Beryllium Copper Frame 1911 Build

[Charger442]

At the suggestion from @sirhrmechanic , I'm going to start a build thread on building and finishing the 1911 frame I've acquired that's an Olympic Arms Beryllium Copper frame.

I've sourced an older vintage Colt National Match slide, and hopefully some of you guys can give input on it and or other various parts and items I'm planning on. Currently, I'm working on fitting the barrel to the slide, which takes time and patience. Still need to fit the locking lugs and locking depth.

One specific item I'm curious about is a front sight that's missing from this slide. The rear is a King and I'm guessing the front might have been a King reflective?

Anyway I'll do my best to update with pictures as I work through it.

Disclaimer: I am aware of the health hazards of Beryllium Copper dust and will take precautions throughout the process to handle it accordingly. Masks, oil, vacuum etc.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

This is a wicked cool build!!!

Sirhr

 

[Loki_The_Trickster]

Other than looking sick, does beryllium copper have other benefits for a pistol frame? Is it tougher or more wear resistant than steel? Easier to machine? Is it lightweight or heavy compared to steel or aluminum?
This is the first I've heard of it.

 

[BigJimFish]

Sweet. Love the look of BeCu. I still play Ping Eye2 iorns in BeCu. Glad your aware of how nasty it can be if it gets in you. Don't want to make that mistake.

Other than looking sick, does beryllium copper have other benefits for a pistol frame? Is it tougher or more wear resistant than steel? Easier to machine? Is it lightweight or heavy compared to steel or aluminum?
This is the first I've heard of it.

It dosen't spark and is non-magnetic lol. These are why it is used in tools in oddball applications. It is not really stronger or more wear resistant than steel but BeCu on steel wear is superior to steel on steel as the two are quite dissimilar and will not gall. It is used in valve seats for this reason. BeCu forms a nice brown patina and dosen't corrode further so it is far more corrosion resistant than steel, even stainless steel in salt water. As for machining, it is not tough on machines but it is so hazardous to your health that strict precautions must be taken regarding dust and shavings. It is heavier than steel but not enough that I expect you to notice.

I wonder if it will give the recoil a softer smoother feel than a steel frame. BeCu sure gives golf clubs a soft, pure, feel. Really cuts down on vibrations from a bad strike. I've always though having a lever gun with a BeCu frame would just be divine as it forms that lovely brown patina over time.

 

[acudaowner]

hope keeping it cleaned does not pose too much of a problem . can't wait to see your finished product , best of luck .

 

[sirhrmechanic]

@buffalowinter any idea what the front sight was? Possibly a King reflector that someone removed?

The slide has been modified…. Are there any off the shelf parts to restore front sight?

 

[Charger442]

@buffalowinter any idea what the front sight was? Possibly a King reflector that someone removed?

The slide has been modified…. Are there any off the shelf parts to restore front sight?

I'm okay with there being a void or hole in the slide, will be like it's own form of a cosmetic porting. I'd like to get a sight I can stake, and that will fill the width of that groove.

I'll go on the hunt for another King sight and see what I can find but any help from the specialists here is always welcome

 

[Charger442]

Sweet. Love the look of BeCu. I still play Ping Eye2 iorns in BeCu. Glad your aware of how nasty it can be if it gets in you. Don't want to make that mistake.


.

Yeah, solid and or small shavings, no issues. Its the dust particles. I found a machining safety guide that gives some help

 

[Tokay444]

Not trying to thread-jack, but I have BeCu experience.
I developed a solution to a problem in an automotive application where I used beryllium copper to make direct injection injector seals, and called them. "BeCuse Seals... Because you need these."
A company eventually bought the design and rights to manufacture and I still get royalties on annual sales.
These are them.
Back tp the build!

