Topic: 1911 slide stop notch, Repairing a slide

original: homegunsmith.com
Retrieved: November 03, 2011
Last Post: August 12, 2008

Dale_R
Aug. 05 2008

Forgive me if this has already been addressed, but I have a slide that has the stop notch wallowed out by a bad slide stop. I intend to fill the damaged area and recut the notch.

How was the notch originally cut? With a shaper? I don't see how it's possible to cut that sharp of an angle otherwise.


artie
Aug. 06 2008

My guess would be that feature is forged or cast into the slide.

I'm looking at repairing one as well.

From the print, the back of the slot is 8 degrees forward of the vertical. The depth of the notch in the vertical axis (as you hold the gun) is 0.014 - 0.028" less than the height of the bottom slide rail which is 0.116 - 0.0120". The radius at the top of the notch is listed as 0.031" max.

I'm thinking plan A is clean it up with a file or scraper. Plan B is a series of pecks with a 1/16" carbide end mill followed by cleanup with a file. Plan C is welding up an extended slide stop if I have to go too far back. Plan D is putting a small drop of something hard but not too hard down with a tig torch and repeating plan B. I havn't decided what the filler ought to be and am open to suggestions.

Up to plan C just requires cold blue to refinish, and I don't see how setting the stop slot back a little would hurt. You might loose a little travel if you reload by dropping the slide stop, but I only do the full coarse motor skill overhand rack of the slide drill myself.

You go first and let me know how it goes :D

Seriously, we can't be the first to have this problem and somebody around here has fixed or tried to fix it before.


MikeB
Aug. 06 2008

Remember if you are welding 4140, you must preheat to 500 F then normalize at 750 F. Kuhnhousen mentions that slides are apt to warp.


Blindhogg
Aug. 06 2008 Don't weld on that slide, do what I do and just open the slide stop notch on the slide more to the rear with a very very small end mill and a milling machine.
Dale_R
Aug. 12 2008

I don't think a cleanup will suffice in this case. The gouge goes back a ways. See the enclosed photo. I've had good luck in the past using heat control paste, so I'm hoping that I can add just a little high carbon metal and recut the notch.

I suppose that if the slide was soft enough to be this easily damaged by an out-of-spec slide stop, that it will have to be re-heat-treated again, anyway. It would be cheaper to buy a new slide - except I've wanted a heat-treating oven for a couple of years, now.


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