Happiness is a new gun 2

**Bawanna** · 05-20-2024, 10:40 PM

Dremel cutoff wheel. That would work nicely. I used a hacksaw. I find I can mess things up pretty quickly using power tools, course I can mess up pretty quickly not using power tools too.
The Tisas looks great.

A detective from my old PD bought one of those Challis bushing tools I'm too cheap to buy. Said he used it once, didn't need it any more and felt I'd use it more than him so he's gonna give it to me. So now I guess I only have to buy the slim bushing tool and I'll have both. Life is good.

**BirdsThaWord** · 05-21-2024, 06:07 AM

“I got the grips used on the addicts site. I'd never seen another set like them, and like you I think they look like snake skin.”
I got my 1st set of fancy, stabilized grips off of there too. Sometimes a deal can be had there. I have never seen a pair like your either. Hope that changes one day because I’ll grab ‘em. Very unique!

**Barth** · 05-21-2024, 06:56 AM

Love the shiny bobtail 1911

That's just my speed ...

**berettabone** · 05-21-2024, 10:40 AM

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!

It sure looks nice to me as is......................

**dao** · 05-21-2024, 12:52 PM

If you use a dremel to cut off metal on something like this I would strongly recommend using one of their reinforced wheels, and not one of the orange/brown wheels. The brown ones can come apart very easily and they do wear down quickly. The reinforced wheel I used barely lost any material to cut both sides of the frame.

I had it in my head to use the jig's hole to keep the bit from wobbling on the bottom hole. I positioned everthing with the 5/32" bit over the jig's hole and then pulled that bit out and used a #2 Center Drill for make a pilot hole and chamfer it, before putting the 5/32" bit back in to run the hole through. That chamfer kept the bit from walking. The top hole drilled out very quickly and cleanly. I then went down through the jig and started on the bottom hole. What I should have done instead at that point was to remove the frame, flip the jig over, and do the hole in that side the same way I did the first hole. If I had it would have saved the jig from being abused. The bit did not play well on that bottom hole because it was bumping into the edge of the MSH channel, causing it to bounce around before getting the hole past it. And because the further from the chuck the more runout of the bit. By coming at the frame from the outside for BOTH holes I would have avoided that issue, and the jig would still have 5/32" holes in it. Live and learn. Sometimes the hard way.
Still, for a $50 jig, and the $40 I paid for the Ed Brown MSH on the 1911Forum I essentially paid $90 to have the frame bobbed. I couldn't have had it done for that if I had farmed it out.