Build Guide – 1911

Start by selecting the base material for your custom handgun.

Most popular is BASE-SS, stainless frame, stainless slide. This material can be left “bare” and provides a light grey, satin look. It is rust resistant, wears well, and can be refinished inexpensively. It also is the ideal base material if you plan to Gen4 coat either the entire gun, or just the upper for a "two-tone" look.

Light rail frames have an integrated rail for attaching a flashlight, or other device intended for use on a rail. They are available only in stainless (but of course can be coated).

Aluminum (lightweight) frames must be coated with Gen4, and cannot be left “bare”. As such, a stainless slide is the logical choice to go with an aluminum frame, since the slide can be coated with Gen4 to match the frame, or the slide can be left “bare” stainless for a reverse "two-tone" look.

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The Government slide is 5", also called a “full size”, and identical to the original John Browning design.

The Commander slide is the shortest at 4.25", and the ideal choice for carry, or lighter calibers such as the 9mm. 

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The frame texture is the pattern cut into the metal on the forestrap of the firearm, and the mainspring housing. Choice is a primarily a matter of personal preference. All of them provide a secure grip without being too coarse. Snakeskin has the unique property of providing more grip in the direction you need it, but smoother in the opposite direction, which makes for an ideal carry gun.

Chainlink I looks like scallops. View Chainlink I (opens in a new tab)

Chainlink III looks like small golf balls. View Chainlink III (opens in a new tab)

Snakeskin looks like scales. View Snakeskin (opens in a new tab)

25 lpi checkering is checkering cut at 25 lines per inch. View 25 LPI checkering (opens in a new tab)
25 lpi checkering is the most traditional, and is considered more coarse than Chainlink I, Chainlink II, or Snakeskin.

Unlike standard checkering, where every line is cut, skip-line checkering omits every fifth line. The result is a flatter-topped, wider pattern that provides a secure, non-slip grip while being noticeably more comfortable against the hand, clothing, and skin.  View Skip-Line checkering (opens in a new tab)

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The slide cocking serrations are found on each side of the rear portion of the slide, and are there to provide a more secure grip for grasping the slide to retract it. 

Serrations are the more traditional option. View rear cocking serrations (opens in a new tab)

The Snakeskin is the same scale pattern that is offered as an option on the frame.  View Snakeskin rear cocking serrations (opens in a new tab)

The American Flag serrations incorporate stars into the “stripes” of the square cut serrations, to resemble an American Flag, properly oriented with stars up, when being carried in a hip holster. View American Flag serrations (opens in a new tab)

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Cocking serrations can be cut into each side of the front of the slide, for those who prefer to grasp the slide closer to the muzzle.

Serrations are the more traditional option. View front cocking serrations (opens in a new tab)

The Snakeskin is the same scale pattern that is offered as an option on the frame.  View Snakeskin front & rear cocking serrations (opens in a new tab)

Carry cuts are relief cuts made to each side of the slide, and are popular on carry guns with shorter slides (Commander length), where there is less room for other types of serrations. View Carry cuts (opens in a new tab)

The FX slide cuts package includes the special slide cuts to the front of the slide, as well as the angled ball end mill cut on the slide, as on our FX2 model.  The "Custom by Ed Brown" slide engraving will be omitted from the slide if the FX slide cuts package is chosen.  View FX slide cuts (opens in a new tab)

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The standard is the round top slide, identical to the original design.

Flatten & serrate top means the top of the slide has a flat runway machined into the top, and the runway is then serrated at 40 lines per inch, providing the eye with a natural line to the front sights, as well as a visually appealing cosmetic option.  View Flatten & serrate top of slide (opens in a new tab)

The custom rib is the flatten/serrated top, with each side relieved, giving the appearance of a raised rib.  View Custom rib (opens in a new tab)

Slide flutes are ball endmill cuts running parallel along the top of the slide, on either side of where a flatten/serrated top runway would be.  View Slide flutes (opens in a new tab)

The High polish slide brings both sides of the flats of the slide to a bright, gleaming, high polish finish.

