[wditto]

okay, maybe I'm not the only one wanting this, so give me your experiences.....
how much can I reduce the thickness of a 1911 slide by just polishing it down ( to remove all stamping and rollmarks) before I get dangerlously thin ?
I would like to remove enough metal to make it thinner, remove the markings, and even lighten it some....
I think the barrel and chamber take most of the pressure when fired, and I will not remove any on top where the locking lugs are, so ......can I thin down the sides some?
thanks
.
also, how much can one remove when melting the corners?

[wditto]

nobody else ever thought about it ?

[Oyeboten]

"...melting the corners.."???


Less slide weight is less inertia...would cause more force on the recoil spring...requiring either lighter ammo-loads or heftier spring...or both...

[RogersPrecision]

You would be hard pressed to remove any significant mass.

[Jim Watson]

Slide lightening is routinely done by IPSC racegun builders to get their guns to cycle faster and shoot "flatter." It is usually done by cutting holes, slots, and flutes in the slide; staying away from the locking lugs and rails.

I think you could surface grind the slide enough to erase the markings but would worry that the sidewalls over the rails would be getting thin by the time you had enough weight reduction to matter. Look at the contour of a SIG GSR slide to see an approach that might work to some degree. Or look INSIDE the slide of an early model Commander or pre-1970 GCNM.

As far as a melt job, look at a Clark's catalog, they sand one down the most of any I have seen.

[gb6491]

Years back (1970s) I had a Commander with a slide that had all the roll marks draw filed off of it. I don't remember it being much thinner becuase of it, but I do recall that it functioned fine.
In regards to melting the slide, if you do a Google search for "dehorn 1911" you'll turn up a good deal of information; for example the Clark "Meltdown" (http://www.clarkcustomguns.com/images/guns/md45.jpg)
Regards,
Greg
I see Jim has mentioned the Clark package as I was figuring out my reply... great minds:)

[Jim K]

It is unlikely that grinding or milling a slide to remove the marks would reduce the weight enough to be a problem. But the slide needs a certain amount of weight to properly absorb the momentum generated by recoil. Reducing the weight will allow the slide to move faster, but it will also increase its impact on the frame and on the slide itself, and can seriously interfere with timing. For some shooters, this is less important than results, and replacing slides is just part of the game.

And, of course, reducing the weight of any gun increases the felt recoil, as many folks have found out when firing .357 Magnum out of those little Scandium revolvers.

Jim

[1911Tuner]

I won't get into a whizzin' war over it...but I'll add a little food for thought by relating the tale of an early Series 80 Colt that belongs to a friend. Actually more of an aquaintence. We were never very close...but did shoot the breeze at gunshops and shows whenever we'd run together.

Back when the gun was new, he brought it to me to fit a match barrel and bushing...which I did. It's been a while, but it seems like it was a Bar-Sto. Also seems like it was in 1985 or '86...but don't hold me to that.

Skip ahead to 2005. Early fall. Haven't seen him in several years, but I know that he's been busy wearin' that Colt out with his home cast bullets and probably a half-ton of Bullseye.

Said the gun had loosened a bit, and wanted a li'l tuneup...and a new barrel. We opted for a Kart. When barrel fittin' time came...I only had to cut .002 inch from the hood length to get it into the slide. It had stretched a full .010 inch between the breechface and the first lug wall since the last barrel went in.

You may draw your own conclusions.

Cheers.