Slide lightening Limited .40

[Maks_H]

Can anyone tell me please how much weights factory slide and how much weights lightened slide. I am interested in a slide cuts like these http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=111095&st=25 post #27. How the recoil feels with lightened slide?

[CHA-LEE]

I can’t remember the exact slide weight of a .40 Limited slide but I do recall that the standard uncut weight of a Limited slide is a lot lighter than a 1911/2011 based gun. I think that if you are shooting major power factor loads the stock weight of the slide is pretty balanced to the load. My gun cycles perfectly and is balanced to my grip shooting major PF loads with an uncut slide and a 10lb recoil spring.

When I was experimenting I took 1oz out of the front of a Limited slide and I really didn’t like how it cycled. There wasn’t enough front end mass to snap the gun back down to a level position post shot when shooting major PF loads. The only way I could get the front sight to return correctly is if I physically gripped the gun a LOT harder.

I switched to using minor PF loads with the lightened slide and it cycles perfectly with an 8lb recoil spring. So I think that the weight distribution of the slide is very important to not only how the gun feels during firing, but also how the front sight returns post shot.

What is your goal in wanting to reduce the weight on the front of the gun? If you want the change for looks alone you might be screwing yourself by changing how it cycles. The 1911/2011 guns have really heavy slides when compared to the EAA/Tanfoglio guns so they pretty much have to chop a lot of weight out of the slide to get it down to the weight of a standard EAA/Tanfoglio slide.

I have been thinking about getting another slide to experiment with taking weight out of the back of it to see how it shoots. But since EAA/Tanfoglio does not sell just the slide and you have to buy a whole top end it is pretty expensive to experiment with this kind of stuff.

[pivoproseem]

My lightened slide weighs 333 grams..@11.75 oz. Not sure of the stock weight, but I think it was about 3/4 to 1 oz more. I'm running the heavy spring that came with the Limited, which is about a 12lbs. Here is a link to a vid of me and the gun. It works great for me. I don't think the slide lightening is a must, but it sure looks great!

[Dan-O-Mite]

I have both styles and find that for me the lightened slide is much better. The unlightened one is noticably heavier on the front end when I grip it. When shooting, that extra weight takes extra effort to control. The lightened one has much better balance in my hand and comes right back on target after a shot. I run a 12 lbs spring in both, I had a 10.75 lbs in the lightened one before, and it just seemed to be hammering pretty hard.

[Maks_H]

Now I am shooting Stock II which is 1/2" shorter than Limited and it feels front heavy. I am considering to go back in standard (limited), so I am looking for an options. My main goal with slide lightening is to take some weight in front, because I don't like muzzle heavy guns. I'll weight lightened STI classic slide and Stock II to see the difference. Thanks for help guys!

Edit: They weight almost the same, 340 grams or 11.99 oz.

Edited September 29, 2010 by Maks_H

[CHA-LEE]

If you are looking for a different muzzle weight distribution feel then you would probably be better off with shortening the dust cover on the frame. The full length dust cover on the Limited and Stock II pistols makes the gun feel front heavy in your hand. But the extra weight of the full dust cover offsets muzzle flip better than a short one. What really matters in the big picture is how well and consistent the gun tracks while shooting and not so much how it feels while not shooting. Pick your battles carefully or you may actually hurt your overall shooting performance.