1911/2011 gun smithing

[Justinmac13]

I am looking for what the benos folks consider to be some of the best books videos etc. learning on how to work on your 2011 / 1911 platforms. There is so much information on the web and I only want to trust what I see from the people on here. I have found in the last year or so I really enjoy tinkering around with my cz' sand tanfo and feel pretty confident on that platform.

[hvsmith]

I like all books by Jerry Kuhnhausen, what I refer to on any questions I have.

Edited November 14, 2015 by hvsmith

[Quack]

The AGI videos are really good, but lack the production value. The Wilson Combat video is OK as well. The Panteo 1911 video I wouldn't really recommend.

The Jerry Kuhnhausen books are the bible of the 1911

[Justinmac13]

Thank you guys, I'll look into jerrys books. Are there any in depth how to threads on here that you have pinned. I know on the cz forum there have been some great how to threads that can help any shmo like me.

[drewbeck]

The AGI videos are good as well as watching all the vids on YouTube and jerrys books. It really depends on what you want to do. If it's just cleaning up or replacing a trigger system or replacing a barrel there is a big difference between improving something and fixing something that isn't working correctly. Diagnosing an issue without knowing how the gun parts interact would be a recipe for a lot of replaced parts. I am not a gunsmith but built the below from scratch and while it's far from perfect it is tight, accurate, and runs. If you really want to understand how it all works, start building on from scratch. When I was able to do that I then was able to know what to ask a real gunsmith and was able to understand what they were saying.

A 1911/2011 is a system and without an understanding of how it all works together you'd be missing out.

If say just jump in with the understanding you'll screw some stuff up as a cost of learning. It's a fun hobby in itself.

[Justinmac13]

Drewbeck

Building one from ground up is where I want to get too, I am just starting my research into this and am looking for the best way to start. I agree with you as a fun hobby as I have had a great time tinkering on parts and fitting parts on my tanfo and cz. The 1911/2011 platform seems a little more complicated than the cz/tanfo platform though.

[open17]

Drewbeck

Building one from ground up is where I want to get too, I am just starting my research into this and am looking for the best way to start. I agree with you as a fun hobby as I have had a great time tinkering on parts and fitting parts on my tanfo and cz. The 1911/2011 platform seems a little more complicated than the cz/tanfo platform though.

The simplest platform is Glock (well maybe single action revolver is simpler) Glocks are pretty much drop in, lots of parts available,

reasonable prices, and the disaster factor (screwing up the whole gun) is pretty low..

I haven't done a full up build on a Tanfo, but I have done a couple of CZ's. Pins that seem welded in, springs the size of a gnats

eyelash, tooling marks that look like the random gnawing of rabid beavers. Great when they are done. Hopefully your

cat/children/neighbors didn't learn too many new and colorful words during the process.

1911/2011, especially since all parts are CNC and accurate to .0002"---is fairly easy. Understand how they work, take it slow.

There IS a learning curve---my copies of Kuhnhausen's books are well read.

If you have survived several Tanfo's and CZ's----the 1911/2011 won't be a problem.

Edited November 18, 2015 by open17

[drewbeck]

The books are also widely available in free PDF if you search them. Not sure on the legality which is why I'm not posting them myself.

Also if you want a good gun to learn on pick up a kit from Sarco. It won't be a competition gun but can end up a decent shooter and you'll learn lots about fitting. You can upgrade parts whenever and continue to learn on a cheap beginning investment

[MikeRush]

Drewbeck

Building one from ground up is where I want to get too, I am just starting my research into this and am looking for the best way to start. I agree with you as a fun hobby as I have had a great time tinkering on parts and fitting parts on my tanfo and cz. The 1911/2011 platform seems a little more complicated than the cz/tanfo platform though.

I haven't done a full up build on a Tanfo, but I have done a couple of CZ's. Pins that seem welded in, springs the size of a gnats eyelash, tooling marks that look like the random gnawing of rabid beavers. Great when they are done. Hopefully your cat/children/neighbors didn't learn too many new and colorful words during the process.

1911/2011, especially since all parts are CNC and accurate to .0002"---is fairly easy. Understand how they work, take it slow.

There IS a learning curve---my copies of Kuhnhausen's books are well read.

If you have survived several Tanfo's and CZ's----the 1911/2011 won't be a problem.

So much truth to that statement. The first time I opened up a CZ I was more than a bit frustrated.

I've done a trigger job on a 2011 on the sign in table after a match. Much, much easier to work on my opinion.

[MrPostman]

Try putting a CZ disconnector type sear assembly back together after the slave pin squirts out the other side.......way way easier to do the STI.

[ltdmstr]

1911/2011, especially since all parts are CNC and accurate to .0002"---is fairly easy.

Not sure how many parts are machined within two tenths. If that was the case it would be an assembly operation. And that's certainly not the case with 1911/2011, even with the best parts you can buy. As for being fairly easy, maybe if you have years of experience. But even then it's takes considerable time and effort if you want to do it properly.

Edited November 18, 2015 by ltdmstr

[Nickb45]

I wanted to learn more about these pistols so I took Bob Rodgers RYO class. We built a gun in a week, learned more than I ever thought I would about the 1911s.

The class wasn't cheap counting tools and travel expenses, but the knowledge I gained is priceless. It also makes it nice now when I am building a few more pistols, I will be money ahead rather than buying custom pistols, and I have the satisfaction of doing it myself.

[open17]

1911/2011, especially since all parts are CNC and accurate to .0002"---is fairly easy.

Not sure how many parts are machined within two tenths. If that was the case it would be an assembly operation. And that's certainly not the case with 1911/2011, even with the best parts you can buy. As for being fairly easy, maybe if you have years of experience. But even then it's takes considerable time and effort if you want to do it properly.

Darned decimal places! .002 is a much more believable number. Heck--I can't MACHINE to +/- .0002 with my equipment!

Still---compared to the old Essex frames, and the rather generous tolerances of old school

mil-spec parts---today's stuff is a pleasure to work with.

Realistic tolerances for today's CNC parts, taken from the literature of a slide manufacturer:

ail dimensions are consistently cut to 0.751/0.752 wide by 0.117/0.1175

Bore depth from rails consistently cut to 0.8475 +0.001/-0.002

The locking lugs are 0.053 +/-0.002

Extractor Location as registered from the firing pin stop is consistently 2.174 +/-0.002 from the bottom of the breech face, establishing a consistent installation and operation of the extractor.

[ltdmstr]

Assuming that's true, even if you have only .002 variance per part, you're dealing with a number of parts, so that adds up to be a much bigger number. Realistically, if you buy a Caspian frame and slide, and it's only .002 or .004 off in width and height, you still have to machine both and hand fit if you want the job done right. Barrel hood width and length will be off by way more than a couple thou, and same for bottom lugs. Add the fact that safeties have to be fit for hammer/sear/trigger, the ejector installed and tuned, the extractor installed and set up correctly, and all the detail work plus blending everything to look good. Guess the point I'm trying to make is that even with good parts, and proper tools, it's still time consuming and labor intensive. It's not like swapping out parts on a Glock or AR.

[open17]

Assuming that's true, even if you have only .002 variance per part, you're dealing with a number of parts, so that adds up to be a much bigger number. It's not like swapping out parts on a Glock or AR.

Agreed. Never said it was Glock easy----just that it's a heck of a lot better than it used to be.

[ltdmstr]

I definitely agree on that. Plus info on the web and u-tube are a huge help.

[Chadm]

I am pretty lucky as I work with Jay Della Bella and have him showing me thinks even though it is a slow process mostly on my end. It is true that the more I understand, the easier it is for me to ask the right questions about things.