[Limited to open. Costa comp carry]

You could always do a 357sig open gun, factory ammo makes major and runs a comp excellent. If its a 2011 you get 28 rnds in the gun with the big stick and due to the necked down ammo it feeds reliable as hell.

[Replacement Screws for the Leupold Deltapoint Pro]

Black-Oxide Class 10.9 Alloy Steel
M4 × 0.7 mm
16	Fully Threaded	8	2.3	2.5	120,000	DIN 7991, ISO 10642	100	91294A194	$5.55

 IMO these should work, as far as the strength goes but they are still a small screw...lol. 

[Replacement Screws for the Leupold Deltapoint Pro]

You should try McMaster-Carr 

[another cracked slide!]

22 hours ago, xdnok said:

The slides were not tri-topped just flat topped. The first slide cracked on the top at the front center between the popple hole cutout and the end of the slide and the other was on the left side of slide just in front of the breach face.

It may be the picture but it almost looks like there is a crack at the bottom of the slide also in line with the crack in the popple hole slot ? Also notice the barrel wear mark on the one that cracked at the breech face, the wear mark looks to be in same location as the start of the crack ? 

[Got it, slower powders for 9 major!]

20 hours ago, kneelingatlas said:

 

A time bomb?!?

 

Is it possible you're being a little dramatic?  You also reference "so many close calls", can you give an example?

 

Granted I've only been shooting 9 major a little under five years, but I have experienced nothing more dramatic than a stepped case coming apart, nor have spoken to anyone who has experience a 9 major mishap which caused permanent damage to personal or property.  Have you experienced something like that?

 

Vihtavuori lists a 9x21 major load which can be loaded in a 9x19 case: 9.4gr of 3n38 under a 115gr JHP at 1.161" for 171pf (which happens to be my favorite load).  I'm willing to assume Vihtavuori would not publish a load which didn't fall within SAAMI specifications for pressure, would you call that a same assumption?

Yes, you are correct there are loads that will make major and can be loaded in a 9X19. What I meant by ticking time bomb is when shooters decide to use a powder that isn't suitable for this and exceed the charts by quite a bit. I guess you could do this with other calibers but I seem to see it more looking at loads for the 9 major. Yes I have seen quite a few case head separations, from the minor ones to the ones that blow out the magazine. Seen a chamber split and lock the gun up but I couldn't be sure of the cause. My point is that using anything but the slowest powder is just asking for trouble and looking at burn rate charts to come up with a load is not a good idea. I've seen guys loads on this forum that exceed the charts by quite a bit with a particular powder and I'm sure you have too.  

[dawson compensators]

I know if enough people bug Dave he will make a run of them, he has done it from time to time. I don't know if the a zone one is the same but I do know the Latest gen Dawson is the flattest, softest shooting comp I have found personally. Dave Pruitt, at Gundoc.com also made one that was very similar and works equally well.

[Got it, slower powders for 9 major!]

    It is unfortunate that what most of us take for granted reloading any cartridge is often overlooked by some. I believe a lot is due to them being new to reloading as well as being naive as to just how bad things can go wrong. Every burn rate chart I've ever seen says that you can't use this as a basis for load development. 

     I agree with WacoKid, in that when these practices are overlooked it causes most of the problems for shooters and gunbuilders alike. What may work for one gun with a certain barrel twist, throat dimension, chamber dimension, or COAL plays a huge part with that load being somewhat safe. As far as the 9 major cartridge goes, it is a ticking timebomb and extra care has to be taken to reload this. I wouldn't classify it as a wildcat because most wildcat cartridges at least stay within the pressure boundaries of the parent case design.

    9 major runs at pressures that far exceed what is considered safe for the cartridge and you have to go large percentages over the charts to make the PF. I have never seen a cartridge in any organized shooting that has had so many close calls and still be allowed. 

[Got it, slower powders for 9 major!]

