1911Tuner
Moderator Emeritus
The next thing that I tend to is sharp corners and edges on the slide.
Burrs and sharp corners are the breeding ground for cracks, and a big part
of reliability is in the gun not breaking.
The ejection port is one area that seems to develop cracks. I go around and around the port with a piece of 320-grit wet or dry paper and smooth
every sharp edge that I can get to. It doesn't take a lot to break or roll
those corners, and if you're careful, it'll never be seen without close inspection of the bare slide.
Likewise the corners of the slide rails should be broken lightly with a stone.
A minute 45 degree bevel along the length smooths out the cycle and
gives dust a place to go. One or two light strokes per side is usually all that's required.
The firing pin stop is another part prone to cracking under hard use. Use a
flat miniature file...needle fole or Swiss pattern...to bevel the corners, and
don't forget the hole. You can use a countersink to lightly chamfer the hole
on both sides. If you don't have a countersink, you can use a cone-shaped
grinding stone from the Dremel board at Lowe's. Don't use the Dremel for this...Twirl it with your thumb and finger. All you want is to break the
sharp corner.
Look to the front of the slide where the bushing goes. Feel for any
sharp corners just inside the frong, and use the paper to smooth
tjose out too. A little goes a long way.
Look to the disconnector or cocking rail in the center of the slide. If it
shows a circular pattern left from the milling operation, use the edge of
a medium India stone to smooth the edges off. Don't try to remove the
marks...If you remove too much metal, you may create a problem with the
disconnector function. The trick is to knock the high spots off to let it
ride over the top of the disconnect smoothly. $ or 5 passes with the stone
should do it. Finish it up by wrapping a piece of 600-grit wet or dry paper
around the square edge of the stone and make another 4-5 passes. A
drop of honing oil on the paper will polish the rail nicely. Sewing machine
oil is a good substitute.
Look at the breech face. If there are any tool marks there, use a
piece of popsicle stick with 600-grit paper on it to smooth those out.
Again, don't try to get a mirror polish. Just knock off the edges. Use
the little stone that you got at Lowes to spin around for a couple of
seconds in the firing pin hole. Don't use a lot of pressure here. All you
want is to smooth out the sharp corner.
When you're through, flush all the left-over abrasive and dust with carburetor cleaner and allow the slide to air-dry for 15-20 minutes.
Luck!
Tuner
Burrs and sharp corners are the breeding ground for cracks, and a big part
of reliability is in the gun not breaking.
The ejection port is one area that seems to develop cracks. I go around and around the port with a piece of 320-grit wet or dry paper and smooth
every sharp edge that I can get to. It doesn't take a lot to break or roll
those corners, and if you're careful, it'll never be seen without close inspection of the bare slide.
Likewise the corners of the slide rails should be broken lightly with a stone.
A minute 45 degree bevel along the length smooths out the cycle and
gives dust a place to go. One or two light strokes per side is usually all that's required.
The firing pin stop is another part prone to cracking under hard use. Use a
flat miniature file...needle fole or Swiss pattern...to bevel the corners, and
don't forget the hole. You can use a countersink to lightly chamfer the hole
on both sides. If you don't have a countersink, you can use a cone-shaped
grinding stone from the Dremel board at Lowe's. Don't use the Dremel for this...Twirl it with your thumb and finger. All you want is to break the
sharp corner.
Look to the front of the slide where the bushing goes. Feel for any
sharp corners just inside the frong, and use the paper to smooth
tjose out too. A little goes a long way.
Look to the disconnector or cocking rail in the center of the slide. If it
shows a circular pattern left from the milling operation, use the edge of
a medium India stone to smooth the edges off. Don't try to remove the
marks...If you remove too much metal, you may create a problem with the
disconnector function. The trick is to knock the high spots off to let it
ride over the top of the disconnect smoothly. $ or 5 passes with the stone
should do it. Finish it up by wrapping a piece of 600-grit wet or dry paper
around the square edge of the stone and make another 4-5 passes. A
drop of honing oil on the paper will polish the rail nicely. Sewing machine
oil is a good substitute.
Look at the breech face. If there are any tool marks there, use a
piece of popsicle stick with 600-grit paper on it to smooth those out.
Again, don't try to get a mirror polish. Just knock off the edges. Use
the little stone that you got at Lowes to spin around for a couple of
seconds in the firing pin hole. Don't use a lot of pressure here. All you
want is to smooth out the sharp corner.
When you're through, flush all the left-over abrasive and dust with carburetor cleaner and allow the slide to air-dry for 15-20 minutes.
Luck!
Tuner
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