I agree with all the above. Don't do anything that could be construed as "engaging in business" though, without knowing all the legal aspects - licensing, insurance, zoning laws, etc.
Even with your own guns, you can have a lot of fun and learn a lot. I have seen both good and bad videos, trouble is that now I can't remember which was which.
If you want to start with the 1911 type, detail strip one. Without the books, try to figure out what each part does and how it does it.
An interesting aspect of modern pistolsmithing is that there are some "smiths" out there that turn out a fair job, but when you talk to them you begin to realize that they really don't know how the darn things work! They only know what parts to do what to, without ever getting the "big picture".
Jim