trp Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 What's everyone think of these frames? They were all the buzz no to long ago so I picked one up.... I'm on the fence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzt Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 (edited) JEM Guns makes the best 1911 commercially available frames, period. You haven't heard a lot of buzz about a lot of manufacturers, because the market for 1911 frames and slides is dead right now. If you also buy JEM's grip safety and MSH, you will be pleasantly surprised at the fit and the negligible amount of blending you will have to do. Edited March 12, 2017 by zzt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trp Posted March 12, 2017 Author Share Posted March 12, 2017 27 minutes ago, zzt said: JEM Guns makes the best 1911 commercially available frames, period. You haven't heard a lot of buzz about a lot of manufacturers, because the market for 1911 frames and slides is dead right now. If you also buy JEM's grip safety and MSH, you will be pleasantly surprised at the fit and the negligible amount of blending you will have to do. Why? What makes them the best? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzt Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 Tolerances are tight, machining is terrific, finish is great (no bead blasting to hide blemishes), all the pin holes are in the right places and the dimensions are correct. When you build a 1911 with a JEM frame you have to do a lot less work than you would with a Les Baer, Caspian or especially STI. I just wish he made slides as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donnyglock Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 That's not been my experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerBaron Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 Do jem make the frames in house? I understand egw make the jem grip safety for them (to their design). I would have thought the caspian 1911 race frame would be the hot ticket for single stack builds (but admittedly I'm not a single stack expert). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzt Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 JEM does make the frames completely in house. EGW does make the GS and some of the MSH for JEM, but he is also making his own 2-piece MSH/Magwell. It was EGW who first turned me on to JEM. I was placing another order and mentioned the immense amount of material I had to take off to blend the GS into an STI frame. Cody told me I should have used a JEM GS instead. We got to talking about things and I mentioned I was very disappointed in the STI and Caspian (not as much) frames I had gotten. He told me that when Ed approached them to make parts, he sent them 15 frames to use for fitting. They measured every frame and they were perfect. All the pin holes were in the correct places and all the measurements were correct. He suggested I talk to JEM. I did. I've had the same experience. BTW, the Caspian HiCap kit I just bought from Brownells had to go back to Caspian. Trigger guard was the wrong shape and the castings for the GS and the rear of the frame were such that it could not be blended, because one side of the frame was dimpled and too low. The other side was too high. The nice thing about Caspian is they will make it right. BTW2, JEM Guns is making 2011 frames for several custom builders. They are designed to fit perfectly with the new EVO grip. Unfortunately, he is not permitted (yet) to see them to others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerBaron Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Thanks for filling in those blanks. Ive always been impressed by every egw part I've purchased so I'd put a lot of stock in anything they recommend too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RippinSVT Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 I just finished building a 6" single stack 9mm on a custom JEM frame, and it was unreal how good the quality was right out of the box. A literal work of art. The only place I had to do any real fitting on the frame, aside from slight blending of the GS, was a bit of clearancing in the trigger raceway. I don't think I can imagine building another from anybody else. Absolutely spring for the JEM MSH and billet GS, they are fit like a Rolex. I had them do skip-line checkering on the frontstrap and MSH, and a custom serial number too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IFlynn Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 I have one of these frames, the master series, on order from JEM. They have a 6 week backlog and are catching up on stock, but I will let you know my review/thoughts when I receive it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RippinSVT Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 23 hours ago, IFlynn said: I have one of these frames, the master series, on order from JEM. They have a 6 week backlog and are catching up on stock, but I will let you know my review/thoughts when I receive it. You will NOT be disappointed. Absolutely cream of the crop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IFlynn Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 (edited) 18 minutes ago, RippinSVT said: You will NOT be disappointed. Absolutely cream of the crop. Good to know, I like the look of the square dust cover, more room for thumb placement and I believe would help with recoil control in Single Stack Division! Edited May 3, 2017 by IFlynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RippinSVT Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 1 hour ago, IFlynn said: Good to know, I like the look of the square dust cover, more room for thumb placement and I believe would help with recoil control in Single Stack Division! Yep. You'll hacve to cut it back to be legal though. I am actually welding mine to a full 6" on my 6" 9mm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IFlynn Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 I'm looking forward to seeing what these JEM frames are all about. Being able to choose between 20LPI, 25LPI, 30LPI and skip line checkering is a really nice option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RippinSVT Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 Which way did you go? The skip-line is amazing and unique. Did the front and MSH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donnyglock Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 It's unigue but not very grippy. I have one of their frames and wasn't that impressed at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsa Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 (edited) 2 hours ago, donnyglock said: It's unigue but not very grippy. I have one of their frames and wasn't that impressed at all. What didn't you like about the frame? I have heard that they are dimensionally correct but fresh out of the CNC, meaning that they they are a little rough. I have not handled one personally. I am waiting until they start making slides and plan to order a set. Curious as to your thoughts, thanks. Edited May 4, 2017 by dsa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandabooks Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 If I'm not mistaken I think my 1911 has a Jem slide.. Is this the checkering everyone is discussing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjones6686 Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 53 minutes ago, aandabooks said: If I'm not mistaken I think my 1911 has a Jem slide.. Is this the checkering everyone is discussing? That's a JEM frame with skip checkering. Caspian Slide that Gavin engraved the Ford Custom Shooters logo and JEM logo on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandabooks Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 10 hours ago, bjones6686 said: That's a JEM frame with skip checkering. Caspian Slide that Gavin engraved the Ford Custom Shooters logo and JEM logo on. I won it at an IL Sectional a couple years ago so I never got a spec sheet. Best 1911 I've ever owned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzt Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 JEM's slide were initially made for him by another firm. Their QC slipped and he canned them. He tried making his own slides, but gave up as it would interfere with production of other things. He now has an excellent small manufacturer willing to spit their production between JEM and another builder. Ed says they are dimensionally perfect. We'll see. My slide and 2011 frame arrive in 4 weeks. As far as checkering goes, I'm a big fan of their 25lpi checkering on front strap and MSH. It is quite grippy, but doesn't draw blood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IFlynn Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 On 5/3/2017 at 2:32 PM, RippinSVT said: Which way did you go? The skip-line is amazing and unique. Did the front and MSH. I did 25 LPI. I've felt 30 LPI and it's too light, and I have another SA with 20 LPI and it's just a tad rough on the hands, 25 LPI should be perfect. I couldn't bring myself to go skip line checkering, I understand the appeal I guess I just don't want to be that flashy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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