"I assume that you, like me, bought one of those "carbine conversion kits" and then found that you were expected to grind away the back of your 1911 frame to get the shoulder stock to fit."
This stock requires mangling only an arched mainspring housing -- grooves for the screw-clamp and a detente groove in the rear for a tightening stud. I suppose guys working on a GI issue model would just buy a dedicated spare housing.
"I couldn't find many other posts on on your blog about this topic, and I will be interested to hear about your progress."
No progress to report because (a) the shop is too damned cold and (b) I always have too many stupid projects pending to do prompt justice to any of them. This one should be ready to shoot in April or so -- depending on whether a possible March trip to Merry Old England actually occurs.
"Can you direct me to any other web resources on this topic?"
Google "carbinize Colt 1911" and you'll get some hits on a newer kit that uses a lot of that crappin' plastic. I'd like to know more about my walnut-stock version (gun-show find) but haven't found a thing yet.
Thanks for asking.
4 comments:
Well! It was a thrill seeing your response to my question so quickly. Thanks.
My assumption was based on the mainspring housing that I received with the kit (second hand) that was plastic, arched, and grooved already, but the grooves were too close to the frame to allow the stock to be attached - the grooves were partly covered up by the rear of the frame.
FYI - not that it will be any help, but Sportsman's Guide used to sell these kits. I called them to see if they had any installation instructions, but no joy.
I looked at an arched mainspring housing, but I was concerned that there wouldn't be enough metal left behind the groove for the stock to hold up under any kind of use. One approach I am considering is to run a bead with a Wire Welder up the rear of the mainspring housing (one bead on each side), to get a few thousandths extra to work with. i.e. to make the MS housing protrude further from the frame.
P.S. Check out this SG ad before it disappears:
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=406190
(sold out - don't get your hopes up)
Either Sarco or Numrich used to have these too, but that was probably decades ago.
I have a Mech-Tech CCU and I find it interesting and fun, but unsatisfying. It is rather heavy, the skeleton stock is cold and sharp, and the whole thing seems kind of clunky to me.
My search for "carbinize colt 1911" yielded mostly mech-tech references. "1911 carbine kit -mech" works better, but still slim pickings.
If you get to go to England, try to see Hastings Wall, which is a pretty good wall (but they have a GREAT wall in China). The roman baths in Bath are cool, too. The Cotswolds are so damn quaint you could puke, and Edinburgh castle is pretty cool, too.
For a different (possibly better) approach to attatching a shoulder stock, see:
http://hudsontradingpost.com/pages/Smithsystem/Smithshooting/Coltstock.htm
Once in a while at your local gun show you may find a 1911 mainspring hsg welded to a skeleton stock of half inch cromoly tube; these were supplied to the french resistence prior to normandy. Effecient but no longer concealable.
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