[PaulM]

Out of curiosity, post a pic of the repaired slide.

 

[Bender]

Just would hate to see this guy end up as a statistic.....or even worse, needlessly mangled and disfigured.

 

[Yamil R. Sued]

Just would hate to see this guy end up as a statistic.....or even worse, needlessly mangled and disfigured.

I'm actually worried about innocent bystanders at the range!!
I got hit by a piece of Wood from a Blown up rifle at the range back in 92, they guy decided to reload 270 AMMO for a Remington rifle without knowing much about reloading...

 

[Bender]

Never considered that idea. Darn good point.

 

[ForesterPumice]

I'm not going to shoot it, im just practicing on it, I got a few other replacement slides, none are as good. Got a RIA 5" 9mm, a llama ix 9mm that came with a bunch of parts even a fitted barrel, and a short 9mm para ordnance slide.

Like I said beforebefore ,I like to tinker. I'm going to use it to try my hand at "golf balling", once I find out IF the tech can be done by hand.

I'm certain I could fix it enough for MY use. Especially if I use light bullets with a weak load, (getting into reloading).

I did fabricate the missing chip, it worked, but do I will not shoot something with that much kinetic energy pointing right at my face, with the potential to shear a piece off into my face or neck, no, it would be stupid. The crack is fine, I could have just chopped that section out, but with the weak chip, and misalignment or something, and a little piece of metal could fly right off, injuring me or a bystander.

THE OTHER REASON I will never actually use it, is ,God Forbid, something happens to me and I die or something, and my projects find themselves inherited, the new owner (my son or daughter ), wouldn't know that slide is "iffy".

I also may have figured out a way to use a 45 slide with a 9mm barrel, 2 possible methods,

I added shims (temporary brass) to the side and top of the sides of the breech face, unfortunately I think it would only work with an external extractor. Didn't know an normal 45 slide to try it on, had a few junker llamas to test. Held the snap caps as well as it did the 45s, not perfect, but it seemed to work. I already removed the shims.

The other method showed more promise, while reading thru books, I found a method, by milling down the breech face a few mm with a round flat face mill (like a flat faced drill bit) , that would work, but requires more mods to move everything forward. Should work, but I found government size 9mm slides new for 140
So I don't have the motivation or a junker 45 slide to try.


I just like to tinker. If we enter a SHTF time (No, I'm not paranoid), broken guns my need repairs, I'd like to make my learning mistakes now.

Btw, people have successfully welded 3 pieces of unmatched 1911 flame cut demilled slides together, stumbled on pics, crazy use of time imo.

A, real danger, and a repair that should NEVER be tried to fix according to EVERY book ive read, and person consulted, is to try to fix a slide that has cracked at the front, (where the dust cover ends at the frame ) THAT has the potential to shoot the rear part of the slide into your face.

 

[Yamil R. Sued]

I'm not going to shoot it, im just practicing on it,

What do you think Practicing on it means?? Shooting it!! It only takes ONE shot for it to fail, you just don't know "Which Shot" will be the "ONE" This is how you play Russian Roulette with a Semi Pistol...
Good Luck, I have seen very good results replacing a Blown up Thumb with a Big Toe....

 

[ForesterPumice]

Throw that slide in the scrap bin,......not worth taking a chance with a cracked rail. Solder is not a proper repair. Use your head.

With respect,
Read my more recent posts, I'm NOT going to fire it, ever, BUT it's pretty, I spent 80$, I'm too responsible to sell it to someone who might use it, I even added a tag in case I (God Forbid) suddenly die, so no heirs shoot it, but it's good practice.

I still think it's safer than a perfect Hi Point 45 or something tho. I think my silver soldered crack is stronger than zinc of any thickness.

56% silver solder is very strong, stronger than a defective piece of stainless that cracked from lapping st least.

Muggy weld 6 solder is STRONG. Stronger than some welds, for a tiny crack its the right fix.

I'm keeping it on my desk as a reminder not to buy things on impulse.

I spent 40 more and ordered a para 16-40 slide for my full size 9mm/38/40 build.

I would maybe continue to fix it if I hadn't lost the chip, by adding small plates behind the ribs.


Ok, you got me.... I'm probably lying to myself, I'll probably try it on day, with reduced load rounds. .....
......Just to see, maybe rig up a remote trigger.....
...... A vice, fishhook, and a piece of string would do.

Just kidding (I hope), this particular piece of stainless has a metalurgical error, or lapping it wouldn't have cracked it.

But seriously, I had never soldered stainless before, interesting. So now I can solder stainless.

