1911 gunsmithing

How to stake a 1911 front sight

February 1, 2020 Bill Marr 0

While the front sights on many pistols are friction fit into a dovetail, the front sight on the original 1911 pistols is staked in place. In this post, we’ll look at how you can remove […]

How to bobtail a 1911

December 11, 2017 Bill Marr 0

Perhaps the biggest obstacle to carrying a full sized 1911 concealed is the sharp edge at the bottom of the frame where it meets the mainspring housing. Some smiths will round off the corner to […]

1911 Gunsmithing: lower and flare ejection port

March 15, 2017 Bill Marr 0

1911 Gunsmithing: lower and flare ejection port Over the past two decades or so, lowered and flared ejection ports have become fairly common on 1911 pistols. Occasionally, you’ll encounter a pistol made to original 1911 […]

Customizing the 1911: machining a golf ball pattern slide

November 7, 2016 Bill Marr 0

In this post I’ll be machining a golf ball pattern into the top of a 1911 slide. This pattern will match the golf ball texture on the grip and main spring housing, giving the pistol […]

Customizing the 1911: round butt Officer’s ACP conversion

November 1, 2016 Bill Marr 0

Perhaps the biggest disadvantage of 1911 pistol is the shape of it’s butt. The square edge can print when the pistol is carried concealed. To address this, Ed Brown designed a Bobtail conversion mainspring housing […]

Customizing the 1911: countersink and flush cut slide stop pin

October 25, 2016 Bill Marr 0

Countersunk and flush cut slide stop pins have become common on custom 1911s over the past few years. This simple modification adds a distinctive touch to a 1911 frame. For reference purposes, a schematic of […]

Customizing the 1911: machining a golf ball front strap

October 11, 2016 Bill Marr 0

Hot and sweaty or cold and numb hands can make grasping your 1911 pistol difficult, especially if it has the original specification smooth front strap. The addition of checkering, texturing, rubber grips or grip tape […]

Custom 1911 Project: Part 7- machining ball cuts on a 1911 slide

September 26, 2016 Bill Marr 0

Custom 1911 Project: Part 7- machining ball cuts on a 1911 slide, presented by Rifleshooter.com and Brownells This is the seventh installment of our Custom 1911 project- in this post we are going to machine ball cuts […]

Custom 1911 Project: Part 6- flat top and chain link top of slide

September 19, 2016 Bill Marr 0

Custom 1911 Project: Part 6- flat top and chain link top of slide, presented by Rifleshooter.com and Brownells This is the sixth installment of our Custom 1911 project- in this post we are going flat top […]

Custom 1911 Project: Part 5- milling the slide for low mount sights

September 14, 2016 Bill Marr 0

Custom 1911 Project: Part 5- milling slide for low mount sights, presented by Rifleshooter.com and Brownells This is the fifth installment of our Custom 1911 project- in this post we are going machine the slide to […]