The Kimber was a basic, fixed-sight pistol chambered in .45 ACP. I don't remember if it came with a beavertail or not. I was so disappointed with the fit/finish and lack of accuracy that I gutted it to a bare frame and slide and started over with a proper frame-to-slide fitment and went from there. I fit a non-ramped Ed Brown 6" barrel (just trimmed to 5" yesterday), fit and installed a new sear, disconnector, and hammer on over-sized pins to reduce play, new properly fitted trigger, new ambi thumb safety, Ed Brown grip safety, and a custom mount for the red-dot sight. Checkered the front-strap @ 30 lines per inch and slightly contoured the mainspring housing and checkered to match. Did matching checkering on the mag and slide release. Need to serrate the back of the slide now that I think about it... The mag funnel was one of my first attempts at one, and works great, but will be replaced with a better looking one someday. The cocking serrations and name on the slide are factory.
The STI started life as a gunsmith's kit, i.e., a bare slide and frame fitted to each other and marked as such. Only minimal tweaking was required to bring the fitment to my satisfaction. The barrel started life as a 5.5" ramped bull barrel short chambered for 40 S&W, then it was hand fit and chambered for 10mm Auto. I had to modify the frame for the ramped barrel as well. I made the compensator from 4140 and is my first attempt at a full profile compensator. I liked the idea of a full-profile, four-port comp to help tame the muzzle flip a 10mm cartridge can produce. Especially with hotter than factory reloads. The rest of the buildup is near identical to the Kimber except that I did not make the mag funnel. I did make the extended mag release button though. Yea, I checkered it too...
One of my personal touches is the ambi thumb safety. While I am basically left handed for single hand duties, I can shoot a pistol very well with either hand so for me the ambi safety is mandatory. I rework them to tighten up the interlock such that it feels like a one piece unit when activated/deactivated from either side. I also fit them so that the slightest touch will engage the safety. As I shoot with a high-hand grip (shooting hand thumb is on top of/resting on the safety) the safety never accidentally engages during firing, but the slightest touch to the bottom of the safety has it snapping in place with a satisfying 'click'. I also fit the thumb safety so that there is NO movement of the sear if the safety is engaged and the trigger is pulled. I've seen a few 1911s fire at USPSA matches when the thumb safety is disengaged and it wasn't pretty. Or funny.
