i've seen these and i like them, but what is different to make them race guns? can any 1911 be turned into a race gun or do you need to go with a special frame or slide? if i take one of my colt 1911 to a gun smith can he convert it to a race gun? or is there something i can do my self?

'Race gun' merely means that lots of time and money have been spent on it to add accessories and capabilities. Any make/model frame and slide can be used but some are preferable to others.

I personally prefer Colts, PRE-70 series, but others work just as well.

Other folks will argue that some 'special' frame or other is better and I won't disagree, but my Colts have been winning local matches since 1970.
Regards, Joe

Because most pistol competitions are done under IPSC or USPSA rules:

http://www.uspsa.org/

they are timed, so it is a race. Hence the term "race guns". There is no single best race gun because there is an almost bewildering number of categories to account for the range of pistols in existence. So, you've got stock divisions, limited divisions, single stack divisions, unlimited divisions, major and minor power categories, etc. Generally the term "race gun" refers to the Unlimited Division, in which the most modifications are accepted.

Internationally it is the IPSC which sets the rules in the country in which it operates. This is to allow for the differences in the legal ownership of handguns in each country. For example, in France the stock division is limited to 15 rounds in the magazines. While there are many handguns with a 19 round magazine available (like the CZ SP01), if the stages were designed around 19 rounds in a magazine it would limit the amount of pistols available to compete and win. With the 15 round capacity you allow Glocks, for instance, to compete in major, since they hold 15 rounds in the 40 S&W pistol and are widely available at a reasonable cost. So all the stages in the stock division in France are now based on 15 rounds maximum in the magazine to even out the odds and not make it a function of the pistol, but of the shooter. At least that's the theory.

I should have added that there is an international "World Series" kind of event, called the World Shoot every two years or so, with the intent of producing the "best" IPSC shooter in the world. Most of the time the Open division is won by a Frenchman, who happens to shoot a Tanfoglio. The stock division is usually won by someone shooting a CZ.

http://www.ericgrauffel.com/

The limited and single stack divisions were invented basically by the USPSA for Americans, to allow all the single action pistols and 1911's to be able to win something, since they don't stand a chance in the stock or unlimited divisions. Unless you have the intention of competing in the single stack division, I would save your money on investing in a souped-up 1911. Of course, you might just like the idea of a "cool" looking 1911, but they aren't very useful for anything. If you want to compete, start out in the stock division with a CZSP01 and blast away since 9mm is fairly cheap. But watch out, there are a lot of good shooters hanging around in that division (at least here there are). If you really have to have a useful "unlimited" race gun, you can always contact Tanfoglio and inquire about the Gold Trophy model. Basically a facsimile of Eric Grauffel's pistol, which I think they sell for around $3,000. It's beautifully finished and about as Star Wars looking as anyone could hope for and holes all over the place. I've shot one, they are very fast, but like a Formula One race car they have almost no utility to any real world use of a handgun outside of pure competition. For some people handgun competition is the only reason they own a gun. For most of us playing games with pistols has only a distant relationship to our reasons for owning one.

http://www.tanfoglio.it/eng/ca...ustom-eric-2007.html

While many 1911 modifications are fairly straightforward, none should be done by someone not extremeiy and intimately familiar with its operation and the consequences of a mistake.....

That being said, most "race" guns are defined by the rules of the game, if thats what your after.

Lots of options....decide what you want to do and find someone that can build you what you want....

Good Luck!

I dont know where your at in South Carolina, but Greenville Gun Club and Mid Carolina Gun Club in Columbia (Cayce) Would be a good place to visit and check out some hardware. No one hates showing off their guns at a match!

Both of those clubs are among the oldest and largest in the pistol sports.
The rules are a little different here than in Europe based on US law and the 1911 platform in various configurations tends to be the most common.