As a rule you want to use the slowest burning powder that will make major with the case capacity you are working with. This usually will feel softer and makes the most gas to work the comp. This applies to all the open calibers but IMO more in a 9 major. The COAL is going to play a big part in how much pressure is made, seating a bullet even a slight amount deeper with the same powder charge can increase pressure a lot. There are other ways to lower the pressure spike in a particular load like the twist rate of the barrel or more free bore.

Over many years I have seen many open guns experience things breaking and cracking from pushing the limits of what the design and material were meant to handle. The cause from these were usually able to be figured out and smiths were able to build better more reliable guns. Then came the 9 major with the rule change and the amount of guns breaking has gone way up and this is no coincidence. I think there are things that can be done to help lower the chances of breaking something in the loading of the 9 major pistols.

[another cracked slide!]

   Another thing about this situation is the OP said they had a 10# spring in the gun and went to an 8# spring because it shot better. I assume better means softer and /or flatter. I'm sure it did since the lighter spring takes less force to cycle the slide, and it might have been slamming the slide into the frame. This could have helped the slide to crack also, but I don't know without inspection.

    As far as WAC powder, I do not use this and IMO it is too fast burning to make major with any weight bullet. Wacokid may be partially right in that using these fast burning powders is a cause of slide cracking. IMO there is nothing safe about 9 major from a loading standpoint, making major PF with a 9mm exceeds the loading charts by large amounts. This is a whole different issue and topic though...lol.

[another cracked slide!]

    The problem is the slides and not the powder. There are multiple reasons slides will crack starting with the manufacturing process, which seems to be a problem with STI slides. There is also the hardening process of the metal which can impact how well the slide holds up. It has to be hard enough to be strong and soft enough not to be brittle. The machine and finishing work can also lead to cracks due to sharp corners left in the metal smaller than you can see. These spots will eventually start to run in the metal and form a crack that will keep travelling until it exits the piece. Slide cuts and material removal in the wrong location and amount can lead to flexing which will eventually lead to a crack. Tool marks left in slide cuts are also another way to create the possibility of cracks.

     STI slides seem to crack more than others for some reason, so until they seem to get this fixed I would stay away from them.  

 

[Crack in 3 week old slide]

On 3/28/2017 at 5:09 PM, JRM83 said:

This look like the beginning of a crack around the ejection port? It continues up the slide, over the ejection port, and back down the other side a bit. 

 

 

See how this crack seems to start at the end of the rough lines from the flaring of the ejection port, tool and machine marks and sharp edges are often the cause of cracks starting in metal. The fact that STI has made low quality slides for a while now is no secret, why any custom builder would use an STI slide is beyond me. There are other factors that cause slides to fail besides them being a bad slide to start with that have to do with the way machining and finishing is done on the slide, or any metal part for that matter.  

[More AFTEC]

The extractor is made to be fit to the slide, these are not drop in unless you just get lucky. Slide dimensions are not exactly the same, so just as most parts in a 1911/2011 they must be hand fit. These are by far the best extractors on the market and when fit properly will work flawlessly.

[Shooter Induced Sear Bounce]

1 hour ago, BallisticExpansion said:

Exactly what I was thinking when my smith told me I was creating the issue.   

Yeah it was painful to spend all that time and money too. Especially for someone in my position (full time student, part time employee). 

 

Just about anyone can fit a single part to a 1911. But how it works with the other parts is the key and probably the most difficult part of the job. 

 

Also I wanted to add something I forgot. The 2nd smith even had a "well known" smith he is friends with come in and he couldn't figure out my problem either. I don't know how much time he spent looking at it, but technically 3 smiths at least looked at it. Wow. 

 

   You would be surprised how many " gunsmiths" can't fit parts on a 1911/2011, I have seen so many hack jobs its ridiculous. The worst part about it is when you see a shooter take there gun to a local "well known" gunsmith and he does a crap job, they don't really say much because they don't want to offend anyone. The inexperienced shooters are worse because they don't even know they got screwed, or the ones who are embarrassed to tell you they got ripped off. When I say there are a few guys that do triggers that are done right, I mean a few as in maybe a half dozen in my whole state. Then there's the guy that drops thousands of dollars on a new race gun and after he gets it has to send it to someone else to get a decent trigger, because the builder can cut and measure but couldn't get the trigger right. He is embarrassed to tell anyone that, and doesn't want to offend the "well Known " smith's fans...lol.

