immune compromised such as transplant patients or those on chemotherapy for cancer. And everyone can be affected if our hospitals run out of supplies and equipment. Edit: some comments removed so as to not upset anyone.

I am on the Covid-19 Preparedness Committee at our local hospital, and I've lost track of how many meetings we have had. On Friday, we had a retired physician from the CDC come and speak with us. She has decades of experience, and she was intimately involved with dealing with Ebola and SARS. She mentioned something I had not thought of, and it helped explain the draconian methods being used in our country. They are trying to eliminate the threat of Covid-19 so we aren't having to deal with it year after year like the flu. They are trying to eradicate this disease from our country, and it is looking that is still possible. The reports coming out of Italy are terrifying. They are running out of supplies and equipment. The doctors there are being faced with horrific ethical dilemmas. 1/20 people with Covid-19 need a ventilator, and the people are having to spend 2-4 weeks on the vent. They are running out of ventilators but not patients. People are being sent home to die. Because a lot of our supplies come from China, we are faced with the real possibility of running out of supplies like gowns, masks, gloves, etc. Right now we have a limited number of N-95 masks which prevent the passage of this virus. And we may have to face the possibility of shutting down our OR for elective cases. We are also trying to figure out how to get more negative pressure rooms to handle the potential influx of Covid-19+ patients. We are trying to figure out how to isolate these patients from everyone else and still be able to care for critically ill patients without Covid. Our hospital has only one ICU so we are looking at using either our Emergency Department or our OR's recovery room as a non-Covid ICU. Plant Ops is looking at knocking holes in the wall or replacing windows in the ICU rooms without negative pressure to install fans to make them negative pressure. Our operating rooms have positive pressure ventilation so we are trying to figure out how to address that. We are also having discussions on how we are going to handle a situation when/if we run out of ventilators. It's an ethical nightmare for us. And we are also having to deal with the situation of what to do if our doctors, nurses and support staff become ill. There are two surgeons here. I am one of them. What happens if we both get sick? Our CDC guest lecturer told us we may just have to work while we are sick and do our best not to infect people. Doesn't that sound like fun? While people are being inconvenienced with the potential of missing a match, please try to put your frustration into perspective. We are dealing with a real threat that has disastrous implications.

There are many myths and misinformation being circulated regarding COVID-19. Please visit these sites for accurate and credible information: For the latest updates on COVID-19, please visit: · Iowa Department of Public Health - https://idph.iowa.gov/ · Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - https://www.cdc.gov/ Johns Hopkins University- https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6 - good site for current #s around the world · World Health Organization (WHO) - https://www.who.int/

I wouldn't get in the habit of putting magazines in pouches if they aren't full. I learned that mistake the hard way once.

Troupe, Thank you for taking the time to post this...very helpful. I am somewhat familiar with Clark Custom. Years ago a guy I shot with asked me to do some trigger work on his Clark Custom 1911. It was one of the nicest built 1911s I had ever seen, and I ended up not doing anything to it. Everything was perfect on the gun so I put it back together and gave the guy his gun back. After reading all the feedback on this thread, I think I'm going to see about getting the breech welded up. Thank you to everyone that helped me through this. Chris

I appreciate this advice. Even though I'd never sell this 1911 because it is my first one, I don't like the idea of the plug coming loose. With tig welding, I'm not sure how the gunsmith is going smooth everything out. And I don't want him changing the hood to breech dimension. I have been struggling with this decision. If the gun didn't have sentimental value to me, I'd do this. This gun has put a lot of trophies on the wall (with some help from me), and I really want to keep it as original as possible. Plus this gun runs really well and I'm superstitious.

They offered to reimburse me for the repairs. I have not done this, but when I do, I will likely go with Clark Custom to have the breech drilled out and have them install a hardened steel plug. Initially I was told they could not make the repair. Then a couple of weeks later, I received an e-mail from Justin Clark indicating that he believed he could get it repair. He said he would have to see it first which I think is reasonable. The other option is to have it micro-tig welded. Option three is to send the gun back to Les Baer to have another slide fit to the gun. The gun I built is going to get left alone. I spent 16 days with Bob Marvel building that gun over a course of 5 months. It's not going anywhere. I'm not letting anyone touch that pistol. The damage is minor so I think I will just live with it for now.

Winchester has finally made right on their promise to take the primers back and reimburse me. After a 4+ month ordeal of numerous e-mails and phone calls, they sent me a check in November. I greatly appreciate those that helped me through this process. Chris

You would be horrified to learn how difficult it can be to stop an arterial bleed without the right equipment. A boresnake is really bad idea.

I agree with this. The erosion I saw happened on one day with two pistols. One of the pistols was one I had just finished building, and I have photos of the build. I am certain of the cause. Regardless of what Winchester is claiming, the primers they sold me caused this problem. I have used this round for over 15 years with multiple 1911s. The only problems I have had in the distant past were with my Les Baer. The pistol I built on a Nighthawk Custom platform had erosion after 43 rounds. The load I'm using is 4.6 grains of WST, OAL 1.25", .470 crimp and a 230g RN Zero bullet. Depending on the temperature, it makes 168,000 - 173,000 power factor. I doubt I'm having pressure issues with this load. The only variable I have not taken into consideration is using mixed brass. However, I have used other Winchester primers from a different lot without any problems.

Ron, I am sending you a PM. Chris

Thank you. I have been in contact with Winchester, and the lot number of my primers was not on their list (so they say). They are still agreeable to take them back.

Every few years the American College of Surgeons comes out with a SESAP program for surgeons. This stands for Self Education Self-Assessment Program, and it an intensive course covering a multitude of topics encountered by a General Surgeon. The topic of tourniquets came up. This is from the American College of Surgeons: The purpose of the tourniquet is to stop arterial inflow and prevent ongoing hemorrhage. Inappropriately applied, tourniquets may actually increase bleeding due to inadequate arterial occlusion and increased venous congestion. A concern with the use of tourniquets is nerve and muscle injury. Appropriate application and removal of tourniquets is not associated with muscle and nerve damage but does reduce deaths from bleeding. The principles of the proper application of tourniquets include the following: · Only use tourniquets for potentially life-threatening extremity bleeding. · Set the tourniquet at the lowest possible pressure needed to effectively stop hemorrhage. · Place the tourniquet as close to the wound as possible. · Keep meticulous tourniquet time, because tourniquet time should be minimized, ideally not exceeding 2 hours. · Use side-by-side or wide tourniquets to minimize tissue damage and for large wounds. Once at the hospital, the tourniquet should be released only in a controlled setting such as an operating room. Tourniquet use is not associated with increased limb loss.

I picked up a Frankford Arsenal case dryer for around 60 bucks from Brownells. Works just fine.

That comment was uncalled for. He took the time to be helpful. What have you done?

If you need to reach Winchester about any problems with gun damage, primer issues, etc., this is the name and number nobody at Winchster will tell you: Jake jchanks@olin.com 618.258.2738 (Direct Line) It took me three weeks to get this intel. They dodged me. Didn't return calls. Played dumb. Excuse after another. It was quite irritating but persistence paid off.