Closer

Getting close to the end now.  My 1911-ish gun gets assembled like a 1911...ish.  It's mostly like a 1911, but not quite.  I mentioned that because of the integrated mainspring housing this thing is a bit fiddly to put together and has to be done in the right order, and here's how to do it.

Start by dropping in the trigger.  Then the sear spring gets slid down into it's recess until the tab on the spring clicks into the slot in the magwell.  To help keep it in place, a roll pin goes through the grip right behind the sear spring.  The pin doesn't need to be a tight fit, the grips will hold it in place.  The mag release can go in now too.

The next bit can be tricky the first time you do it.  We have to install the mainspring into the housing.  I use a screwdriver and the edge of the table to compress the spring.  Gotta be careful not to slip and stab yourself.

Once the spring is compressed far enough, drop in the mainspring retainer pin through the hole in the MSH.  It goes from the outside in, just the opposite of a standard 1911.  It's only there as an assembly aid and will be removed later.

Next up is to put the frame on the grip section.  Install the sear and disconnector in the frame, then slide it together.  I use a hook to pull the sear spring back out of the way so that it can be put on the correct side of the sear.

Next up are the grips and the pin in front of the trigger guard.  They should be a tight fit because you don't want any play between the frame and grip section.

Next is the hardest bit, installing the hammer.  You've got to compress the mainspring enough to get the hammer lined up so you can drop in the pin.  I've found that the easiest way is to make sure the hammer strut is lined up in the mainspring cap, then press hammer against the edge of the table with enough force to get the pin in.  Get the angle just right, and it's not too bad.  Once the hammer is in, you can pull out the mainspring retainer pin because it's not doing anything anymore.

Next is the grip safety.  My printed GS slides straight into the back of the frame, then cock the hammer and install the safety lever like a standard 1911.

That's pretty much it, the frame is completely assembled.  Check everything for proper operation, and then install the slide like you would in any other 1911.  I'll add too that I'm using an EGW shock buffer on my recoil guide, just to keep the steel slide from smacking the aluminum frame.