Hi, I just have a quick question. When the slide of my full-size Mil-Spec 1911 is in full lock-up, should the slide stop pin be free to rotate?
What I'm getting at is that I don't know if the barrel is fit properly. Say I install the slide stop but leave it hang down instead of clicking it into place. Should the pin be able to pivot freely or with little resistance? Or is it ok that it is very snug until ease the pressure off by moving the slide back a millimeter or so? Is this a fair test of barrel fit?
There are many things that make up a good barrel fit, but if you're pistol is in battery (slide all the way forward), the slide stop should NOT be dangling loose. This means you're not getting proper hard contact at the back of the legs.
Traxxis, thank you very much. I've been reading all over the stickies and other threads and so often they are so indepth that my itty-bitty brain starts spinning. That's why I asked here and your answer was just what I needed to know.
Try this: 1. Fold a piece of computer paper over to double its thickness.
2. Lock back the slide.
3. Place the corner of the folded over paper on your breechface and close the slide on it so that the barrel hood traps the paper against the breechface.
4. Check for slide stop tightness in this condition.
Most factory 1911 have some barrel end play that allows the barrel to move forward and aft in the slide. The paper will eliminate the end play and simulate how the pistol opperates while firing. Here is an X-ray photo of a 1911 showing the barrel lockup right before the round had left the barrel.
Notice that the barrel is pushed fully forward against the slide locking lugs?
This is what we simulate with the paper.
Put another way, if the slide stop magically disappeared into thin air when an M1911A1 was fired, the empty case would be ejected and got ejected to left when the empty case got ejected to the right, upon returning to battery the slide and barrel would sail off the front of the frame!
Quote:
Put another way, if the slide stop magically disappeared into thin air when
an M1911A1 was fired, the empty case would be ejected and upon returning to
battery - the slide and barrel would sail off the front of the frame!
If this magic is involved, what would initiate link down, and what would keep the slide from battering the radial lugs without the slide stop pin doing it's job. And does the slide and barrel hit the bullseye?
Quote:
If this magic is involved, what would initiate link down, and what would
keep the slide from battering the radial lugs without the slide stop pin doing
it's job.
I guess that would involve a little too much magic, so I fixed up my post. Thanks.
Quote:
Is this a fair test of barrel fit?
If what you're trying to do is see how well a gunsmith-fit barrel is fitted to the gun:
* With only the barrel and bushing installed in the slide and the barrel fully up in the slide as when in battery, there no be little or no fore-aft movement of the barrel in the slide. But the average mil-spec will have about 0.012" of movement.
* Fully assembled, in battery, there should be no gap between the barrel hood and breech face. But the average mil-spec will have a 0.006" gap.
* Fully assembled, in battery, there should be no up-down play of the barrel at either its muzzle end or at its chamber end, force on barrel exerted by a wooden dowel in the barrel. But the average mil-spec will have play.
* When the slide of the fully assembled gun is about 1/4" out of battery, the barrel forced aft and it's chamber end lifted up (wooden dowel) the top of the barrel must not touch the underside of the slide and there should be some gap between the two. Same for a mil-spec.
* When the slide of the assembled gun is back, the slide stop arm must be free to swing when the barrel is forced all the way back with its chamber end on the bed in the frame - and there should be no gap between the barrel and bed. Same for a mil-spec.
* Headspace must be within SAAMI limits of 0.898" to 0.920". Same for a mil- spec.