Oh NO! not the infamous idiot scratch.

I have a commemorative 1911 with a very low round count wearing an ugly idiot scratch. I will probably fill it in at some point. Haven't put one on my other 1911s so I am sure I learned the trick to getting it back in. On a work horse 1911, I wouldn't worry about it.

I came so close to putting one on my dads the first time I tore it down it scares me.

brutus51 said:

Yup I got one, try as I might to always be careful my hand slipped.

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I've said before, I say again: 1911s should come pre-scratched, so the owners would just get over it.

Not a huge deal imho but if it bothers you then fix it

mxl said:

If it's stainless, and not too deep, you may be able to use some Scotchbrite of the proper grit and blend it in. Did one of mine and you can't tell it ever happened.

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I had great success with this on my stainless SA Range Officer. Buy the maroon Scotchbrite pad and use a little skim of gun oil. Also look up filing a notch into the takedown lever to avoid the idiot scratch h.

Otto said:

These are die cut from translucent Mylar film.

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I cut plastic-coated playing cards to shape. They're cheap and you have 52 of them to experiment with.

I've been carrying the same Sig Sauer C3 1911 for close to 15 years.
Yeah, it's got holster wear, replaced parts and scratches.
It's not a safe queen. It's got thousands of rounds thru it.

You can mod the slide stop so it just inserts straight into the frame.

Installing a slide stop on a 1911 without an idiot scratch is about as basic 1911 as one can get. If that causes drama for you for heaven's don't buy a 1911. Everything else besides the idiot scratch will certainly be too much of a 1911 hurtle for you in the future.

Im pretty sure someone told me i was supposed to care about those......but I dont

Im careful about them when im working on other peoples guns, but thats about the limit to my worrying about scratches. It they bug me ill fix them.

I think it's a bit harsh to call it an "idiot" scratch. As a young guy and new 1911 owner many years ago, I put the scratch on a nice new Combat Elite.

I had never heard about it nor remember reading anything in the manual that would have helped me prevent it. I'm wondering what percentage of new shooters that buy 1911s scratch them... maybe the majority?

Live and learn!

I'd much rather own a gun with most of the blue worn off from use than a safe queen. Don't worry about it.

I bought a purdy new SA Ronin and put the scratch on it 1st time I took it apart. It looks bad but it shoots straight. Guy at the range said it means it's mine.

The GI 1911s I learned to field strip all had the scratch, and I thought it was normal. Seems to me I scratched my first 1911, simply thinking that is how it was done....
Moon

The "idiot" who called it a "idiot scratch" is a bigger idiot... if you ain't got one you fixed it or you never cleaned your 1911... which might be possible, those things run forever without cleaning....I suppose the same people that call it a idiot mistake also don't cut the tag off the mattress that say"DO NOT REMOVE THIS LABEL"

thunderbyrd said:

I bought a purdy new SA Ronin and put the scratch on it 1st time I took it apart. It looks bad but it shoots straight. Guy at the range said it means it's mine.

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The Ronin is notorious for an extremely robust plunger.

9mmepiphany said:

It is only "easy to do" if you haven't learned the proper technique of how it should be done.

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If that part of the pistol was designed intelligently, there wouldn't have to be a "proper technique" to perform a basic, necessary function.

I know, we could go around and around on this, but I feel the same way about the SIG P238 and the way you can &*(# up the ejector when reassembling the pistol after field-stripping it: push it down or it'll break off, but don't push it down TOO far or it'll get stuck ...

9mmepiphany said:

It was designed intelligently, it was the cost cutting measures taken to keep entry level 1911s under $1k that is causing issues for many

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Touché!

desmobob said:

I think it's a bit harsh to call it an "idiot" scratch. As a young guy and new 1911 owner many years ago, I put the scratch on a nice new Combat Elite.

I had never heard about it nor remember reading anything in the manual that would have helped me prevent it. I'm wondering what percentage of new shooters that buy 1911s scratch them... maybe the majority?

Live and learn!

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I did. Brand new Colt GM, in that satin nickel finish they had. I had no idea that it wasn't supposed to scratch it right there. I don't even know when/how I learned you're not supposed to do it.

I don't think I've ever done another one, but I don't particularly worry about it.

Maybe I'll stop by and look for a 1911 today. I don't have one, and I know I've got a box of 45 ACP ammo.

Oh, you're supposed to put the idiot scratch on the slide? All these years I've been putting the scratch on the frame.

Some how I push the slide stop straight out and straight back in therefore no possible scratch. I have been told that might break the plunger. Which is a $7 part from WC vs an irreplaceable frame. Works on my Kimbers and my Rock and long ago a Colt I stupidly sold.

3C

Don't force the slide stop in and you will not get the scratch. Make sure the slide lined up, and gently insert the stop, with a slight upward rotation to depress the plunger. Folks get the scratch because the FORCE the stop in when the slide is not lined up with the frame.

desmobob said:

As a young guy and new 1911 owner many years ago, I put the scratch on a nice new Combat Elite.

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I did the same on the same model of Colt.

I had never heard about it nor remember reading anything in the manual that would have helped me prevent it. I'm wondering what percentage of new shooters that buy 1911s scratch them... maybe the majority?

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Because that was before the internet and gun forums were "a thing".

Now, we have a lot of information to let you know what it is, and perhaps some to help you avoid it, but it's still going to happen to a lot of folks. That first scratch, just like on a new car, will bug you at first, but the gun will shoot fine, and you'll get other scratches on the gun as the years go by.

One reason I love the Ed Brown/ Dan Wesson slide stop levers, they actually cut a detent in it for the plunger and it just pops in straight. Worth every penny getting one of those.