Absolutely everything BCRIDER said is correct! Especially getting/readind/studying the Jerry Kunhausen manual! Just because because someone can change the oil in their car doesn't mean they can take a stock 350 CHEVY and make it into a racing machine! If you haven't done more than field strip a 1911 - I would suggest your first project should be to learn how to COMPLETELY dis-assemble the 1911 (except the grip screw studs) BLIND FOLDED then re-assemble BLIND FOLDED!!! If you don't think that's possible - you won't have the "feel" one of the posters refered to that's required to accomplish what you are suggesting. But don't take my word for it - I've only had about 27 years worth of experience building 1911 IPSC raceguns!!!
1911 Aftermarket parts and upgrades? which ones?
- Thread starter xopher
- Start date
While I cant argue with youre choice of parts(all great quality),I still cant get the reasoning of buying a Norinco,gutting it,then spending all the time and money with this project,and at the end of the day you still have a Norinco(although a fancy Norinco).Off the top of my head,the parts and gunsmithing expenses will run you way past 1K(last time I checked,checkering the front strap alone was $350.).Despite whats bandied about on the internet,doing trigger jobs,fitting barrels etc,isnt something to be attempted if you really dont have the tools,knowledge and experience.
For that expenditure,why not start off with a really decent STI or Sig etc,which will have all the features that youre looking for,and you will have a gun with much better resale value and the pleasure of owning a really decent gun.
I may or may not have mentioned I am having a custom classic racegun built and the parts I suggested (for the most part) are what I went with except in my case I chose factory slide/frame fit kit as the base. He wants to start with a Norinco and build it up, which I see nothing wrong with as my frame kit ran me approx $700 and his will be essentially half that. Given that Norinco frame is forged and a decent quality steel, he might actually be making the right call - I have no feelings on it either way .
Now having said that, my final bill with all the parts, gunsmithing and finishing costs is approx. 3K. If he chooses to go with quality parts and proper smith for at least some of the work like barrel fit and timing, his final bill should be just shy of my cost. Is it worth it? it was for what I needed - I can't answer for him. He however did state his admiration for a high quality 1911 and as far as I am concerned, there is none finer than a bespoke one built right. His question then was can he use a Norinco frame as a base, to which I say why not?
Because building/rebuilding guns is fun, interesting, and satisfying for some people. Some of us like doing things for ourselves, even if the end result is not as "desirable" (in your opinion). Personally, I think you're missing out by NOT having the pleasure of rebuilding a 1911, but if that's not something you enjoy, I'm not going to try to convince you you should.
