Building an Essex Arms National Match Government Model Pistol

The expressions "Government Model" and "Model 1911" bring the names Colt and Browning to mind. That’s as it should be, as John Browning designed it and Colt manufactured it. During World War I, the U. S. Springfield Armory, Remington U. M. C. (Union Metallic Cartridge Co.), as well as Colt’s Patented Firearms Manufacturing Company all produced the M1911.

During World War II, five contractors including Colt manufactured the M1911-A1; the others were Ithaca Gun Co., Union Switch and Signal, Remington Rand Inc., and Singer Manufacturing Co. On today’s market, however, there are at least 30 different companies that manufacture or have manufactured the Model 1911-type pistol. And there are more than a few different variations of the Government Model pistol, as well as different calibers and conversion units.

And now you ask: "But I’ve heard of Springfield Armory, Detonics, AMT, Wilson, Kimber, and Colt, but not Essex Arms." Essex Arms Essex Arms d Pond, VT 0 doesn’t actually pete pistol; they only manufacture parts, particularly frames and slides. The company has been making investment-cast replacement frames for many years now, and has supplied other companies with frames.

My Essex Arms National Match Model 1911-A1 started out as a used Essex Arms .45 ACP parts gun, with a no-name slide, and evolved into a completely new parts gun. Starting with the original pistol, I installed a Micro adjustable rear sight (no longer available). The handgun had a Springfield compensated barrel, was heavy, awkward, and didn’t shoot right. Several of the component parts left something to be desired.

The Enhanced Slide Assembly After looking in the Brownells catalog, I decided that I would make up anew slide assembly using an Essex Arms 1911 .45 Auto BM-1 enhanced slide that’s milled for a Bo-Mar sight (or any adjustable sight that fits the BM-1 sight cut). The slide has 60degree forward-facing front and rear cocking serrations, lowered and flared ejection port, and a front sight dovetail. This slide is very nice, and is also available in stainless steel.

A .38 ACP/ 9mm BM-1 carbon-steel slide is also available. When I ordered the slide, I also ordered anew barrel and a BM-1 Bo- Mar sight. Anew slide requires anew barrel in my opinion, and there are many choices when it comes to 1911 barrels. My selection was a Storm Lake Machine 1911 .45 ACP pre-fit match-grade barrel kit. This barrel kit includes a forged 5-inch stainlesssteel barrel, a stainless barrel bushing fit to the barrel, and a barrel link and pin. I think this kit is a good buy, and

Above left top: On the Essex Arms 1911-Auto Enhanced Slide, the enhanced features are front and rear sight cuts, flared ejection port, and front and rear cocking serrations. Above left bottom: The Storm Lake Machine 1911 NM Pre-fit Barrel Kit comes with a pre-fit barrel bushing and barrel link and pin, a complete sub unit. This 1911 frame has some nice features that save time and money. A stainlesssteel Select receiver is also available. you don’t have to fit a barrel bushing to the barrel.

Upon receiving my order from Brownells, it was time to do a little gunsmithing. "Drop-in" and "pre-fit" usually means that some fitting will be required. The breech on this slide was not finished. The barrel and slide must be fit to each other, and the front and rear sights have to be fit in their respective positions. In my case, this was done the hard way’by hand. Using a pillar file, I filed and dressed the slide’s breechface.

Remember now that the slide is to be fit to the barrel; don’t try to fit the barrel to the slide. With the right machinery, this step could be accomplished quite easily. Be very careful not to widen the breechface or to file any more than required for a good barrel fit. Before the pistol is finished, more stoning of the breechface will be needed. I should mention that some good directions and information are essential while undertaking a project like this.

Jerry Kuhnhausen’s shop manuals The Colt .45 Automatic, and The U. S. M1911/1911-A1 Pistols & Commercial M1911-type Pistols are recommended. These two volumes provide all of the information required, and include all of the specifications and dimensions for the Government Model 1911. Patience is a virtue, and one picture is worth a thousand words. The front and rear sights will need some fitting. This is not a big deal. The milling cuts are already done.

