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I’ve heard this guy’s name for years and often sluffed off what people told me about building a .45 when they prefaced it with “…well, Kuhnhausen says this…” – especially when said individual has never built a 1911. Of course, I mean “built”…not “assembled”, LOL. I’ve been fairly successful with guns I’ve built using the methods I was taught and figured out through trial and error…at the time, I had the resources for trial and error…not so much now, hehe. Anyway, I never understood why the guy was regailed – then again, I never read his books. I equated it to those who try to cram the Bible down your throat…you might dig the message or the theme, but the method by which it’s force-fed is a distasteful turn off. Last June/July however, when I had the chance to mingle with the ‘smith’s of the various services, Kuhnhausen’s name popped up again. So, I decided to give it a whirl and bought both of his books; ‘The Colt .45 Automatic – A Shop Manual’ and ‘The U.S. M1911/A1 Pistols & Commercial M1911 Type Pistols – A Shop Manual – Volume 2 in the Kuhnhausen .45 Auto Series’.

Holy Crap!

Talk about in depth! These books are the most in depth publications I have ever seen…and I read A LOT. If you’re a fan of the 1911, these are a must-have! In print, I am pleased to write that I was wrong for sluffing off people’s praise of the man – I’d have probably saved countless man-hours had I read these a long time ago. From detailed specs to theory of operation, this series it loaded. It only lacks in ‘employment’, that is: when it talks about a task, it speaks to the desired outcome but doesn’t often address ‘how’ to do it – i.e. how to actually ‘cut’ or ‘file’ or ‘stone’ etc. Often that is appeased with pictures and, if you have any experience, you can usually figure it out. Conversely, I’d like to offer a hearty ‘piss off’ to the Kuhnhausen droids. The books address most, if not all, popular methods for fitting and the like, citing (quite often) his ‘preferred’ method. He is great at justifying why he does things the way he does, but also makes concessions for varying opinions and practices on the matters at hand – based on his experiences. Except in matters where such things are a necessity, he rarely presents his methods as the ‘only way’. To wit; the series encompasses a ‘complete’ persepctive – which is very refreshing to see…in anything, these days.

Gripes and Grins…

If you’re going to try to use Volume 1 to actually build a 1911 – you’ll come a cross a bit of a snag. There are some fixtures and tools he uses which are no longer in production. So, you’ll have to discern the desired outcome of the task, figure out what it is you’re trying to accomplish and either a) find an equivalent tool or fixture or 2) fabricate the fixture on your own. That’s a bit of a bummer because some of the things he uses are better than what’s currently available and making your own takes the ability or the funds. On the other hand, there are things he uses which are still available, but only made by one manufacturer and not offered by Brownell’s (the gun guy’s Mecca). So, again, suck up the cost of the minor-monopoly or fabricate your own. Either way – if you dive right in and go for it, you’re definitely going to need a bigger tool box, LOL. The bright side of it is, if you’ve been doing this for a while (and have never read these books), you’ll find that some of his methods are far easier and produce a better result. It’s one thing to be told there’s a better way, but it’s a different thing entirely to be ‘shown’ there’s a better way *grin*. My way is still better for some things, but for others I’ll bow to Kuhnhausen – and that’s the goal, isn’t it? Learn what you can, take what you need, employ what works.

Kudos to Kuhnhausen. You can get the books at Brownell’s…but I’m not trying to sell you anything, so no links, hehe.