Originally Posted by
dao
Well, I now better understand hand fitting in a 1911. I ordered a bunch of EGW parts for my Garrison. I needed to take a bit off the end of the full length guide rod in order to clear the barrel bushing when turning the latter over the tip to lock it. I had them custom fit the blued bbl bushing to the specs I sent them. Great folks to work with.
I've at least temporarily had to shelve the idea of using a full length guide rod because my wrench slipped while turning the bushing and the reverse plug went shooting off, and I haven't been able to find it. My little shop is in what we call our schoolroom because our kids did their schooling there for many years while my wife homeschooled them. She is very sentimental and has saved so much of their work and projects that the plug is not to be found, and I looked for an hour.
But the real challenge in the new parts was the oversized firing pin stop I bought for the gun. I had to file and hone on that part for about an hour to first get it to slide into the gun, and then to take some material off so that when installed it would slide over the ejector. I don't mind because I enjoy the challenges, and learn at the same time. My goal was to replace all the MIM parts except for the beavertail, which I've now done. Along with the trigger, barrel bushing, mag release, slide stop and thumb safety I replaced the hammer, hammer strut and pin, the sear, and the disconnector.
I was also thinking of turning it into a bobtail but the MSH I had for it is from a Sig Fastback, and its profile would not allow for enough of the old pin hole to be removed. I'll check it with the actual Ed Brown stainless MSH I have and intend to use on my Tisas Carry, but for now I'm dead in the water for that mod on this gun. Strangely the other Sig bobtail MSH I have, fit perfectly on my Kimber KHX Pro, which is a round butt from the factory albeit with a MSH that bears a smooth surface. I've also come to learn that not all bobtail and round butt MSH's are created equally.
Fun times!