Ball endmill cuts are made to the slide to align with the frame, providing a different look than the traditional cut. View Ball endmill cuts (opens in a new tab)

French border is a line machined along the intersection of where the round top meets the flats of the slide, on both sides of the slide. View French border (opens in a new tab)

Heavy chamfer is more than twice as large as the standard chamfer, along the bottom edges of both sides of the slide where it meets the frame. View Heavy chamfer (opens in a new tab)

Serrate back of slide (above hammer) is serrations on the back of the slide, which match the serrations you would find on an adjustable sight blade. The extractor is not serrated, as this is a part that is commonly replaced. View Serrated back of slide (opens in a new tab)

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"No Gen4" means no coating. A stainless gun will have matte glass bead finish, which is silver in color.

"Black Gen4 upper only" means the slide and upper components will be coated with Black Gen4, except for the barrel, bushing, and sights. The bushing can be coated black by checking the options shown.

"Black Gen4 upper and lower" means the slide and upper components are coated black as above, and also the frame and lower components are coated with Black Gen4, with the exception of the trigger, grips, and magazine.  The trigger can be coated black by checking the option shown. If you prefer a black magazine, certain Ed Brown magazines are available in Black Nitride versions.

Stealth Grey, Battle Bronze, OD Green, and Flat Dark Earth are different Gen4 colors available for the lower. The upper remains Black Gen4. With any of these color packages, we recommend also choosing the Gen4 coat trigger/bushing (black) options. View Stealth Grey package (opens in a new tab) | Battle Bronze package (opens in a new tab) | OD Green package (opens in a new tab) | Flat Dark Earth package (opens in a new tab)

Dirty Olive Gen4 upper/lower is a full gun color scheme that incorporates the use of two colors, some splattering, and gives a worn look. We recommend also choosing Gen 4 coat trigger/bushing (black) options. View Dirty Olive Gen4 (opens in a new tab)

Industrial stainless gives a rubbed stainless look, with shading and highlights providing a worn look, with more depth and contrast. We recommend also choosing Gen4 coat trigger/bushing (black) options. View Industrial stainless (opens in a new tab)

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We offer three profiles of thumb safety to suit any need. The Carry profile is the slimmest and contoured especially for carry. The Tactical profile is the most common and suitable for most uses. The Match profile is the widest, bettered suited for Match use than carry, and typically preferred by those who shoot with their thumb on top of the thumb safety lever. View Thumb safety profiles (opens in a new tab)

The single side has the safety on one side only, while the ambi has levers on both sides, for those who shoot left handed, or want to be able to activate the thumb safety with either hand, for shooting matches or self-defense purposes. For carry, most right-handed people who carry the gun on their right-hand side, do not want an ambi as the lever sticks out, and could be inadvertently deactivated by brushing against objects.

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The standard mainspring housing is like the standard 1911 design (as in, not an Ed Brown Bobtail®, Round butt, or magwell). The mainspring housing will match the frame in material, and frame treatment.

The Ed Brown Bobtail® is a concealed carry modification to your frame that transforms it into a Round-Butt pistol, still capable of using full size magazines. The Bobtail® removes a full ½” of excess metal from the bottom rear of the gun, where the mainspring housing pin is located. This not only reduces the weight, but solves two well-known problems of carrying a 1911. First, it drastically increases comfort during carry. There is no sharp butt to poke you in the ribs. Second, it increases concealment during carry, because the hardest thing to conceal on a 1911 style pistol has always been the sharp, projecting butt. The Bobtail® uses an Officer’s model mainspring and internals, which are included and installed.  View Ed Brown Bobtail® (opens in a new tab)

The Round butt option is a slight rounding of the mainspring housing, intended for carry, and can be done on full size frames, as a more mild alternative to the Bobtail®. View Round butt (opens in a new tab)

The blended one-piece magwell is the ideal choice for a blended magwell. It is not available on an aluminum frame, as the Chen Magwell is a better option for those configurations. View Blended one-piece magwell (opens in a new tab)

The two-piece magwell housing with standard magwell is the choice to make if you want a removable magwell. Not recommended for an aluminum frame, as the Chen Magwell is a better option in that case.