    I have been in your shoes and it sucks but I will tell you this, find a reputable smith to do your stuff. By reputable I mean a guy that if he can't fix the issue doesn't charge you for not doing the job. You may pay a little more but you will get the quality and reliability you expect. Also don't buy into the "well known" BS, they can either fix it or they can't. If they can't fix it don't be afraid to call there ass out if they try to charge you, tell them to put your old parts back and go elsewhere...you owe them nothing because they failed to do the job. If I were to take my gun to a smith and they tell me they can do a job and its not right, you better believe I would tell the whole world about it....its how you stop them from ripping off the next guy because he will go somewhere else.  

      

[Best slide choice for 2011 open gun]

45 minutes ago, Ssanders224 said:

 

Seriously, if you can hold off for a little while you should.

The PT slides will be a huge improvement over current options in many ways. 

What kind of improvements?

[Shooter Induced Sear Bounce]

Seriously guys, I'm glad you seemed to have found the fix to your issues.

     My point is that the design of the 1911/2011 trigger has been around for over 100 years and it works, if done properly. Nothing you can do is going to make it not work as it is supposed to, unless something is wrong. We lighten the triggers to make the guns shoot better and it requires more skill by the gunsmith to do this than a standard G.I. trigger. The unfortunate part is there are very few gunsmiths who truly understand how to do this properly so it works reliably, safely, and lasts.

    There is nothing more painful to watch than a shooter who's equipment is not working, whats worse is to see them get taken advantage of by supposed gunsmiths. Just because some assjack buys all the tools and jigs from Brownells, watches a few how to videos, this doesn't make them a gunsmith. If you get your gun to someone who knows what they are doing, they will figure out the problem. A knowledgeable smith will check everything, as it is many parts all working together that make the trigger work properly. 

     

[Best slide choice for 2011 open gun]

Caspian...no question

[Shooter Induced Sear Bounce]

Loose grip....hmmm imagine that.....LMAO!!!! Guess those "well known" smiths forgot to check that...

[Open gun with Cracked slide.]

18 minutes ago, tyler2you said:

I think that thinning the slide around the ejection port like that was a bad idea.  Not enough weight saving to make that worthwhile and it's the area most prone to cracking.

Exactly, these new cuts they are making on the slides thins the metal to much for the amount of weight they save. Thinning down the material instead of making a full cut in another location for equal weight savings is not a good idea. There is a bunch of reasons the cuts made on that particular slide were a bad Idea, but there is also another cause to this crack. The cuts may have helped speed the process but they were not the main cause, and shock buffs are only a bandaid to an improperly tuned gun. The slide should never contact that area of the gun or it will fail, cut or not. 

[Open gun with Cracked slide.]

18 minutes ago, Sarge said:

There was a time frame where STI put out some faulty slides. When mine cracked at the ejection port Matt said STI would replace it so it cost very little to get the gun up and running again

Sarge is right about the STI slides, they seemed to have had problems with them. You should not need to purchase anything but a replacement slide and be able to reuse all the other parts. I would talk to another gunsmith as it shouldn't be 1.5k , seems a little much.

A gun that is fit and tuned properly should never break the slide, but a slide that was not made properly to start with will always break. There are a ton of variables that go into making a slide such as the metal you start with, how it is machined, the hardening process and how it is lightened to a degree. Open guns push the 1911/2011 platform to its limits and I would say 9 major even more so, but a properly built open gun should never have a slide break. I have seen open guns with over 100k rounds through them with the same slide and frame....no issues when the PF was at 180 and now that it is much lower this shouldn't be an issue at all. A gun that is sprung too light, out of time and basically not fit right will beat itself to death in a very short time.

