1911A1 Slide Problem

[tylerlew]

I have a 1943 Colt 1911A1 and I bought a new slide for it. The slide fits snug on the frame without the barrel in it. Once I put the barrel in it and put it on the frame it gets stuck and won't slide back to put the slide stop in??

 

[wally]

Likely that the barrel needs fitting. Pretty much if any replacement part "drops in" with a 1911 you either got lucky or have a loose, sloppy gun.

Is the barrel new too along with the slide? I'm not sure how well fitting a used barrel will work out, but since yours seems "too tight" it might work out.

WWII era 1911s command very good prices in original condition, so I'm not sure I'd be messing with it.

 

[buck460XVR]

WWII era 1911s command very good prices in original condition, so I'm not sure I'd be messing with it.

I tend to agree if the other slide was original and not trashed.

 

[smalls]

Likely that the barrel needs fitting. Pretty much if any replacement part "drops in" with a 1911 you either got lucky or have a loose, sloppy gun.

Is the barrel new too along with the slide? I'm not sure how well fitting a used barrel will work out, but since yours seems "too tight" it might work out.

WWII era 1911s command very good prices in original condition, so I'm not sure I'd be messing with it.

This whole post deserves quoting. 1911's aren't Legos. Everything needs to be fitted.

But unless something is broken, stop. For two reasons: it's a WWII Colt, buy something else to customize, you're ruining a piece if history that's worth a pretty penny. And secondly you don't know what you're doing, and you're going to destroy it.

 

[1911Tuner]

This whole post deserves quoting. 1911's aren't Legos. Everything needs to be fitted.

*blink blink*

Surely you jest.

WW2-era service pistols were required to not only be completely parts interchangeable...they had to be interchangeable from all 5 contractors and all parts from vendors who supplied parts, but didn't build complete pistols.

As to the OP's problem...it sounds like somethin' is out of spec. Check to see if the barrel moves up and down freely in the frame and falls to the bed...with the slidestop pin through the link...and go from there.

 

[smalls]

WW2-era service pistols were required to not only be completely parts interchangeable...they had to be interchangeable from all 5 contractors and all parts from vendors who supplied parts, but didn't build complete pistols.

Between other pistols of the same era, yeah. But because it's not fitting, I assumed he didn't buy another WWII slide.

 

[David E]

Sounds like the link is too long.

 

[1911Tuner]

Between other pistols of the same era, yeah. But because it's not fitting, I assumed he didn't buy another WWII slide.

Which is why I said:

It sounds like somethin' is out of spec.

Because if the slide is machined to spec...even a modern slide...it should work.

Sounds like the link is too long.

Or too short. Or the width of the barrel lug won't let it drop all the way to bed.

 

[Joshua M. Smith]

The slide fits snug on the frame without the barrel in it.

Snug? Did the other slide fit tightly?

Josh

 

[wally]

WW2-era service pistols were required to not only be completely parts interchangeable...they had to be interchangeable from all 5 contractors and all parts from vendors who supplied parts, but didn't build complete pistols.

But weren't GI 1911s noted for being loose and sloppy? An entire cottage industry sprung up around "accurizing" them when sold off to civilians after the war.

First step for the OP is to invest in some DyKem, color the barrel with it and see where its binding when he tries to reassemble it.

I'm wondering why he wants a new slide for it, and why not a new slide and barrel to leave original parts alone unless its already a "parts gun" built on an old GI frame.

 

[1911Tuner]

But weren't GI 1911s noted for being loose and sloppy?

Only when they were worn out.

An entire cottage industry sprung up around "accurizing" them when sold off to civilians after the war.

Accurizing can be taken to an extreme, as any bench rest shooter can tell you. And how much accuracy is necessary for a service pistol the be serviceable? Fired from a machine rest with match-grade ball ammunition, a new, unaltered pistol selected at random might surprise you. A good many would shoot into 3 inches at 50 yards, and the average hovered around 3.5-4 inches.

With a handloaded lot of SWC "target" ammunition, you could probably cut that group size by 25-30%...without doing anything at all to the gun.

 

[wally]

Pretty much any current production replacement part comes with a package insert or disclaimer saying "some fitting by a qualified gunsmith may be required". Should be, vs. the way it is, I guess.


Are you really suggesting I should expect to buy a replacement barrel, bushing, safety, extractor etc. and just swap it in and expect everything to be fine? Never happened to me yet, although none of the "fitting" was more than a few strokes of a small file or stone in the right spots.

The slide fits snug on the frame without the barrel in it. Once I put the barrel in it and put it on the frame it gets stuck and won't slide back to put the slide stop in??

The OP seems to be saying it binds before getting far enough to put the slide stop in, so something is binding before he can even see how the link fits. Let's hope the barrel is fully locking up in the new slide.