 

[Charger442]

Not trying to thread-jack, but I have BeCu experience.
I developed a solution to a problem in an automotive application where I used beryllium copper to make direct injection injector seals, and called them. "BeCuse Seals... Because you need these."
A company eventually bought the design and rights to manufacture and I still get royalties on annual sales.
These are them.
Back tp the build!

thats cool as hell. seriously. your input will be very valuable and please feel free to chime in.

this build isnt going to be fast, ill be steady getting it with only hand files and emory tape and paper etc. I don't have a stationary belt sander to help in this.

here is my current order of operations, basically working top down.

1) fitting barrel to slide, barrel hood, locking lugs, barrel-to-bushing fit, and find a front sight.
2) fitting slide rails to frame. its currently too tight to slide onto the frame. the frame rails are too think and too wide. i will be removing copper from the rails. safety abounds during this process!
3) plan to fit beavertail grip safety and MSH. grooves and frame have machining rough edges and that will need to be smoothed and polished.
4) i have some very nice figured burl walnut grips that need a slight modification on the safety lock inlet. will modify as needed.

Those are my main goals for the immediate future and i will update as progress gets made.

 

[nikonNUT]

So just a safety heads up. IF you do any sanding, filling, or grinding on the frame be sure you are PPE'd up! That stuff will cause cysts the size chicken eggs in your lungs (At least that's what the guys from Los Alamos told me). Very cool build BTW!

 

[cas6969]

Come on your slide is 3/4's of the way to a sight tracker / Schuemann hybrid barrel! Why stop now?

 

[navynambu]

None of my business but just a suggestion here. Great build be the way.

I played a set of Ping Beryllium Copper golf clubs back in the day too, damn, that was like 25-30 years, and it seemed they were pretty soft, as they looked like they dinged each other up in the bag worse than other clubs, or maybe I was just stronger then and beat the crap out of them more.

In any event, I looked the hardness scale up on this and hardness varies widely. But I don't know if anyone has done a quick Rockwell hardness test on your frame, but personally I would before I got too far down the build-road.

I just would not trust the manufacturer, or anyone else, when these kinds of pressures are invoked. Even mill hardened Rockwell hardness varies wildly, see below.

I'd do a Rockwell test on it, It would not take 5 minutes to do. Here's some hardness charts I just copied and you can see the hardness varies wildly deepening on the metal mix and finishing process:

Temper	Heat Treatment	Tensile Strength ksi	0.2% offset ksi	Elongation %	Fatigue Strength	Diamond Pyramid	Rockwell B or C	Rockwell Superficial	Electrical Conductivity % IACS
			Yield Strength		108 cycles ksi	Hardness
Beryllium Copper Physical Properties 25 C17200
A Dead Soft (TB00)	--	60-76	28-36	35-65	30-35	90-144	B45-78	30T46-67	15-19
A Planished (TB00)	--	60-78	30-55	35-60	30-35	90-144	B45-78	30T46-67	15-19
1/4 H (TD01)	--	75-88	60-80	20-45	31-36	121-185	B68-90	30T62-75	15-19
1/2 H(TD02)	--	85-100	75-95	12-30	32-38	176-216	B88-96	30T74-79	15-19
H (TD04)	--	100-120	90-115	2-18	35-39	216-287	B96-102	30T79-83	15-19
AT (TF00)	3 hr. at 600 °F	165-195	140-175	3-15	40-45	353-413	C36-42	30N56-62	22-28
1/4 HT (TH01)	2 hr. at 600 °F	175-205	150-185	3-10	40-45	353-424	C36-43	30N56-63	22-28
1/2 HT (TH02)	2 hr. at 600 °F	185-215	160-195	1-8	42-47	373-435	C38-44	30N58-63	22-28
HT (TH04)	2 hr. at 600 °F	190-220	165-205	1-6	45-50	373-446	C38-45	30N58-65	22-28

