I speced the parts route about a year ago, and for basic, forged, mil spec my notes show I came up with $150 for a receiver, $140 for a slide, $90 for a (basic) barrel and bushing, and $140 for all the other sundry parts (except grips; I always have spare grips laying around). That was straight retail out of Brownell's for a total of around $520...no lowered and flared port, no checkering, no match-grade barrel or trigger, just the ground-floor GI mil spec 1911. I always thought I could wrangle the parts here and there for about a hundred bucks less than that, but never started that collection--other than the springs, and recoil guides, and mag release assemblies and other items that end up in my 1911 toolbox anyway.
Just goes to show what an amazing value some of today's guns are.
So I kinda decided I don't really need much in the way of gunsmithing skills. Don't have the bench tools I'd need to get serious about it, anyway. So I spend the money instead on more guns and ammo.
