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Caspian Commander Build

hpic55

hpic55

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Well I just got my Slide, Frame and Hammer's, had to buy two. Took a little time to get but man I love these parts. I must say that this slide and frame are in better condition than my first build. What i am refering to is that on my first build the frame and slide had metal shavings stuck in every hole in the gun this time it is very clean. Anyway here are the parts I have for now. I plan on starting the bevel job, high cut the front strap and polishing the feed ramp breach face and other internal areas. I don't have the rest of the parts yet, have to call Brownells as I have a list ready. This is going to be my carry gun which will replace my Champion most of the time.

CaspianCommanderBuild002.jpg


CaspianCommanderBuild009.jpg


CaspianCommanderBuild008.jpg


CaspianCommanderBuild001.jpg


This is a carbon steel gun that I plan on Meloniting after she's all done.
I will try to post as often as I can but there will be lag time as I have a family and job to balance.

Sorry for the crappy pics and bad spelling.

Semper Fi
1*
 
Well I spent some time on the frame today. Again I am no smith just a hacker but I like to say that I built something and did some of the work.

The first two pics are of the feed ramp, as you can see it was rough but came out ok. It still needs work but ill wait until after the melonite treatment as they blast the whole gun so it will need to be repolished.

CaspianCommandertriggetguard001.jpg


CaspianCommandertriggetguard005.jpg


Next are some pics of the high cut on the front strap I attempted. I still think it has a high spot but have to put it away for tonight before I get careless. For those who know what they are doing I enjoy helpful hints if you see anything that I f,ed up, like my spelling.

CaspianCommandertriggetguard009.jpg


CaspianCommandertriggetguard011.jpg


CaspianCommandertriggetguard016.jpg


Thats all for now.
 
EB BT

I just finished the BT and I think it came out ok. I have done WC in the past and they are so much easier than the EB. Anyway here they are.

CaspianCommanderEBBT2008.jpg


CaspianCommanderEBBT2007.jpg


CaspianCommanderEBBT2006.jpg


CaspianCommanderEBBT2003.jpg


CaspianCommanderEBBT2002.jpg



I think it looks ok but ill wait for all the final blending when I get more parts and fit the barrel as i have to blend the slide and frame together.


Thanks for looking.


Semper Fi
1*
 
That looks fantastic. What are you going to do for a finish to the frame. Are you going to reblast the frame in the worked on areas to make it matte again?
 
Finish

Although I could polish the gun up it is carbon steel not stainless so it would not stand up to body sweat very well. That was a big mental fight for me on which material to use but the carbon won out as I like the strenght of it.

The final finish will be a melonite finish like the one I did below. I like the matt black look and this finish has held up well on my 5" gun.

CaspianPics017.jpg



I did not do as much work on this gun because I it was my first and I rushed it[angry] My Commander is going alot slower and will have those subtle touches that a good eye will catch.

I am in the process of ordering my barrel and other parts so more to come!

Semper Fi
1*
 
hpic-

can you please tell me who did the finish on the pistol above? It looks great and I have a shotgun I would like to refinish.
Thanks!
 
Whitey627

As much as I would like to take credit for the finish, I sent the gun to Coal Creek Armory for the Melonite finish. It is like the Glock finish as even if the black wears off the treatment is in the metal and it remains rustproof. They do the whole gun to include the barrel and small parts. I thought it would take away from accuracy but man that gun shoots.

I know the question is there so, it costs about $200.00 plus shipping for the Melonite.


Hope this helps


Semper Fi
1*
 
Awesome. Thanks for the info. I bet it will be a decent chunk of $$$ to do a whole shotgun. I'll have to look into it.

That pistol looks amazing BTW. Nice job on that one.
 
Great writeup going on here. Looking forward to watching this step by step.

I have been thinking of doing the same type of project and this is giving me even more confidence to try.

Thanks for your effort!
 
A little more input.

