I got started on my final project for the advanced armoring course at SDI.EDU. Over the next three weeks I'll be going through the steps. I made sure every part was here. Stealth Arms makes a very good kit. Pricey, but the quality is really up there.
First step after doing inventory was mounting the frame in the jig. The pins were very snug, no play that I could feel between the frame and side plates
Cutting the guides on both sides was slow. Adjusting the knob with very small movements worked out very well. I also made sure everything was well lubed.
I marked the starting point and cut 1.9 turns giving me a perfect .061" depth.
Rails are cut, had a little bit of chatter, but another pass cleaned that up.
Getting a good fit took about an hour. I used a black marker to find my high spots that needed to be taken down. Once I had it to the point I could get the frame and slide together, I used a little 220 lapping compound. The end result was a very smooth fit and no side to side movement between the frame and slide. I've noticed this fit is the difference between an expensive 1911, and a lower budget 1911. The SA TRP 1911 I have is very tight in this area, whereas the other 1911 which comes in at about half the price has play. I noticed this when I was testing these firearms that when the slide came back, the barrel and sights didn't always align the same. I didn't have this issue with the TRP.
So ends my work today. Oh ya, I cut the barrel channel, but didn't get a picture of that.
First step after doing inventory was mounting the frame in the jig. The pins were very snug, no play that I could feel between the frame and side plates
Cutting the guides on both sides was slow. Adjusting the knob with very small movements worked out very well. I also made sure everything was well lubed.
I marked the starting point and cut 1.9 turns giving me a perfect .061" depth.
Rails are cut, had a little bit of chatter, but another pass cleaned that up.
Getting a good fit took about an hour. I used a black marker to find my high spots that needed to be taken down. Once I had it to the point I could get the frame and slide together, I used a little 220 lapping compound. The end result was a very smooth fit and no side to side movement between the frame and slide. I've noticed this fit is the difference between an expensive 1911, and a lower budget 1911. The SA TRP 1911 I have is very tight in this area, whereas the other 1911 which comes in at about half the price has play. I noticed this when I was testing these firearms that when the slide came back, the barrel and sights didn't always align the same. I didn't have this issue with the TRP.
So ends my work today. Oh ya, I cut the barrel channel, but didn't get a picture of that.