How to prevent scrape on the 1911 slide?
- Thread starter AirPower
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shep854
Member
I noticed the same thing on my Auto-Ordnance. I checked with the shop where i bought it. The salesman drew his .45, and showed me where his did it also. It's normal wear.
Kahr carrier
Member
You know I was wondering about that Dust cover scraping the slide thing because a friends Springfield was doing the same but mine doesnt do it. 
It’s a matter of how well the slide fits the frame, plus if the slide is off-center enough so that the slide touches the dust cover on one side. Sometimes you can eliminate the rubbing, especially if the slide is closely fitted to the frame by polishing a little metal off the side of the slide where it is rubbing or a VERY LITTLE BIT off the side of the dust cover. Then of course you have to refinish the effected parts unless they are stainless. Good ‘smiths attend to this right off when they start building a gun. Today’s factories couldn’t care less.
I would elect to smooth out the dust cover side since that's facing inside and is easier to smooth out then working on the slide itself. The one concern I have is accuracy. Would polishing the dust cover (toward the front) give more side to side movement to the slide/frame fit?
AirPower:
If the slide is properly fitted to the frame the amount of polishing shouldn't matter so far as accuracy is concerned.
The wall thickness on the sides of the dust cover may be very thin on some guns and only the slightest amount of metal should be removed - if any. For rubbing to occur the slide's centerline must be at an angle to the frame's, or (more often) the dust cover is machined off center. Look at your frame from the front and see if the dust cover's sidewall isn't thicker on one side then it is on the other. When and if this is the case the rubbing usually occurs on the thicker side.
The better custom builders lap-fit the slide to the frame and then make any modifications to the slide or dust cover to eliminate rubbing long before any final finish is applied. Of course on stainless guns this isn't an issue.
If the slide is properly fitted to the frame the amount of polishing shouldn't matter so far as accuracy is concerned.
The wall thickness on the sides of the dust cover may be very thin on some guns and only the slightest amount of metal should be removed - if any. For rubbing to occur the slide's centerline must be at an angle to the frame's, or (more often) the dust cover is machined off center. Look at your frame from the front and see if the dust cover's sidewall isn't thicker on one side then it is on the other. When and if this is the case the rubbing usually occurs on the thicker side.
The better custom builders lap-fit the slide to the frame and then make any modifications to the slide or dust cover to eliminate rubbing long before any final finish is applied. Of course on stainless guns this isn't an issue.
1911Tuner
Moderator Emeritus
Clearance Check
Howdy Airpower,
In addition to the things Old Fuff told ya to check, see if there's a little
clearance between the top of the dust cover and the bottom of the slide.
Slip a .007 inch feel gauge between'em when the slide is forward and check
all the way back to the frame rails. Then remove the recoil plug and
free the spring. (Leave the spring in unless you've got a full-length guide rod.) Pull the slide rearward and check the clearance again. If the're's
not a little gap, the dust cover will rub the slide and wear the finish off.
It will eventually stop, since as the metal wears, it'll create the clearance.
I like to see about .010 inch there. It goes a long wat to preventing a crack at the junction of the dust cover and the front of the frame rails
when the cover flexes upward at during slide to frame impact in recoil...
but .007 should do.
If there's not enough clearance, lay a smooth mill file on top of the
dust cover and draw it toward the frong...Don't draw the file all the way
off the end of the dust cover. Stop the cut half the width of the file from the end....lift...and re-lay the file. Make 2-3 light cuts and check...repeat, etc. until you have enough clearance.
Bottom line is that the mark is mainly cosmetic, and won't likely cause any
damage to the structure of the frame as long as there's at least .007 inch
there.
Luck!
Tuner
Howdy Airpower,
In addition to the things Old Fuff told ya to check, see if there's a little
clearance between the top of the dust cover and the bottom of the slide.
Slip a .007 inch feel gauge between'em when the slide is forward and check
all the way back to the frame rails. Then remove the recoil plug and
free the spring. (Leave the spring in unless you've got a full-length guide rod.) Pull the slide rearward and check the clearance again. If the're's
not a little gap, the dust cover will rub the slide and wear the finish off.
It will eventually stop, since as the metal wears, it'll create the clearance.
I like to see about .010 inch there. It goes a long wat to preventing a crack at the junction of the dust cover and the front of the frame rails
when the cover flexes upward at during slide to frame impact in recoil...
but .007 should do.
If there's not enough clearance, lay a smooth mill file on top of the
dust cover and draw it toward the frong...Don't draw the file all the way
off the end of the dust cover. Stop the cut half the width of the file from the end....lift...and re-lay the file. Make 2-3 light cuts and check...repeat, etc. until you have enough clearance.
Bottom line is that the mark is mainly cosmetic, and won't likely cause any
damage to the structure of the frame as long as there's at least .007 inch
there.
Luck!
Tuner
1911Tuner
Moderator Emeritus
re:
dsk said:
Dust cover rubbing is my #1 pet peeve on new 1911's. I simply won't buy one that has the malady, no matter how good the price is.
Hey! If the price is right, I will! A beater's a beater! I can always use another one.
Dana...You're bein' paged...
dsk said:
Dust cover rubbing is my #1 pet peeve on new 1911's. I simply won't buy one that has the malady, no matter how good the price is.
Hey! If the price is right, I will! A beater's a beater! I can always use another one.
Dana...You're bein' paged...
Last edited:
shep854
Member
when I cleaned my AO last night, I noticed that the parkerizing inside the dust cover is fairly rough. That may be causing the wear on my pistol. Since I bought the pistol to represent wartime GI guns, such wear isn't a problem for me.
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