[Shooter Induced Sear Bounce]

On 2/10/2017 at 4:54 PM, Racinready300ex said:

So the answer for him is try a 3rd smith? 3rd time is the charm I guess

 

     The answer is to get it to someone who knows what they are doing. It was a nice way of saying if his trigger is doing what he is saying then the ones that have worked on this didn't know what they were doing. There are plenty of gunsmiths that can't do a descent 1911 trigger and probably have no business even messing with one.  

     If it is the holes in the frame are out of spec as Beerbaron  mentioned, then this should have been discovered with the first trigger job attempt. I would think if the holes are in fact out of spec then the frame manufacturer should fix this at there cost. As far as grip pressure being the cause of such an issue that is going to have to be explained. I know guys who can grip a 2011 to the point the mag won't come out including myself, but can't make that affect the sear releasing. I have however seen a grip that was loose and would move enough to affect the trigger and how it worked.  

      As far as the the money that has been spent on the 2 trigger jobs that obviously do not work properly, it should be refunded so he can pay a reputable smith to fix this pistol. IMO the hardest part of a 1911 build is the trigger and is the most important to get right for safety as well as shootability.

[Shooter Induced Sear Bounce]

58 minutes ago, TONY BARONE said:

The diagrams are incorrect . If you want to see the correct hammer sear relationship go to 1911.com forum the experts are there. My race guns have 14-16oz. triggers with 26,000 rounds thru them without an issue. It's a long learning curve doing trigger jobs. Extreme sear,Keonig hammer, Extreme lite disco, Colt sear spring,ISMI 17# ms. However everything needs massaging. When it's done correctly you can not do anything with your finger to not make it work unless you are Rob Leatham or Matt McLearn.

 

Exactly, you may want to get that to someone with a little more knowledge on 1911 triggers. Something is wrong with what you have....simple as that.

[compensator torque questions]

This should solve your problem 

LOCTITE 648

Retaining Compound - high strength. High temperature resistance. Ideal for retention of parts with a clearance or interference fit. LOCTITE 648 is designed for the bonding of cylindrical fitting parts. The product cures when confined in the absence of air between close-fitting metal surfaces and prevents loosening and leakage due to shock and vibration. It exhibits a robust curing performance. The product also works on passive substrates and offers high-temperature performance and good oil tolerance.

Your benefits

High temperature resistance

Proven to be tolerant of minor contamination due to industrial oils

High strength on all metals, including passive substrates (e.g. stainless steel)

Ideal for retention of parts with a clearance or interference fit

[Popple holes, how much do they help?]

10 hours ago, ShortBus said:

 

 

 

Id love to hear more about what you've found 

The stuff I've done is hardly scientific but i did try to take as much of the human part out of the way when I've tinkered with this stuff. I made a few things to be able to test how stuff worked because I found early on that you can't really feel or see the differences. I have been messing with this stuff since I had my first open pistol in 1991 and to be quite honest the advancement in that amount of time from this industry as a whole hasn't been much. I have purchased a few of the "new" comps and want to play with them to see how they work.  My goal has been to try and find the combination that shot with the least dot movement and softest. There is no one part that does that, it is all of the components working together that do this, there isn't any one single magical part that is the end all modification. I will tell you one of the things I found that made a substantial difference wasn't barrel holes...lol. 

[Popple holes, how much do they help?]

From what i have seen the barrel holes (popples or hybrid ports) are only a part of a combination that will make an open gun move the least during recoil. The location and size of these make a difference along with the comp they are used with. The powder comes into play with the amount of gas and pressures generated to operate the system as a whole, and don't forget the springs are also part of the equation.  I have a drawer full of barrels and comps and have put together many configurations tinkering with to see the differences. 

[Popple holes, how much do they help?]

There is a huge difference between the hybrid holes and the popple holes. The hybrid holes are tapered and work like a velocity stack. The popple holes are usually just straight holes drilled in the barrel. Shuemann designed the hybrid ports to make the gas exit more smooth which increased the thrust downward more so than just a hole drilled into the barrel.