The Good News (New Gun) The Bad News (Blown UP Kimber)

[gigag04]

I think it would be fun to build a hybrid, but it's your money and your call.

Having something different is nice and turns heads. It also makes for good story swapping at the range/forum day/training whatever.

I wish I had a 1911 I didn't mind tinkering with and tricking out.

[KinnyLee]

Ouch! Glad you're okay though. If the slide is okay, I would build a custom 1911 using a custom frame or something.

[seadawg221]

One thing I would do for sure is mount that blown barrel in some fashion and put it on your reloading bench as a reminder to be very careful! I have an old J.C. Higgins (Sears) 12 ga. that I blew up when a 20 ga. round found its way into the barrel and lodged just forward of the chamber, followed by a 12 ga. I was 16 and that was a very exciting day. It's a great tool for firearms safety classes.

Regards,
Chas.

Good idea Charles...very good idea!

[HighVelocity]

If you choose to re-use the surviving parts to build another gun, might as well do it up right and get GOOD parts. I wouldn't use anything left from the KImber except the slide w/ related parts and maybe the trigger.
I woudln't re-use any of the MIM lower parts i.e. hammer, mag release, hammer strut, etc.

If I were in your shoes that's the route I'd take. Caspian frame, Nowlin, Bar-Sto or Kart barrel, and ALL Ed Brown parts.
It'll end up costing a little more but it'll be one fine pistola when it's finished.

[Baytown]

MIM parts

When I got my TRS and held it next to the Kimber, it was like night and day.

I MIM parts. (But I have to admit, I have never had one break.)

Glenn

[DiverDn]

Ed said that if I purchased a new receiver (about $150) he could reuse almost every other part (except the barrel, bushing and slide stop) and put it all back together for me for about $250. So I would then have a functioning pistol once again for about $400. I may very well sell thies good parts and just buy another new Kimber....What do ya'll think???

Since you asked what we thought I will give you my thoughts.

I would not feel comfortable selling the parts, I would rather use them myself or have them sit in a drawer. My preference would be to have Ed build a good reliable shooter for you. I say this with the knowledge that I just picked up a Colt last week that I had Ed re-build and re-finish and he did a great job on it.
John

[seadawg221]

MIM parts

When I got my TRS and held it next to the Kimber, it was like night and day.

I MIM parts. (But I have to admit, I have never had one break.)

Glenn

What does MIM stand for?

[seadawg221]

Anybody know where I can buy a Caspian Frame locally? The only place i have found them so far is Caspian's Website

[CaptDave]

I like the idea of building a "shooter".

The best place to find the parts you're looking for is the big gun show at Reliant Hall. However, I think the next one isn't scheduled for a while - yep, just checked, not until May 20,21st.

The Pasadena show is coming up so you may have some luck there. Not sure when the next one at the GRB is.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes.

[BobCat]

MIM stands for Metal Injection Molding and, done right, it can produce excellent, reliable parts.

MIM entails mixing metal powder with a plastic binder to form a slurry, that can be injection molded like plastic. The "green" parts are held together only by the binder until they are sintered - heated to 1) burn off the binder and 2) solid-state weld the metal particles together.

The shrinkage has to be accounted for in initial mold design. Done right you wind up with 100% dense metal parts, that behave properly. Done wrong you get porosity and brittle garbage that certainly does not belong in a piece of emergency equipment like a pistol.

If you search the web you will find a lot on powder metallurgy and MIM. Like anything else, these things started out as cost-cutting measures and developed into mature processes over time, with use and refinement.

I hope this helps.

Regards,
Andrew

[seadawg221]

Thanks Andrew!

I had been seeing that term on several different forums lately but I had no idea what it meant.

[ElGato]

Anybody know where I can buy a Caspian Frame locally? The only place i have found them so far is Caspian's Website

We can order them from Brownells

Tom

[Baytown]

seadawg, sorry I did not see your question earlier, but it was answered better than I could have.

I have had Ed work on three of my guns and have always been happy. My dad just had an AR upper built by him and it looks awsome.

I just don't think you could go wrong using Ed.

Glenn

[seadawg221]

I have decided to sell the parts. A new 5" 1911 is on the Horizon :)