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View Full Version : Bench Shots.. Completed Projects.. General KM3 1911 shenanigans..



Axlnut
2 November 2016, 21:24
Going to make this my new home away from 1911 home for everything 1911 related from KM3 - bench shots (from my cell phone, aren't you lucky), completed projects, processes, my morning coffee.. whatever

Oh and first thread award [:D]

Let's start with some in progress shots of AZ Photo Man's Ruger SR1911

Starting the checkering, when it's all ugly
1967

It all comes together though, along with a beveled lower edge, high cut frontstrap/triggerguard, and beveled/recessed slide stop
1968

Blend and serrate slide rear and site
1969

Axlnut
3 November 2016, 13:14
Throw back to some older stuff for a minute.

The trigger relief cut is different from brand to brand, and was not part of the original (pre-A1) 1911, as far as I can tell, and those guns looked smoother for it. Some companies do it well, some not so well - Springfield falls well into the not-so-well category, whereas Nighthawk has one of the smoothest lines in this regard. What's a smith to do when you need a SA looking smooth?

Bust out the tools:
1972

This gun also needed a magwell - Wilson Bulletproof was chosen for a variety of reasons, though again SA has some sharp lines and edges at the front corners. So we blend:
1973

The finished result after checkering, cerakoting, and brushing the flats:
1974

The trigger relief:
1975

You'll notice if you look closely a little fuzziness to the hand blended new trigger relief cut where it meets the brushed flat. This was a hard area to match without doing a "melt" and brushed flats don't work with melts. It drives me crazy, it's a small flaw but one I won't repeat. Live and learn.

Axlnut
3 November 2016, 18:18
No in progress pics of this one from a while back - but it came out a pretty cool for such minor work. Just some blending and frontstrap serrations on a box stock RIA, then a Cerakote job in an attempt to mimic a stainless / blued combo.
1983
1984

Dstrbdmedic167
3 November 2016, 18:44
i need a 1911 now... nice work!

Axlnut
3 November 2016, 20:38
i need a 1911 now... nice work!

Thanks!

I'm sharing a lot of old stuff here and some mistakes included in that, stuff I won't share elsewhere. Glad it's appreciated.

Needing one is how it starts. Soon after you NEED 5, and your bar raises higher and higher.

Axlnut
3 November 2016, 20:41
Cutting some BHP/Carry cuts on a RIA 22TCM. PORTS as well but can't find the pictures.

Roughing cuts (pro-tip, don't clamp 1911 slides in the vice like this, no damage to this one but now I use the proper fixtures):
1985

Final result, before finish:
1986

Aragorn
3 November 2016, 21:34
Very nice. I've wanted my own 1911 for years now, and damn near started a build a few times. Had parts lists and everything.

Maybe if I ever get around to getting the parts, might send to you for assembly.

Axlnut
4 November 2016, 13:45
Very nice. I've wanted my own 1911 for years now, and damn near started a build a few times. Had parts lists and everything.

Maybe if I ever get around to getting the parts, might send to you for assembly.

That would be outstanding, and I'd be more than happy to build it out - if you make that decision contact me and we'll go through your parts list together and see where we can save you some $ and make sure everything is cohesive and the best fit for what you want out of the gun.

Axlnut
4 November 2016, 13:48
Some serration work, 20 LPI on the frontstrap, 40 on the slide rear:

1989

1990

1991

1992

Axlnut
4 November 2016, 15:01
That particular completed pistol, a RIA/Armscor 22TCM Commander length

I did:

Dehorn and blend
Serrated slide rear
BHP/Carry cuts
Slide Ports
Frontstrap serrations
Polish Barrel complete
Cerakote

Just a simple cosmetic enhancement. The Cerakote goal was to incorporate white and green in a distressed look, and the pistol was going to Louisiana so I went for a "moss covered southern estate" look.

1993
1994
1995
1996
1997

Axlnut
4 November 2016, 15:03
1998
1999
2000
2001

Axlnut
5 November 2016, 14:26
I'm not a fan of unfinished stainless steel guns - galling is too much of a factor, I understand that supposedly slides and frames have been tweaked to different hardness levels, etc over the years, etc, but still a nice tight fight introduces the possibility of galling.

This Springfield had galling, as well as a loose fit, and some weird damn near punch marks in the frame. No clue what somebody did at one time.

The answer? Silver Solder to fill the divots and give me a surface to level before cerakote:

2009

After stoning and blasting:

2010

fledge
5 November 2016, 17:33
Love that 22.

Axlnut
6 November 2016, 10:52
Love that 22.

Thanks - me too. 22TCM is a hell of a round. I've often thought about carrying it, even more so now that there are Glock conversions available from RIA, although they use the 22TCM(R) or some shit, which has the same performance but a slightly different shape.

I don't want to have to buy two almost identical rounds, etc.

Axlnut
6 November 2016, 14:42
I have been building a bit of a signature - slide stippling, typically bordered in some manner. I plan to move this over to Glocks, etc as well.

I don't always stipple the slide tops, but when I do, I prefer it clean..

Going to cheat - this is a Ruger P90, but same look, and first time I did it. This slide from the factory was a f'n MESS of mismatched casting and machining from side to side.

2015

2016

Springfield Loaded, flat topped between sights and stippled:

2017

RIA 22 TCM, cut out the cocking serrations, milled borders and stippled:

2018

Then added another matching cocking area to the top ahead of the rear sight:

2019

velocity2006
24 December 2016, 15:20
Reminds me how badly I want to take Bob Rogers class. Have done a bit of work myself, but would still love to do a build from the ground up.

Springfield Operator Gen 1, most work has been internal, replaced the firing pin stop with an EGW Oversized with a slight bevel, ed brown tool steel sear/disconnector, thumbsafety, msh/magwell.
Would still love to do frontstrap at 20-30lpi and a serrated slide rear, along with a few other goodies. Can always send it to SCS and have them go crazy on it and hard chrome it lol.

Have had probably 15 Springers and this one is even nicer than the two TRP's I had. I got really lucky on the fit for the Operator, it's easily as nice as my buddies Nighthawk GRP once the MIM parts are replaced.

http://i.imgur.com/XtU46Az.jpg

Play with doing the marvel cut for the disconnector yet?

Axlnut
24 December 2016, 17:04
Nice Springer!

Hands on classes are an awesome opportunity, I would love to take one someday - always pays to stay a student.

I'm with you on checkering, that's actually what to me into 1911 work - to me they are just naked without a nicely blended beavertail, a blended slide rear (with or without serrations) and most of all that checkered front strap.

I'm going to be setup soon to machine checker, but I don't know.. I'm a hand checkering guy, and if it's done well I feel like it has a place in the market alongside machine work.

The flat bottom/slight bevel FPS was a great addition, one of my favorites.

I actually combined that with the Marvel disco cut on the Springer I posted. It's a very predictable recoil impulse and great trigger reser. Cycled by hand it just "feels" quality. Butter smooth.

I did it a little different, used a ball end mill and did a ball-head job on the disco itself. It works, and works well, but after the fact I got a little concerned about uneven wear since the cut and disco radius' don't perfectly match. (Used dykem to get as close as possibly, and swaged the hole to help the disco move straight down with no play) I asked the owner to bring it back after a few thousand rounds to see how it's wearing.