The Chen Magwell Gen2 is the ideal choice for adding a magwell with a full 360 degree funnel, which also does not increase the height of the frame. The frame is cut equal to the height of the magwell to accomplish this.  View Chen Gen2 magwell (opens in a new tab)

If you have an aluminum frame and desire a magwell, the Chen Magwell is the only magwell option we recommend for an aluminum frame. This is because of the 360 degree funnel, which provides full steel protection to the bottom of your aluminum frame, something a horseshoe-shaped magwell cannot provide.

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The standard magazine release conforms closely to the original design, while the extended magazine release is extended by 0.060".

The standard magazine release with oversize button is drilled and tapped for our 0.375" diameter oversize button.

All versions are checkered at 40 lines per inch.

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The recessed slide stop has the pin shortened, and the frame recessed, so that the pin does not protrude from the frame, and cannot be inadvertently pressed out with the index finger while manipulating the firearm. View Recessed slide stop (opens in a new tab)

The recessed slide stop with serrated pin adds some serrations to the end of the slide stop pin, providing an additional index point and an attractive cosmetic appearance. View Recessed slide stop with serrated pin (opens in a new tab)

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The standard is the 3-hole long aluminum trigger. The solid version has no holes. The short version is shorter, for those with smaller hands, and also has no holes. The flat version has a straight vertical pressing surface, as opposed to a contour, theoretically allowing for an identical press regardless of grip imperfections. View Trigger options (opens in a new tab)

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The standard trigger pull is a clean break at 3.5 – 4.5 pounds of pressure, with no obviously perceptible creep after the inherent trigger take-up.

Those who are particularly sensitive about their trigger pull weight, may wish to choose one of the narrower ranges of pull weights.

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View rear sight options (opens in a new tab) | View rear sight profiles (opens in a new tab)

The standard rear sight is fixed, plain black, Novak low-mount style dovetail base. They are also available in a night sight version, which have tritium vials that glow in the dark for 10+ years with no external light source required.

The "Tactical Edge" style sights are curved on the front part of the sight blade, rather than straight like a Novak style, and allow the slide to be manipulated with one hand by catching the ledge on a belt, heel, or other object. The U-Notch is a U-shaped sight notch, available in 0.140" notch width.

The adjustable plain black rear sight is identical to the original Bo-Mar style. 

The Trijicon RMRcc setup includes the Trijicon RMRcc Adj LED optic with 3.25 MOA red dot, mounted directly to the slide (no mounting plate required), with Ed Brown designed co-witness rear sight, and Ameri-glo orange front sight (Glock type). This is the ideal red dot setup for any Ed Brown 1911 (without a suppressor). If you intend to use a suppressor,  get the Trijicon RMR SR option below. View Trijicon RMRcc (opens in a new tab). Also available is the "Trijicon RMRcc ready" option, which is an identical setup, minus the optic itself (there is no coverplate) should you wish to buy a different optic than what we carry (from another source), or if you wish to use an optic that you already own. 

The Trijicon RMR SR option includes a Trijicon RMR06 Adj LED optic with 3.25 MOA red dot, (Type 2 version), mounted on Trijicon base with integrated tall front and tall rear co-witness night sights. This is the ideal red dot system for SR (suppressor ready) firearms. View Trijicon RMR (opens in a new tab). Also available is the "Trijicon RMR SR ready" option, which is an identical setup, minus the optic itself, should you wish to buy a different optic than what we carry (from another source), or if you wish to use an optic that you already own.

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View Front sight options (opens in a new tab)

The standard front sight is a fixed, plain black, Novak style dovetail base. It is is also available in a night sight version, which has a tritium vial that glows in the dark for 10+ years with no external light source required.