The rear sight cut is a BM-1 style, and the front sight dovetail is .330 inch by 65 degrees. Sights and cuts need to be very carefully matched up to each other. There are several sight options available, both front and rear. At this stage of the project, I now had a new upper or slide assembly. This unit was completed with the addition of anew Ed Brown extractor, firing pin, firing-pin spring, firingpin stop; along with a Wilson Combat two-piece recoil-spring guide assembly, and a pair of recoil springs.

Because of the rear-sight cut in the enhanced slide, the top of the firing-pin stop must be sanded or milled to fit. Now that I managed to assemble and install anew slide unit to my used parts gun, it was time for the next stage in the evolution’anew frame with new parts, of course. The Select Receiver After reviewing 1911 frame/receiver options in the Brownells catalog, I decided that the Essex enhanced slide and their select receiver would make a nice match, and they have the same finish.

The Essex Arms 1911 Auto Select Receiver is a nice choice, and like the enhanced slide, has several built-in features that save fitting time and millwork. The slide ways are dimensioned slightly oversize so that the slide and frame can be fit to each other. Other features include a beveled magazine well, a raised frontstrap (knuckle-cut receiver), and a .250-inch radius to accommodate the beavertail grip safety.

These features also eliminate a need to refinish the frame and slide, which have a very nice military-style Parkerized finish. An Essex Arms Select stainless-steel receiver is also available. On my new pistol, the Essex enhanced slide was a tight fit to the Essex Select frame, and required some elbow grease. This eliminated any need to tighten the slide, or fit the slide and frame together. The slide fit onto the frame, but needed some lapping.

Using gunslick and honing oil, I worked the two parts until the slide could be removed without difficulty. Once the slide and frame were fitted,

I installed the barrel, and did the final fitting of the barrel and breechface. Okay so far. The next step is a little more interesting, because the receiver parts usually fit, and there is a lot to chose from. My new NM Essex Arms 1911 has a potpourri of frame parts from several different manufacturers’purchased for the most part from umrich Gun Parts Corp. est Hurley, NY 12491; e Essex Arms Select frame is advertised as a stripped receiver, it came with grip-screw escutcheons already installed.

The ejector and the plunger tube have to be installed. The receiver parts I used included a checkered-nylon mainspring housing, sear, disconnector, hammer strut, and slide stop from Chip McCormick (1715 W. FM 1626, Suite105, Manchaca, TX 78652/ 800- 328-CHIP). In addition, I bought an ejector, a Commander-style hammer, extended magazine catch, and lock from Ed Brown Products (4 Tr., Perry, MO 63462; The trigger is a Colt fa d in the M1991-A1 pistols.

Being left-hand- Ied, I installed a Mueschke factorystyle ambidextrous safety, with sear and hammer pins that came from Brownells.

Finally, I purchased a King’s #204 upswept grip safety, 1911-style diamond-checkered grips, hex-head grip screws, a sear spring, mainspringhousing components and retaining pin, as well as a slide-stop safety plunge n Works Glendale, C Building or a wn 1911 Government Model-type pistol can be a fun and interesting project for anyone familiar with guns, who understands how they work, and has the ability to assemble and disassemble firearms properly.

The parts you purchase don’t have to be the most expensive, but they should be of good quality manufactured by a reputable vendor, and purchased from a reliable source. Avoid part sets that are advertised at prices too good to be true; these are usually only a good deal for the seller. Conclusions The Essex Arms 1911-A1 NM homebuilt turned out to be a very accurate and tight pistol, with a comfortable grip and a nice military appearance, and it shoots quite nicely.

The 1911-auto aftermarket receiver is a controlled item, and must be purchased by someone with an FFL. By assembling your own 1911, you could add a .22 conversion unit, or build additional caliber conversions, without sacrificing the integrity of a factory pistol. Many options are available for the 1911 GM. As a final word, it’s probably more economical to start with anew or good used pistol than it is to buy all of the parts individually.

The unique advantage of building your own 1911 is the personal touch derived from your choice of aftermarket products and features.