Why Does Custom 1911 Work Deliver Better Accuracy?
A 1911 that locks up tighter and has a less loose fit between slide and frame provides more reliability and better accuracy. This is what true custom work delivers.
Finding a Cerified 1911 Pistolsmith that does this level of work is not easy, and the cost can sometimes be high. But the benefits are worth the wait and the expense.
Safety
A custom 1911 has to look good and shoot well, but the most important thing is that it works correctly. It must have safeties that are easy to
engage, a slide stop that is easy to depress, a magazine release that will work in the heat of battle and a barrel and feed ramp fit that will not break if you push it hard.
It is not unusual to find 1911s that will not feed or fire properly because of bad slide-to-barrel fit and/or wrong feed ramp angles. These are easy to correct but it is often not done because companies simply do not want to spend the time and money to fine tune these critical areas. They would rather spend their resources assembling the gun to their production goals and let their warranty departments deal with reliability issues when the pistol comes back for repair.
One such area is the grip safety, a flat lever that sits along the back of the frame and is depressed by the web of the hand in an appropriate shooting grip. There have been cases of people shooting themselves when they fail to depress the grip safety, and it can be a serious problem during fast-draw strings or during rapid-fire drills. In order to reduce the likelihood that it will be accidentally pushed down during these activities, the grip safety can be pinned to prevent it from being pushed down. A proper pin allows the user to feel it snap into place and makes it very difficult to accidentally depress.
Accuracy
There is a certain satisfaction in shooting a pistol that you personally built. If your pistol was built with a good hand-fit and precision parts, it will be much more accurate than many factory 1911s. A well-built custom 1911 can be more than 100 percent more accurate than a standard factory gun, especially if you opt for the higher-grade components.
When a custom shop builds a 1911, they start with oversized frames and slides that are milled, lathed and cut down to specific tolerances. After that they go to the gunsmith who blends and finishes the gun. This is a delicate process, but one that creates a beautiful gun with graceful curves and flats.
A good example of this is the fit of a barrel in a 1911 slide. When the barrel unlocks from the slide and drops down to smack the slide-stop pin, it must make contact evenly on both sides of the pin. If only one side of the pin gets smacked, it will be difficult to arrest the barrel’s movement.
Incorrect timing is another common cause of malfunction in 1911s. It is a complex process that requires knowledge, experience and time to set up correctly. Many companies simply accept problems with timing and turn their warranty departments into an expensive troubleshooting department. This is a lot more profitable than taking the time to actually fix the problem.
Reliability
The 1911 pistol has been around for a century, and it has proven itself to be an exceptionally reliable handgun. It’s the most widely used sidearm in the world, and it’s the weapon of choice for many police departments, military units and civilian shooters.
Gunmakers make their 1911s to set tolerances. A manufacturer doesn’t want to spend time fine-tuning each pistol, so they’re often designed to be as reliable as possible right out of the box. But the 1911 is a gun that does not tolerate mass manufacturing well, and it requires a lot of work to get it to run properly.
A well-made custom 1911 is meticulously assembled. Gunsmiths usually start with oversized frames and slides, so they’re able to file away material until the parts fit together and function. They may also polish and debur the parts, and they may install a variety of upgrades. A customer might request a light, crisp trigger with a break at the weight they choose, or a serrated grip safety for easier manipulation.
Other upgrades might include a custom beavertail or ambi safety, enhanced slide serrations and a more ergonomic magwell. The resulting handgun will be comfortable and easy to use for experienced shooters, as well as beginner pistol owners.
Customization
For many people who shoot 1911s there comes a point where they want to customize their pistol. They may need a trigger, grip safety, sear lever or hammer that is not available in a factory catalog 1911, or they might just want to fine-tune the original parts. There are gunsmiths who specialize in doing just that. They can help you create a custom 1911 that meets all of your needs and desires.
The most significant development of the customized M1911 came from California in the form of a renowned firearms builder named Frank Pachmayr. Pachmayr hired two talented smiths to work on his new line of combat pistols. The pistols incorporated several changes to improve performance and reliability.
One of the most important was tightening up tolerances on the gun, especially at the barrel and frame interface. To do this, he added beveling to the frame rails and slide cuts and added an angled bevel to the top of the barrel ramp on the slide. This hid the bottom of the ramp from the oncoming bullet nose, increasing accuracy and feed reliability.
In addition, he increased the size of the trigger and installed an adjustable trigger stop. This allowed the pistol to be used with different ammunition and enabled a quick, crisp trigger pull. He also squared off the front of the trigger guard to allow for a more secure purchase by left-hand index fingers.
