1911 gunsmithing book

Hello
I was searching through the site looking for a book on 1911 gunsmithing. Found this on gun digest

https://www.gundigeststore.com/product/gunsmithing-the-1911-the-bench-manual/

It has mixed reviews? Does anyone have it or can you suggest something that you found helpful?

Thank you
Frank

Have a good weekend

I haven't read that one.

I have this one- I don't have volume 2 yet.

The Colt .45 Automatic: A Shop Manual Volume 1 by Jerry Kuhnhausen (midwayusa.com)

i've read this one several times and it's rather well done, easy to follow.....i would definitely recommend it..
https://www.amazon.com/M1911-Complete-Assembly-Guide-Vol/dp/1888722185/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3530O2T6TDM30&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.gxQCj49SG3KeGSQ8qBeGHDiblShtv0EQq6erxXmvPzuHWkJmfMxBq_WCLF-6wrqVhw0l7WzLnPpK6ZRkxksbL8ahP_Lg4mdR_-JfeeV11p4_ATj8nfgbfyhQ_Hebvocerp1FRsGqtgsVYSLuxRkv-41cfysllC3ooNhTKKOr7OrLNTYV9eO9PxDU4OpEZqiDSZ_KMrMA3MAzhcn23U5IwZ-m4DGjy2Kp3MFzT5Fowqk._2BSzq3SWl3Q_fgEuSUfZq9Wf2AzhFaCktIC5KRJgJ8&dib_tag=se&keywords=1911+build+book&qid=1725122618&sprefix=build+1911%2Caps%2C230&sr=8-3


I've also read the Kuhnhausen books and have learned a lot from them as well.

Thank you for the help

Gunsmithings books are only good for basic information. Kuhnhausen was an author of books. He wrote quite a few books on the history of various firearms and other gun related books. However he himself knew nothing about gunsmithing! His book on the 45 auto is worthless! Good to keep in the outhouse in case you run out of toilet paper! What he did is ask a number of gunsmiths how they did things to make an accurate functioning pistol. I have read in one place something opposite in another! It's nothing more than info gained from talking to a number of smiths!
 Think about it, you are a top rated gunsmith, your 1911 preforms great! You have worked for years developing a way to gain the reputation with the method you used!, your pistol is considered a tack driver and functions flawlessly. In walks a guy that's writing a book and wants to know what your doing. Will you tell him how so that every other smith can read how you did it? Think what the author will get if he talked to a number of top smiths! His book with become a composite of BS! Yes there is probably a number of ways to skin a cat but if you start with one method, then switch to another and finish with a third you have a a mess! In addition that's assuming that each method was correct! That's what you will get in Kuhnhausen's book and just about all others!

To be fair most gunsmiths that I know probably don't have the patience to write and publish book detailing a lifetime of knowledge while concurrently providing technically drawings and diagrams. The better gunsmiths are also always learning and improving, so even if they did write a book, it would regularly need revision.

i have spent much of my life in academia....
it's saddens me greatly to acknowledge that so much experience and knowledge is and will continue to be lost.

It's not lost! There are a few that spend the time understanding how the 1911 works and improving on it's ability. The 1911 today is much better than is was 30 years ago! That's why it's a waste of time getting old information available in Kuhnhausen's book! What is needed is understanding how the 1911 works and how to make it better.
 I remember when I was doing my first 1911, I was lapping the slide to the frame. My father seen what I was doing (he was not a shooter he didn't even own a gun) and said what are you doing? I told him and he said it will not work, what I was doing is wrong. I thought to myself, I knew better because I read the books! Later I found my father was right, it didn't work! I mentioned it to my mother and she explained, my father was a tool & die maker, working for GM in Linden NJ. My father enlisted in the Army when Pearl Harbor was attacked but was brought back to work at GM because they switched from cars to fighter planes. They needed my fathers skill and he worked on the machine guns to make them reliable in addition to other problems and planes kept getting better. Tool and die makers understand how things need to work together and guns are the same. That's why target guns are more accurate now then they were years ago.

Absolutely! Machinists who become gunsmiths vs gum smiths who think they’re machinists.  

My dad was a GE Apprentice Class A toolmaker. It’s a precision job even if he’s only sharpening saw chains. These skills are in peril.

bruce martindale wrote:Absolutely! Machinists who become gunsmiths vs gum smiths who think they’re machinists.  

My dad was a GE Apprentice Class A toolmaker. It’s a precision job even if he’s only sharpening saw chains. These skills are in peril.