The Ed Brown HD XR Front Night Sight was specifically created to address the needs of tactical shooters who need a precise sight picture with high visibility in any light condition. The green tritium night sight is ringed in bright orange photo-luminescent paint. This is the ideal combination for high visibility day or night. Combined with any style of plain black rear sight, this unique combination increases visibility and quickens front sight acquisition—even in transitional lighting.

The front sights are also available with a fiber optic rod installed, either in red or green.

Also available is the Gold bead front sight.

If you choose the Trijicon RMR sight set above, you will not need to select a front sight here, as the Trijicon RMR mount includes both front and rear sights.

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The standard barrel protrudes about 1/8" past the bushing, and has an 11 degree crown.

The Flush barrel with recessed crown has the muzzle end of the barrel cut flush with the bushing, and has a 30 degree crown, which gives a deeper, recessed appearance. View Flush barrel with recessed crown (opens in a new tab)

The suppressor ready barrel is about 1/2" longer, and threaded for use with a suppressor. It comes with a screw-on thread protector, to protect the threads when a suppressor is not installed. This option is for a Suppressor-ready barrel INSTEAD OF a standard barrel.

You may also select the same suppressor ready barrel, fitted IN ADDITION TO either a standard barrel, or a flush barrel with recess crown. You will get TWO fitted barrels with this option. Both fitted barrels must be of the same caliber.

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Traditional Recoil System – this is the traditional system used in the original 1911 design, and uses a conventional recoil spring with a short guide rod, and a closed end recoil plug.

Two Piece Guide Rod – the guide rod is a full length 2-piece guide rod for use with conventional recoil springs (not compatible with any flat-wire recoil springs). There is a 5/32" hex wrench socket in the end of the rod to allow for un-screwing the 2-piece rod, then the gun can be disassembled in the traditional manner.

Flat wire "retro" system – this system allows for a short guide rod and closed end plug, for those who want the advantages of the newer Flat Wire recoil springs, but want to keep the closed end recoil plug, and the traditional assembly/disassembly method.

Flat wire recoil spring system -this modern system allows for the use of a full length flat-wire one-piece guide rod and open end plug, which is a self-contained system, and allows for much easier assembly/disassembly. It also smooths out the cycling somewhat, and adds a bit more weight towards the muzzle to reduce felt recoil, similar to a traditional full length 2-piece guide rod. Unless you have a specific reason for choosing another option, this is the recoil system we highly recommend.

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View Grip Options (opens in a new tab)

Grip options are primarily a matter of personal preference, and there are many materials, colors, and textures to choose from. Two of the best materials are wood, and G10.

The traditional material is wood, and we offer double diamond checkered Cocobolo wood and our innovative Labyrinth texture grips in both Cocobolo wood, and Corinto Blackwood.  

G10 is a modern material, made in layers, and is a durable choice that provides a more consistent appearance than wood.Slim grips are thinner and a good choice for carry guns, or those with smaller hands. Slim grips required thinner grip screw bushings, and thinner grip screws. G10 is the only choice for slim grips, as it is much stronger than wood.

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"Custom by Ed Brown" engraving appears on the right hand side of the slide on every model (except for those in the FX series). Select the No "Custom by Ed Brown engraving" to leave this engraving off the slide.

As we are one of the few who actually do make our own frames, we can offer truly custom serial numbers (no required prefix).

Having the bushing custom engraved is a great way to customize your firearm, and bushings are easy to change out, should you ever wish to sell the firearm, or change the custom engraving.

The 2nd Amendment is one of the most popular choices for engraving on the left hand side of the slide, and is shown as an option. Alternatively, we can engrave any custom text you like, in many different font choices.  See the custom engraving gallery (opens in a new tab) for examples of what can be done.

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Choose the Concealed carry version of the beavertail grip safety when overall compactness is a priority. The tail protrusion has been reduced by approximately 0.100". View Concealed carry beavertail (opens in a new tab)

The ejector is normally black, but can be ordered in stainless if you prefer. View stainless ejector (opens in a new tab)

The extractor is normally black, but can be ordered in stainless if you prefer.

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