Eli Whitney

I realized what the thing is with 1911 pistols.  They are NOT made with interchangeable parts!

Interchangeable parts on firearms has been a goal for a long time, with lots of work toward that goal done at local Harper's Ferry Armory shy of 200 or so years ago.

I literally have to hand adjust every single serious part on this gun.  And if I ruin a part and need to swap it out?  I need to adjust that part, and the parts around it, and maybe the parts around THEM...

It's the beginning of the 21th Century!  Why can't America figure out mass production!

Seriously, this is actually a matter of tolerances.  We are fitting each part to each other with higher standards than 'bog' and very tight tolerance margins.   Or that is the idea, with various definitions of 'success'.

Now, if we loosen those tolerances and have a massive logistical tail, and I am the assemblyman on the circa 1912 Colt Factory floor... making the first M1911s, there are fewer fitting steps I'd need to accomplish.  If on part didn't fit, maybe swap it once or twice to get moving faster.  You get a slight looser gun.  A service grade gun.  Fine and reliable, but not a bulls-eye gun.  But the pistol wasn't intended to be.  It CAN be made accurate.  It is easier to make it accurate compared to an M9, but that, too, can be made very accurate.  There comes a cost to build a finer pistol, and not just in part material and quality.  Time and skill are a cost too.

It also means you can buy all the parts and they can be 'drop-in'.  I am at the stage where I could get a pistol put together without supervision from a big box sent by Brownells.  It would by necessity be not at good as this one I am taking my time with, and with the gunsmith supervision that whole time, but it'd be as good as any factory gun.  No lie.  Except...

There are a few sticking points I have...  Hammer and sear engagement of course.  Maybe the MOST important area.  I know noting about cosmetics.  Grip and thumb safety to sear and trigger bow are almost as important and my grok of them is only partial...  And there is all the "well, I've never seen THAT before" bit that I don't know how to cope with, so let's hope that doesn't come up.  The grip safety fitting and blending is a little iffy with me.  Even on a loose factory gun.  And I know very little about the cosmetic side of gun finishing, which is actually kinda important, if not for function, but for user confidence.

In other words, don't try to get me to make a pistol for you.

I told the gunsmith I'd be ready to do this on my own professionally in about 80 guns.  I could sell the 81st with confidence.  He thinks I might be able to do it sooner, but I am a slow head with poor attention to detail.  I'll stick with 80.  So after this I need to take the class 78 more time.  And at 1 class a year that mean I can retire from my day job and be a bona-fide smith in the year 2094.  Right around the corner.