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Working Paper M1911 .45 Pistol

CNC & Machining Workshop
Working Paper M1911 .45 Pistol

OK, it doesn’t fire live ammunition, but it is “working,” in the sense that it’s an accurate 1:1 mechanical replica of the original: it can be cocked, rendered safe, loaded, cycled, field-stripped, and even fired, so long as the load is no stronger than a bit of homemade primer. And though I think the coil springs, at least, pretty much have to be metal parts, the rest of it is nothing more than carefully cut, laminated, glued, shaped, and painted paper.

Dubious? I was. But after watching a bunch of videos from YouTuber Tacome1942’s channel, I am persuaded that this is the work of a very talented, very dedicated, very patient, and pleasantly modest young man who is entirely on the level. Here’s his first video showing off the gun’s action, here’s a full teardown, and here’s one of many tutorial videos showing off his construction method. [Thanks, Righteous Fondue!]

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I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I am a long-time contributor to MAKE magazine and makezine.com. My work has also appeared in ReadyMade, c't – Magazin für Computertechnik, and The Wall Street Journal.

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