Looking back, I should have sent it to Colt, for thier quality control people, but I screwed with it too much now. I thought ir was broken being tightend in a vice, but it was cracked just fron simple lap fitting.

 

[ForesterPumice]

What do you think Practicing on it means?? Shooting it!! It only takes ONE shot for it to fail, you just don't know "Which Shot" will be the "ONE" This is how you play Russian Roulette with a Semi Pistol...
Good Luck, I have seen very good results replacing a Blown up Thumb with a Big Toe....

Take it easy brother, you guys talked me out of fixing it to use it, also, to me "practice " means working with metal, I'm good with silver, gold, carbon steel,aluminum, glass, brass, copper, etc, but I had virtually no experience working with stainless. Now I have a bit.

Since then I've picked up a few slides with the same breech face, when I first got it I was in denial for a while. I couldn't accept my shiny unfired Delta Elite slide with that wee hairline crack was junk. I should have returned it maybe, but that could have been like tossing a grenade to a stranger.

That being said, I once drove a car over Wolf Creek Pass with a home made temporary SOLID Front wheel bearing made of brass, lubed w dry moly, turned on a 1/2" drill, now that was dangerous!

 

[ForesterPumice]

Actually, and this is a real question, does the 1911 design even need the rear 1" of the left slide rail to function properly?

 

[bnaples]

Sir ......you need medicine. I'm not sure what kind.....but you need it.

 

[ForesterPumice]

I figured out how to fix it!

I took a grinder wheel on a flex shaft and ground out 1/4" about an inch thru, then past the crack .

Then I glued it to a mounting board and put it on my desk to remind me not to buy stuff late at night. (Well, I'm going to do that part)

The REAL Fix for a rail cracked slide....

I'm buying this replacement from a member, it's not stamped with a breech face size, but he assured me it's cut to 9mm/38 super, I'm not experienced enough to eyeball that, it looks right to me, can anyone confirm?

I was planning on using the Delta Elite slide with 9mm, turns out I would have probably also needed to lighten it considerably as well, or it would have taken forever to get back in battery, been prone to jams, probaby require a recoil spring of non existing weight, and still might have not have had 100% reliable feeding and ejection with that size breech face without very careful attention to the extractor.

Apparently Kimber gets away with using the same breech face for 40'sw, 38super,10mm and 9mm because of the external extractor, which doesn't rely on breech contact as much as a standard internal extractor design does.

I stuck a 9mm in my unfitted Llama 45 slide (same extractor design) by hand , and sure enough, it held fairly firmly, but I also tried slipping a 9mm under the extractor hook on a Colt 45 slide fitted with a 9mm extractor, and it didn't work, it popped right out.

 

[m9_shootr]

Don't think I've ever seen someone bring "steampunk" to the 1911 before. This is what comes to mind when I read your posts.

 

[Yamil R. Sued]

Apparently Kimber gets away with using the same breech face for 40'sw, 38super,10mm and 9mm because of the external extractor, which doesn't rely on breech contact as much as a standard internal extractor design does.

I don't know when was the last time you purchased a Kimber, but they haven't used an external Extractor in over ten years!!!

 

[ForesterPumice]

I don't know when was the last time you purchased a Kimber, but they haven't used an external Extractor in over ten years!!!

I have only seen them in passing,not a company I've looked into much, and I've never purchased one. I don't think I've ever even held one,but they seem build respectable 1911s from what I've heard.

The Kimber 1911 22lr conversion kit I'm buying has an external extractor, but I think besides the 1960's colt ace, all the rim fire conversion kits use external extractors.

So I guess my answer is, the Kimber I bought this coming Saturday or Sunday has an external extractor, but that's just a troll answer, and below me.

I was reffering to a few posts where it was reported that a few companies use the same breech face for 10,9,40,38, kimber was the only one I remembered off the top of my head, Google search showed me an external extractor on a kimber. I don't know if Kimber continued to use the same size breech face or not, I emailed them about it a few months ago, but got an obscure reply. I'll see if I can dig it up.

Since then, I've corresponded with several people who have used .40 S&W breech faced slides successfully to build 38 super and 9mm 1911's, since 9mm and 38 super slides are harder to find for less than around $300 or so, and there are plenty 40'sw's to be had in the 80-150 range.

Personally, I prefer the internal extractor, once it's set up, I've never had one break or fail, and I've had to regrind and replace several external ones.

