Friday, March 13, 2015

Class Guns

So there are five guys in my gun school class making their 1911s better. 

What guns do they have?  Two Springfield stainless .45s, two Citadel 9mm, and one Wilson Combat .45, Commander size.

Which gun started with the most problems?  The Wilson.  Followed by the Springfields.

They did weird stuff on mine with the leaf spring in mine to make it work with the disconnector instead of doing the disconnector right.  Plus, no pin for the ejector.  You know how the gunsmith works on guns that need an ejector whole drilled?  He doesn't.

There were high end guns with other folks in my other classes.  You know which guns had the most stuff wrong with them out of the box?  They high end guns.  A different Les Baer in the first two classes and another Wilson.   Stuff like weird geometry on the barrel lugs, and odd contact around the barrel hood, are what I remember.  The only guns worse were ones that some previous owner did some work on himself at the kitchen table.  Like one where someone made the frame rails tighter by peening them in a dozen spots with a punch of some kind, oh my.  Bad luck that.

Philippine 1911s are actually pretty well put together, with the fewest flaws, and are thus easier to work on.

That said, there was enough interest in the class to develop another course where you build a 1911 from the Frame, up.  Which would be fun.

2 comments:

Old NFO said...

If you want a build it yourself class, take it from Billy Laughridge at C&S.

Robert Fowler said...

I have a High Standard 1911 from the Philippines. I'd match the fit and finish to anything Colt is putting out today.