Temper	Heat Treatment	Tensile Strength ksi	0.2% offset ksi	Elongation %	Fatigue Strength	Diamond Pyramid	Rockwell B or C	Rockwell Superficial	Electrical Conductivity % IACS
			Yield Strength		108 Cycles ksi	Hardness
Beryllium Copper Physical Properties 190 C17200
AM (TM00)	Mill Hardened	100-110	70-95	16-30	40-45	210-251	B95-C23	30N37-44	17-28
1/4 HM (TM01)	Mill Hardened	110-120	80-110	15-25	41-47	230-271	C20-26	30N41-47	17-28
1/2 HM (TM02)	Mill Hardened	120-135	95-125	12-22	42-48	250-301	C23-30	30N44-51	17-28
HM (TM04)	Mill Hardened	135-150	110-135	9-20	45-52	285-343	C28-35	30N48-55	17-28
SHM (TM05)	Mill Hardened	150-160	125-140	9-18	47-55	309-363	C31-37	30N52-56	17-28
XHM (TM06)	Mill Hardened	155-175	135-170	4-15	50-57	317-378	C32-38	30N52-58	17-28
XHMS (TM08)	Mill Hardened	175-190	150-180	3-12	50-60	325-413	C33-42	30N53-62	17-28

Temper	Heat Treatment	Tensile Strength ksi	0.2% offset ksi	Elongation %	Fatigue Strength	Diamond Pyramid	Rockwell B or C	Rockwell Superficial	Electrical Conductivity % IACS
			Yield Strength		108 Cycles ksi	Hardness
Beryllium Copper Physical Properties 290 C17200
TM00	Mill Hardened	100 min	75-95	19-35	40-45	225-309	B98-C31	30T81-30N52	17-26
TM02	Mill Hardened	120 min	95-115	14-30	42-48	255-339	C25-34	30N46-54	17-26
TM04	Mill Hardened	140 min	115-135	9-25	44-50	285-369	C28-38	30N48-58	17-26
TM06	Mill Hardened	155 min	135-155	6-13	47-57	317-393	C32-40	30N52-60	17-26
TM08	Mill Hardened	175 min	155-175	3-15	50-60	345-429	C35-43	30N55-62	17-26

Temper	Heat Treatment	Tensile Strength ksi	0.2% offset ksi	Elongation %	Fatigue Strength	Diamond Pyramid	Rockwell B or C	Rockwell Superficial	Electrical Conductivity % IACS
			Yield Strength		108 Cycles ksi	Hardness
Beryllium Copper Physical Properties 174 C17410
1/2 HT (TH02)	Mill Hardened	95-115	80-100	10-20	40-45	180-230	B89-98	30T75-81.9	50 min
HT (TH04)	Mill Hardened	110-130	100-120	7-17	40-45	210-278	B95-102	30T79-30N48	45-60

Temper	Heat Treatment	Tensile Strength ksi	0.2% offset ksi	Elongation %	Fatigue Strength	Diamond Pyramid	Rockwell B or C	Rockwell Superficial	Electrical Conductivity % IACS
			Yield Strength		108 Cycles ksi	Hardness
Beryllium Copper Physical Properties 3 C17510
A (TB00)	-	35-55	20-45	20-40	20-30	65-125	B20-45	30T28-45	20-30
H (TD04)	-	70-85	55-80	2-10	25-35	144-176	B78-88	30T69-75	20-30
AT (TF00)	Mill Hardened	100-130	80-100	10-25	38-44	195-275	B92-100	30T77-82	45-60
HT (TH04)	Mill Hardened	110-135	95-120	8-20	42-47	216-287	B95-102	30T79-83	48-60

 

[Charger442]

i have also seen that table. and have wondered about hardness myself. mainly about wear between the steel slide and frame.

but one thing im not really worried about is this copper having a catastrophic failure. your load is contained within your barrel chamber, your failure plane would have to be through the barrel retaining pin and then the slide is still holding the rails also, so youd have to crack/shear the rails and through the takedown pin to have anything "bad" happen.

OIympic made a bunch of these into finished guns. it wasnt that long ago either. i dont think they would have been able to do that if the frames hadnt been properly hardened. the real issue would always be the slide. but maybe i am wrong.

 

[Tokay444]

There’s no pressure on the frame.
Lots of 1911s out there with aluminum frames these days.