My first "1911" I ever purchased myself was one of those horrible chiappa 1911 22lr, I got one from the first batch, the extractor,and other important parts, sear, hammer, were made of.....zymak 5or6, something soft and non conductive, can you imagine a Zinc Sear??? WTF? Workef out well for me, as that is how I started gun smithing in the first place. If it hadn't constantly broken, I never would have taken it apart. (Inside, they are nothing like a 1911,strange system of coil springs ) They later changed to steel parts, I got one of those models too, along with a steel hammer and sear for the old one, it also was pretty much junk. I learned quite a bit tho, kind of like having a car that constantly breaks down. I even converted one to 380, using a rifled barrel liner, but I was too afraid to try it, so I pulled the barrel and cut it up (in case something were to happen to me and someone else aquired it)

One thing I learned from having several crappy automatic pistols with external extractors was how to make replacements, most are just punched from flat steel stock. By tracing them onto an old school beer can/bottle opener (the kind that cuts triangle holes) they can be cut out with a diamond saw or something (scientific glassblower, have access to a huge diamond saw), then rounding the bottom of the hook a bit...I'm rambling, bored.

Point is, I know bubkis about Kimbers.

Main point, I've learned much from you guys here,and the other forum in the past few months.

I truly believe without these two forums,and the helping folks, I would probably have done some dangerous work.

It was VERY difficult for me to accept that that delta slide could not (safely) be repaired.

 

[EXFI]

Don't think I've ever seen someone bring "steampunk" to the 1911 before. This is what comes to mind when I read your posts.

Check out this link!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/264098...isting/264098498/steampunk-gun-fantasy-gun-cosplay-gun?ref=pla_similar_listings


Kimber made internal extractor slides with .40 caliber breech faces and used them for 9/38/40 in the four inch length until supplies were exhausted. I had one in .38 super. It worked fine without being lightened. The pistol has been rebarreled to .40 by the current owner. There is no discernable by human difference in the velocity of the slide closing or FTRB.

 

[ForesterPumice]

Don't think I've ever seen someone bring "steampunk" to the 1911 before. This is what comes to mind when I read your posts.

My brother is very into steampunk, I'm a sglassblower and silversmith, he had me make some old school glasswear, an alembic,etc. And copper electroform some stuff, I guess his style is rubbing off on me.
I do like turn of the century stuff, a 1911 WAS designed right around them after all. I haven't perfected the plating, that is the nickle over copper perfectly smoothly deposited. Can't get stainless to plate properly.

My brother is the steampunk master, rebuilds watches and clocks, takes steam train trips with his daughter), he dressed in period clothes),handlebar moustache and makes steam punk shirts & stuff for sale at thier get together festival things.

I have been thinking about clear grips with functional moving watch cogs,gears, etc, mechanics for a while, powered by watch batteries.

My Mac has been down for a while, or i'd be doing photoshop mock ups. The technology finally got to what I imagined in the 80's, I was a graphic designer In one lifetime, and you used to be able to take a smoke break while "red eye" and color shifts processed. My first work Mac was 56 m. 128 ram. Crazy. That seems like yesterday.


My aspirations are to one day (year or two from now) upgrade 1911s as a part time job, I feel strongly to NEVER sell a weapon tho, so that limits career possibilities. I would only work in a shop as a repair guy. I recently have been reexamineing that, and now that I've discovered these high end custom jobs, I can't see anything wrong with selling a gun intended for competition or something to responsible adults. The 3k+"crowd. You've been to a Cabellas, you know what I mean, one guy wasnt just sweeping the room, he was AIMING AT PEOPLE, Clerk Pimples didn't say a word! Unloaded with plastic thing in it or not, imo that's wrong.

My uncle had a horrible experience with a straw purchase,. that is one thing that drew me to the higher end stuff. No street criminals are paying hundreds for custom work on thier triggers. He had a nice shop too, his precaution was that he sold nothing less than $400, in a good neighborhood, etc. Broke his heart, and he closed his store (no one forced him to, he still had all his licenses, just wouldn't sell another gun).

It was my back up job in case the glass blowingblowing and jewelry / accessory buisness didnt work out, work the shop with him. Being self employed, i suffer from "burn out", kind of like writers block, sucks. I should be making stuff now, but here i am typing with my thumbs to you guys . Christmas is the main $ time.


My tools are very old school, jewelers tools, silversmithing tools, antique hardware rebuild tools, blackpowder gunsmith tools, and a few modern ones inherited from my uncle (aunt needed to sell his good stuff) and purchased as I go.I almost bought A proper a mill a few months ago , but it was 3 phase,. After that I shifted gears, I decided to learn everything I can with hand tools first, and instead of buying a mill , use the credit $ to take a community college machinist program.

I Ordered a second hand 25 lpi checkering file, plan to spend time getting that perfect , as well as trigger work, before moving on to the "big boy" stuff.