I attempted to order my Kart barrel from Brownells and they were out.[sad] So I called Kart direct and talked to them about my Comm barrel. They were great to talk to and had two Comm Barrels left so I staked my claim on one of them. Now Im in the process of ordering the rest of my parts from Brownells which should get this project going again. [smile]

I will be taking more pics at each step so stand by for more!!!


Semper Fi
1*
 
That blend on the grip safety looks excellent! I need to get mine done but I've been putting it off for lack of money.
 
Here is another pic of the start of the bevel job. Its hard to tell but I took off the corners of the highcut where it slopes down to under the mag release. The bevel job still needs a little polishing to get out some tool marks but I figured I post an update as I wait for my parts to come in.

CaspianCommanderbevel001.jpg


Another update is that the feed ramp measures at .300 from the rails and needs to be at .360 minimum. I have a hook into a friend that is attempting to get me use of a mill to fix the problem and while i'm there I will flush and crown my barrel.

I hope you all enjoy this as much as I am.





Semper Fi
1*
 
ephemeratta,

Yes that is, Caspian offers it on their frames.

There are two schools of thought on this one. One is it will never shoot loose or fail, the other is if it gets damaged then what? If it gets damaged you can have it cut drilled and have a standard unit put on. I have never had a plunger tube get damaged in all my years but have had a few get loose. So I am trying someting new and went with the integral tube.


Semper Fi
1*
 
Last edited:
Well, got my parts in from Brownells and decided to work on the mainspring housing. I have alwaysed liked the look of the rounded butt so decided to try my hand at it. Feel free to tell me what you think. I think i could have gone a little more.?.

Before

roundedbutt002.jpg


After

roundedbutt004.jpg

roundedbutt010.jpg

roundedbutt006.jpg



Thanks for looking.


Semper Fi
1*
 
hpic55 said:
Well, got my parts in from Brownells and decided to work on the mainspring housing. I have alwaysed liked the look of the rounded butt so decided to try my hand at it. Feel free to tell me what you think. I think i could have gone a little more.?.

/roundedbutt006.jpg[/IMG]


Thanks for looking.


Semper Fi
1*
Click to expand...

Very slick work! I really like the way that looks.
What did you use to round it out?
Thanks, again, for sharing.
E
 
ephemeratta,

I only used hand files and sand paper on this one. I started with a large file to take off the corner then to a small flat file then to fine emery cloth sand paper and finished it off with some 800 grit to polish it.

The hardest part was picking a row of teeth to start down from on the GS and not hitting the ones above.

Thanks for the replies. It's hard to judge your own work so your comments help.

Semper Fi
1*
 
Just an update.

I am sending back the Caspian slide and frame, 1 for the feed ramp to get cut to .360 and then to check the slide as something seems off. Caspian was realy great about it, they spoke with me and after explaining my concerns they said send it back and we will check it out for you no problem.

This pushes my build back but I am taking my time and don't mind waiting to get it right.


Semper Fi
1*
 
Barrel fitting

Its been a while but my frame and slide have come back and I have now started to fit my Kart Barrel. It has turned out to be a handfull and is taking much more time than I thought. The Barrel OD by the chamber was only .001 or .002 smaller than the ID of the slide so as you can immagine the barrel would not fit.[crying] I am in the process of working the inside of the slide and the barrel while not removing to much from the locking lugs. .055 being the minimum safety limit.

Anyway I fit the bushing and figured Id post a pic or three to get this thread going again.

This is the bushing getting turned down from .704 to a tight .698.

barrelfitting001.jpg

barrelfitting003.jpg


That bushing is wrench tight and solid. Next is the started work on the barrel. It is now fitted but I am still working on the ID and OD inside the slide to get a smooth running gun.

barrelfitting002.jpg


I hope you guys enjoy and I will post more when the fitting is finished.

Oh and by the way, not gun related, on Friday night I won my first PRO MMA Cage Fight 1:23 in the first with a KO! [smile]

Semper Fi
1*
 

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