Can I have a gunsmith convert my Kimber Ecllipse2 to a round or angled butt or are there parts that can't be converted after the fact?(http://www.policemag.com/_Images/news/SW1911SC-ESeries-2.jpg)
Yes. You can do it yourself if you want. You need a bobbed main spring housing, officer mainspring innards, and enough guts to put your 1911 on a drill press and then hack away at it with a file.
The mainspring house will run about $50.00. Installation, I would think $100, but I don't really know.
One thing to keep in mind is you can't run heavy mainsprings, aka hammer springs, in a bobbed 1911. They don't make them. So if you ever intended to bump the mainspring rating to slow the slide, can't do it with a bob.
Quote from: ram1000 on December 15 2014 03:16:17 PM MST
Can I have a gunsmith convert my Kimber Ecllipse2 to a round or angled butt or are there parts that can't be converted after the fact?
Before you do that, be sure you get some shooting/handling time with a bobbed or curved butt. A lot of people like them, and they may help a bit with concealment, but I find that the lower straight portion of the butt of my Eclipse helps a lot in holding the bore horizontal. That might not be the case for people who use a high grip, but if the lower-left portion of your strong palm contacts the bottom-rear portion of the straight butt of your Eclipse (a "low" grip like mine), the bobbed or curved butt might not work as well for you.
Thanks, I'll look into how I hold with the extended grip surface...
This is a relatively simple operation, I have done a handful of them.
You will NEED the Bobtail jig from Ed Brown if you want to do this properly. It runs about $50 and the Ed Brown MSH comes complete with a proper spring installed. The MSH runs between $55-$80 depending on what you want.
Other than that you need a drill press with a vise, some quality files and a lot of patience!
http://www.edbrown.com/cgi/htmlos.cgi/04379.1.460721008311568451/mainspringhousings.htm
(http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/1040123/fullsize/dscn1814.jpg)
(http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/1040124/fullsize/dscn1815.jpg)
(http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/1040125/fullsize/dscn1816.jpg)
The other thing that will need to be done is to refinish the frame, I have had mine re-blasted since I took these photos.