 Bruce it takes skill to use a file, something that needs a lot of practice to become accurate with. Practice making a square cube from a cut off section of round rod, it's hard. My attempt came from a 1.5" round stock to a 1/2" cube trying to get it equal on all sides. My neighbor laughed and said keep practicing and sent me home with more cutoffs and 3 files, I did learn how to use a file better.
Stan

I have no idea if the books mentioned are good or bad but in regards to the idea that the best gunsmiths should or would keep their tricks and skills secret is IMHO a great loss.  There is no shortage of work for great pistol smiths and finding one who knows what they are doing is a challenge.  I am in search of a new gunsmith because my favorite 1911 expert Stan Huey passed away last summer, he learned from Bob Chow but unfortunately as far as I know Stan did not pass his skills on to the next generation.  There are lots of parts changers but not that many people understand what it takes to turn a 1911 into a great bullseye pistol.

i absolutely concur, imagine if knowledge of medicine, mathematics, any of the sciences, the arts etc were never recorded, updated, taught, communicated. What a shame.

Interesting concepts and discussions. And getting a few laughs too. As someone who teaches ( I run a surgical residency program)., I can share you my experience. There are some surgeons who are very good technically, but not good teachers. Others have the skills and patience to teach. As far as students, the same applies.

My own opinion is that there are not a lot of people willing to put in the time and effort into these endeavors

troystaten wrote:I have no idea if the books mentioned are good or bad but in regards to the idea that the best gunsmiths should or would keep their tricks and skills secret is IMHO a great loss.  There is no shortage of work for great pistol smiths and finding one who knows what they are doing is a challenge.  

For what it is worth, it has been my experience that the the good gunsmiths are generally friends with each other and typically share their experiences with each other. A lot of information is out in the world about tips and tricks to building a good gun, finding that information and implementing it though is more of where the art aspect of building a good gun comes into play. I have seen some incredibly well built guns that sucked to handle because the ergonomics needs were ignored in the build process. 

As far as finding a good smith, I think a lot of them are getting tired of being "the next guy" to work on something that was not done correctly. Also I have seen a ton of people just straight up ignore what a smith has told them. I recently have was having a conversation with a guy who is having all sorts of "trouble" with a gun that is known to be of high quality. Turns out the issues he was having were of his own doing, changing springs, poor quality ammo, ect.

As a bit of a contrarian, the skills of a gunsmith from 1960 might not be the best.  Everything evolves so gunsmithing 1911s is no different.  All of the smiths then and now do three fundamental things. Control the barrel’s position in the slide so that it is exactly the same position for each shot.  Adjust the geometry of the trigger components so the trigger meets the rules and is repeatable.  Then add adjustable sights or an optic.  HOW (techniques) change with time and technology.  There’s a saying “They don’t make them like they used to” and that can be a good thing.

Learning from prior experience, be it success or failure, is a critical component of development, optimization and creative thought.  

Perhaps most efficiently and effectively effected when concepts and experiences are recorded, communicated and taught.

Incorporate a collaborative experience and truly great things can be accomplished.

at least that's been my experience.

Some of the reason "that they don't make them like they used to" can be attributed to the use of plastic. Triggers, grips, main spring housing and later magazines are made of plastic.. Older gunsmiths were not knowledgeable of high precision work. Peening and compression were used to tighten slide to frame. Problem is it would relax in time requiring refitting. Nor was it an accurate way to get better slide to frame fit. Then machinery used by smiths was not the best. What most don't know is that a simple stone used to work on hammers and sears are usually not flat, if they were would eventually wear. The skill required to do precision fitting was understood by tool and die makers however they were at the top of the machinist trade so they could make more money working in industry. Granted the production machinery to produce the 1911 at high volume was done by tool and die makers they did so with the required tolerance in dimension required by the manufacture to supply contract requirements such as the government. Later cost was a factor in civilian sales. As we all can see hi Accuracy guns cost, such as the Accuracy X and other high-end guns. It's also possible to make a better 1911 but that would double the cost of those hi-end guns maybe more.
 To produce an accurate 1911 with an outstanding trigger and function requires skill and knowledge of metal working. Buying a book will not help especially something like Kuhnhausen that was written a long time ago and was not the best information from old-time gunsmiths that would probably not want to tell all so as to keep their customers. Worse yet is some Youtube videos! I have seen work done in a way I couldn't do using precision machinery! Putting an exact size hole in the exact position is not as easy as it seems. However is quite easy if the needed machinery is available. No it's not possible with a drill press nor from those milling machines made from drill presses! Simply put it requires the knowledge of what machinery is needed to produce the desired results!

I understand everyone’s perspective. Let me reframe my question. What books or resources are available for the maintenance, adjustments and troubleshooting for a 1911. I am not looking to drill, and unlikely file.
Basically I am looking for more detailed answers and information in a readily available format than found on this and other forums, and You tube.

If we want to take this to another level, is it possible to create some webpages like we have for shooting techniques?

Jerry Kuhnhausen was almost 50 when started writing his first book using his notes he put together over the years.

Who was Jerry Kuhnhausen?

The Kuhnhausen Legacy | An Official Journal Of The NRA (americanrifleman.org)

Another interesting read for the old-time gunsmith methods to accurize the Colt 1911
Starts on page 44:
Frank Pachmayr's .45

The dean of combat .45 automatics is now retired, 
but his genius at customizing the Government Model 
lives on. 

American Handgunner July/August 1988