Couple years ago I learned a lot from a friends father aboit pre 1800'a guns,and he gave me his tools when he got sick, it's nice to have a heavy brass jawed vice and an anvil on a stump,, i rebuilt the entire trigger system on a 1873 (ish) springrield trapdoor, made my own mainspring, and a couple other impossible to find small parts, learned how to shave the strap spring to lighten triggers on those old single action cowboy revolvers. I have a Remington replica that we fixed up, he could shoot it faster with a 2 handed grip using his thumb somehow faster than I could pull the trigger on a Glock. That revolver is way more accurate than I am, 50 yards, in a playing card. re did the barrel, got it almost light tight (shot at night with a slow camera, almost no ( "fire blow out"?) where the cylinder meets the forcing cone. That was his way to test tightness,on revolver , you put a camera on a tripod, set the thing to click and stay open , that way any light shows up. Amazing how much fire comes out the sides of even a tight modern revolver.


All that causes me to look at things "out of the box "
.
One bad thing I did as a kid, the thing I feel most ashamed of of all things in my life is gunsmith related. My grandfather had a decent safe, 7-10 long guns, couple pistols (Beretta 1903, Colt 1911(safe) , Colt hammerless, his dad's 38, maybe a couple other) and a few ww2 trophy pieces, even a Luger and a Walther, a "notched " SS dagger (quite a good vs evil close call story he only told me once, icy mountains, bloody night struggle , end, one man stands up...) I was 12-13yo, had just seen Road Warrior. So I went to the safe, picked out a double barrel that wasn't in a case (thinking it was the cheapest, ) I cut it down, stock and barrel. DI'd a pretty good job too, legal length (went to library))). Luckily there was old paper shells for it, modern ammo may have been bad. WHAT I was not aware of. .... it was a fully engraved old special Parker bird gun, ....I can't recall the year/model, but in 1985 it was k b b listed as worth somewhere around $10,000+, before the hacksaw it was perfect. Me da was pissed, but my grandfather simply said "it was his gun anything, oldest kid, I was going to give it to him in a couple years) he wouldn't tell us it's backstory of how he came to own such an expensive gun, but I could tell he was heartbroken no matter how cavalier he acted. My dad was a prick and THREW OUT ALL THE PIECES, I had cut it fairly cleanly, a replacement stock could have been found, and a master gun smith may have been able to repair it, weld it, re blue, re engrave, etc. at least as a non shooting wall hanger heirloom. I apologized, but he passed a few years later, before I could really put words on how bad I felt. I Still feel like I betrayed the best man I've ever known.
Just one more thing pushing me to smithing, I aspire to be able to make that repair for some other dumb kid, just in case.

Some of those experiences might have been why I was so slow to give up fixing that Colt slide. I don't believe in waste.

Venting accomplished, apologies to anyone who actually read all that. I feel better now tho.

Yes, a little "steampunk" , but I prefer "neo Victorian style" , work I did in the 90's is mistaken for antique, some even showed up at Sotherbees (sp). Last winter $50-80,k worth of samples we made back in 90's were stolen, ugly gaudy brochres mostly, and insurance didn't cover it. Ive had a hard time producing jewelry and accessories since.

I might do a sterling filagree embellished 1911a1, looking for amother Brazilian army slide to use as a base. Might even set a tiny diamond in gold for the front site. People spend 10k on belt buckles. (Look at Robb Report mag) Who knows. The trick will be keeping it smooth, and not looking like something Liberache would have.

Thanks for everyones patient indulgence, and good advice.

Oh, and my current build,(boxed the other projects til after Xmas to not waste time) is definitely steampunk inspired, blued or black with copper hardware. Commander length in 9mm. Double stack para p12 lower, with 5 layers of bent french polished mohogany veneer instead of grips. Full melt dehorn, etc.

 

[WingNut]

Sweet Jesus........

Why not spend your time doing something, I'm hoping you are good at. How about scraping these pistol build abominations and show some of your silverwork. The pistol work you are doing is going to get someone hurt or killed. You are playing with dynamite.

 

[pistolwretch]

Forrest,
Have you ever fired a 1911?

 

[cdentata]

Forrest,
Have you ever fired a 1911?

Excellent question!!!! I cannot imagine any competent shooter entertaining his ideas. Yes - no disrespect forest - psychiatry is not taboo in the 21st century. You would not be wasting any time or money to run these ideas by one first; especially before expecting people to take you seriously.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[azpoolguy]

Forrest,
Have you ever fired a 1911?

We are still waiting ?