Caspian 1911 Project
Published Oct. 3rd, 2008
Before we get into the build article, I want to thank everyone who came out to the High Caliber Gun and Knife Show at the Holiday Inn in Fort Smith. We had a great time and our listeners made it all possible. We are currently looking for a spring date for another show.
I decided that when Dennis Snow and I start to teach our defensive handgun class, it would be nice to have a good basic 1911 for the class. I had some parts lying around and decided to use what I had and pick up the rest from Caspian Arms.
I had a GI National Match Hard Slide along with a fitted barrel and bushing, an Ed Brown beavertail grip safety; an Ed Brown extended thumb safety and a GI slide stop, recoil spring, plug and guide. I also dug around and found an original GI flat lanyard loop mainspring housing.
I called Gary Smith, Sales Manager of Caspian Arms and ordered a frame. Caspian Arms makes the highest quality 1911 parts I have ever used. They offer several features that can be added at the factory for a nominal cost compared to having them added by your local gunsmith.
I chose a carbon steel 1911 Government frame and added an integral plunger tube and front strap serrations. I installed grip bushings and a .025 radius on the rear tang for a beavertail grip safety. I also ordered a set of Caspian’s pins and one of their stainless steel Commander hammers. I consider their Commander hammer to be the best available. It still has a round hammer instead of the oval cut out and it is still lightened up for quicker lock time.
When these parts came in, I started fitting them. I had Caspian install my ejector at the factory and it required just a little filing to get the slide on. The frame rails were ordered to fit my slide. Gary told me a little fitting might be necessary but it should be close.
After filing on the ejector, the slide to frame fit was perfect. The trigger was oversized and required some filing to fit the frame. Everything else was fitting perfectly until I inserted the grip safety. I could not get the thumb safety in its hole in the grip safety.
I asked my gunsmith and he said there was still a little fitting to be done on the grip safety and offered to finish it up. Caspian already did the major work for a nominal fee so the final fitting will be very inexpensive. As soon as the grip safety is fitted, I will finish the build, test fire and then put a hard use finish on the gun. I am ordering an SDM gold bead front sight and a set of Cocobolo grips to finish off the project. If you want quality 1911 parts check with Caspian Arms first.
Tim Garrett is a Concealed Handgun Licensed Instructor in Arkansas and is an avid gun historian and collector.
If you have an Arkansas Concealed Handgun License, chances are Tim Garrett was your instructor. Tim breaks down history and physics of weaponry in an easy-to-understand and entertaining way. As a gun historian and collector, Tim not only brings insight into the history of guns, but their impact on our society.
