So my buddy is going to manufacture 1911's

[HK_Flo]

AFAIK he doesn't run the machines himself. I am assuming he is going to hire a machinist/smith that has built guns before.

Sorry I am a little light on details of what exactly he is doing. I haven't talked to him for a few months and he called me with a domain name question and I asked what was new and he said he was going to start manufacturing 1911s.

I plan on going over to his shop when it is setup to get a better idea.

 

[Skans]

1911s are not pulled out of a CNC machine, smoothed on the edges, finished, and assembled.

I just don't get all of the mystique surrounding the 1911. They are really not that much different than other semi-auto pistols. Pistols other than the 1911 can and are built to strict tight tolerances. I just don't see how any 1911 can cost more than about $2,500 (unless you're paying for a bunch of fluff & hype), and I think that price level is generous.

 

[ljnowell]

AFAIK he doesn't run the machines himself. I am assuming he is going to hire a machinist/smith that has built guns before.

I just don't get all of the mystique surrounding the 1911. They are really not that much different than other semi-auto pistols. Pistols other than the 1911 can and are built to strict tight tolerances. I just don't see how any 1911 can cost more than about $2,500 (unless you're paying for a bunch of fluff & hype), and I think that price level is generous.

Look at the link that I posted above and do some research. Its about hand fitting and custom work that makes them worth that money. Anyone can take machined parts and put them together into a production pistol. They sell for under a grand. When you talk about wilson combat or les baer you are talking about artwork. Custom handfitting and a whole new level of fit and finish. This is not achieved by a CNC machine and a buffing wheel. Sorry, but its not.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

AFAIK he doesn't run the machines himself. I am assuming he is going to hire a machinist/smith that has built guns before.

Sorry I am a little light on details of what exactly he is doing. I haven't talked to him for a few months and he called me with a domain name question and I asked what was new and he said he was going to start manufacturing 1911s.

I plan on going over to his shop when it is setup to get a better idea.

I hate to rain on anybody's parade, and I love the 1911 so I think more coices are always good, but ... to be blunt, I think he's nuts if he thinks a one-man show with NO reputation as a custom gunsmith can just fire up a CNC machine and successfully make and sell 1911.

Even if he can turn out functional pistols (and that's a big if), who's going to buy them? ALL the price points in the 1911 market are saturated. You're a marketing guy. What should ANYONE looking to start a small business do?

Look for a niche, right? There just is no "niche" in the 1911 market. Grab a copy of Gun Digest from this year or last year and go through it with your friend. Log onto M1911.ORG ( http://forum.m1911.org/forums.php ) and take a look at the "Manufacturers" area. That'll give you a basic idea of how many major manufacturers there are in the market, but keep in mind that there are more than a few lumped together under "Other 1911 Manufacturers."

 

[raindog]

From what I've read...

Glocks and other modern guns are relatively easy to make (patents, etc. aside) as they are designed to be mass-produced by CNC machines and function with generous tolerances.

The 1911 design stems from an era where machines would rough it out and skilled human gunsmiths would do the final steps. There was a lot more human hands-on in that era. Tolerances were a lot tighter.

With 1911s, you run into tolerance stacking (the combined sum of all variance) which may not be obvious if each piece is in spec. It's a more difficult gun to manufacture because it's a less forgiving design.

The big name manufacturers start with a base of many years of accumulated knowledge about 1911 quirks that a newcomer is unlikely to have.

OK, so that's the sum of what I've read about making 1911s...I'm sure someone will correct anything I've misunderstood.