biggyfries

I guess this is a good place for my first post. If not let me know.

I am a semi knowlegeable pistol mechanic having assembled several of my own parts guns (1911's) and solved some problems to my own satisfaction, and have aquired enough experience to say I'm not a total newcomer. My Dad was a working gunsmith for 25 years as his retirement job--he recently passed away and I now have a large collection of 1911 parts, so I am interested in assembling yet another .45ACP. I have one slide which appears to be what my Dad called an 'armorer's slide', with no markings but a part number on one side. I have two barrels, and enough small parts to service many handguns in the future--it's quite a little box of parts. I don't have a frame.

Dad used Essex frames for one main reason--he got a good working gun without spending big. I have two very nice parts guns using Essex frames--they work fantastic, but when someone sees the name Essex, they turn up their nose no matter how perfectly it works. I'd gladly buy another Essex frame, but am having no luck finding one. There are no frames within 300 miles that I can locate, Brownell's is currently out-of-stock, and none of the people I know can help.

I'm hoping someone can direct me to a 1911 builder who has an extra frame he'd part with, or a frame that he just doesn't like--and would part with. Maybe even a broken or screwed up frame that they'd part with.

Any advice you may have would be welcome.

Bill Caldwell

ESSEX did the damage to themselves....My opinion "they tried to commit suicide before they were born" Most of Us that work with 1911s have seen essex frames with the rails lower on one side than the other.....difference in the rail thickness....holes in the wrong place and thats just for starters. I've never known a good pistolsmith speak anything good about a essex.....Funny that Norinco could get their first ones right and I don't know to this day that essex has. If Brownells don't have them, I wonder why. It can't be that essex is so far backordered on frames. I've never under stood the wisdom of usein' "JUNK FRAMES" to build a 1911 to save fifty or so dollars.

Recently I was at a North Louisiana gun show, saw a pistol on a table, Remmy slide on an essex frame, Hand on the other side of the table yelled "FEEL FREE TO PICK IT UP,I JUST FINISNED CUSTOM BUILDIN'IT"....My feelin's were this is a HELL OF A WASTE OF A REMMY SLIDE, I ask the fellow "YOU A CUSTOM BUILDER"....got a "SURE AS HELL AM " answer. SO being the "SMART A$$" I'm noted for bein, I ask, "Where does essex put the center line of traverse on the frames",got a blank look, I said " You know where all the holes are measured from, where all the measurements are taken from"? Got the deer in the headlights look.....Laid the pistol down and walked away

I usually don't give advice even when ask but in this case,....before You buy a frame get the correct set of goverment drawin's for a 1911, study them, a cutaway 1911 that was set up right is a great help , Buy Kuhnhausen's two books on 1911s, get the videos from AGI , only buy quality parts

I'm not sayin' a good pistol can't be built from an essex frame but let us say the distance between the sear pin hole and the hammer pin hole is greater than it should be...If You have enough sears and hammers to pick thru You may make it work, BUT IT IT A LOT EASIER IF THE HOLES ARE IN THE RIGHT PLACE

Bill Caldwell

biggyfries

I like the info from another perspective. In my experience Essex has been reliable and my Dad had created parts guns using the Essex frame on maybe seven or eight occasions, and he had uniformly good results, with only minor fitting/lapping, etc. My own experience (two guns, which I still have) has been similar, both successful and quite accurate. The only real downside is the negative response when people look at the gun, note the Essex name, and move on. Even if the gun works perfectly the name on the side kills peoples interest. I would like to avoid that of course, but I don't see many alternatives except with significantly higher priced frames through Brownell's and others. There seems to be a frame shortage right now, except for the very expensive ones.

Maybe I will have to 'bite the bullet' as they say and just get a more expensive one--I acknowlege the statement on buying a cheap frame and getting a cheap finished product. It takes the same amount of effort to make a 'cheapy' work, sometimes far more, and I'd like to avoid that as well.

I was hoping some person on this forum had a extra frame they'd part with or knew of someone else's failed project, or something like that. Something may appear eventually. Example: Dad bought a ratty-looking Colt frame from a guy who had drilled some holes in the front part that covers the recoil spring--and the guy sold it as a ruined frame, along with most of the remaining parts. I welded the holes shut with a Mig welder, we filed and massaged that part of the frame until it looked good, and it worked like--perfect! We blued it, and it had only a minor imperfect mottling of the blue where the welds were, but it didn't seem to hurt the value of the finished product. It said 'Colt' on the side.

biggyfries

Here's a follow-up on my project--I found a frame at a gun-hobbyist's shop in a neighboring town, it is made by Apintl/Armscor, and the price was attractive, so I went with it. It is cast, and every surface needs attention, but the shape and overall configuration seems good. Any downside to using a cast frame?

The gun is assembled and everything functions slightly rough and gritty, but it is all in good order just needing 'purifying' now. The rails need tightening and the trigger is creepy, but I am pleased to have another handgun that shows promise.

In my travels I aquired another slide, a not-too-old Springfield Armory--so it seems I need yet another frame. Any referrals/recommendations are welcome.

Bill Caldwell

CASPIAN......Speak to Gary Smith at Caspian

Bill Caldwell

Larry Pomykalski

Essex frames were cast, as are all Caspian frames at this point.

And it's pretty obvious that you can't build a 1911 unless you know where the manufacturer located the center line of traverse, the specific gravity of the materials and the injection pressure of the casting molds. Just like you can't change the oil on your car without knowing whether the cylinder walls were aluminum sleeves, cast iron or monoblock aluminum.


Larry