1911 - slide fit question

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Micahweeks

New member
Is it normal for a 1911 that was ultra-tight from the factory to develop a bit of side to side play at the rear of the slide? I know Colts have some from the factory, and slide play in and of itself doesn't concern me. I'm just wondering if it's normal for a gun that had none to develop it.
 
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BoogieMan

New member
It would depend on why it was tight. If it was a high end gun noted for being a fit slide then it should not have changed. If it was tight because it had a few high spots in the machining and has now broken in, then your fine.
 
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Micahweeks

New member
Well, it's a Para GI Expert. I can't complain at all. It's shooting flawlessly. Just looking to make sure it's not indicative of a problem.
 
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shaunpain

New member
I bought my GI Expert new and it was tight as a drum. It has slickened out quite a bit after about 600 rounds or so and is playing a little. Nothing to worry about I don't think. Mine's still shooting accurately as long as I do my part.
 
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scottl

New member
The Para I had loosened up as the ParaCoat wore off the rails.My Springfield Operator is doing the same thing as the Armory Koat wears off the slide rails.
 
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WVsig

New member
How much play? If it is just a little loose no issues IMHO. Lock up of the barrel in the slide is much more important in terms of accuracy. Super tight fit at the rear of the slide is over rated IMHO .
 
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Hardbawl

New member
Just a thought. If it was tight and now it is loose something has changed. You are right in being concerned.

My everyday carry 1911 had no play when I bought it two years ago. Two years of daily carry and about 2500 rounds of my not so light handloads and it still has no play. I would expect no less from a quality firearm made out of heat treated machined steel that has been well cared for and lubricated.

Your pistol MAY have had a tight spot that has worn in. Then again it may have a soft slide or frame and is wearing out. If your inspection cannot determine which it is, it would be prudent to have it checked out.

Just my [never to be] humble opinion.
 
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WVsig

New member
New 1911s of the level of a Para often exhibit tighter tolernaces out of te box due to high spots which were not knocked down. After firing as few as 500 rounds those high spot will wear which is 100% normal. There is very little true fitting and finishing on a pistol like a Para. If there has been no loss of accuracy and no functions problems why would you need to take the gun to a smith?

To the OP what is the round count on the gun?
 
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TacticalDefense1911

New member
A tight slide to frame fit is overrated in my opinion and does little to nothing in terms of accuracy. If the gun was ultra tight from the factory and loosened up after only 620 rounds then I'd say the slide was not fit properly to the frame from the factory and it was tight in the wrong places and has since worn in. A tight gun like a Dan Wesson, Nighthawk, Wilson, Les Baer etc. will not show signs of loosening for a considerable amount of time because the frame to slide fit has a uniform clearance the length of the contact surface.
 
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GUAMY-70

New member
Loose slide? 620 rounds?

Frankly, I have two PARAS in open IPSC rig in 38 super, two p16-40s,half a dozen p14-45s,etc,etc..you get the picture.
I really like Paras.. In IPSA.[the hot dogs favor STE mostly.]
I shot NRA for years decades ago, and there, play in the gun was best at a minimum it was thought.
Tight in battery is most important to accuracy.

My old gold-cup is loose as a goose, and I use it for IDPA, as it eats any kind of ammo..it has many thousand rounds through it.

Now, in the new close range sports, [idpa-ipsc-steel challenge, etc.], reliability is most important.

So, as so well put above, my not so humble opinion is: If it shoots , shoot it. A lot.... Stop worrying.

If the play really bothers you that much, put the slide in a vise and squeeze it.
 
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rebs

New member
Loose slide? 620 rounds?
Frankly, I have two PARAS in open IPSC rig in 38 super, two p16-40s,half a dozen p14-45s,etc,etc..you get the picture.
I really like Paras.. In IPSA.[the hot dogs favor STE mostly.]
I shot NRA for years decades ago, and there, play in the gun was best at a minimum it was thought.
Tight in battery is most important to accuracy.

My old gold-cup is loose as a goose, and I use it for IDPA, as it eats any kind of ammo..it has many thousand rounds through it.

Now, in the new close range sports, [idpa-ipsc-steel challenge, etc.], reliability is most important.

So, as so well put above, my not so humble opinion is: If it shoots , shoot it. A lot.... Stop worrying.

If the play really bothers you that much, put the slide in a vise and squeeze it.
Click to expand...

I have read this before about squeezing the slide in a vise, is this a common practice to fixing a loose slide ? A guy in a gun shop in Dunkirk, NY told me he did it to his and then hand filed it to a perfect fit. If I tried something like that I would probably end up with a scrap slide.
 
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GUAMY-70

New member
Squeeze slide, etc.

Yeah, that's what gunsmiths do..
Filing is not good, unless it's fitting a new oddball slide to an oversized frame.. If you squeezed one, and it was too snug, just rap it with a rubber mallet on the sides a couple times to get it to slide to your satisfaction.. Built a para 'f' kit frame last year, man, what a lot of work that was. Those frames are a little oversize so you can get good fit with old slides and stuff. And, they are not ramped.
I now have some different slides/calibers that work with it now. Lots of work,but i like it when they are done..
Btw, rock island high cap guns are para clones, well, sort of.
Some dimensions are 'shifted' a bit, so lots of tweaking is required to swap parts around..they are not ramped, using regular gi type barrels..
 
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drail

Moderator
Way back in the old days I used to peen rails and squeeze slides until I finally had a Springfield slide crack from squeezing it just a little too far. The barrel lockup fit in the slide is far more important than the slide/frame fit. I have shot plenty of 1911s that rattled but still shot very tight groups simply because the barrel was locking up into the slide consistently. Worry about barrel/slide fit. Do not worry about slide/frame fit. In the late 90s I started noticing that Springfield Armory's slides were being fitted snugly to the frame only at the rear of the rails. They seemed very tight when a customer bought one but would tend to loosen up pretty quickly when fired (about 500 rounds). The accuracy didn't change when they loosened up.
 
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GUAMY-70

New member
PEENING,ETC..

Yeah, i peened some too. Especially my first 1911. If not binding, 1911s shoot pretty good. Biggie is the trigger pull on gi issue, but reworking the hammer, sear and 'adjusting' the mainspring will do wonders got accuracy [of the shooter], that is..
Heh heh
 
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