Paul-the new guy Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Well I am convinced I bought the gun from hell, sent it to the chrome shop in hell and the demons off hell came home in the box with it and are doing everything they can to make me throw this POS in a damn river! I have had a custom built 2011 that was put together by a reputable smith for a couple of months. I say put together because the more I learn about these guns the more I learn how much was not done that should have been done on a custom built gun. The safety digs into my thumb on one side and the web of my hand on the other, I don't mean it rubs me a little, I mean it draws blood. It was never fit to the gun and radiused or deburred it is just a jagged mess. Someone, I don't know if it was the smith, the previous owner or the chrome shop pinned the grip safety with.....wait on it....a piece of a damn paper clip cut with a pair of dikes! Every time I turn around something is wrong with this gun! Right after buying this gun the first time I fired it with my own re-loads I had some light strikes, rounds that did not fire. Before messing with it I sent it to the chrome shop from hell. I am new to this and I don't know nuttin bout nuttin so I don't know whats right and whats wrong. They did a matte around satin chrome job....kind of. Turns out they just chromed whatever they wanted to however they wanted to including my Barsto match barrel, my EGW sear and my Koenig hammer. The slide stop was so tight after they did the chrome that THEY had to pry it out with a screw driver. This put pry markes on the freshly chromed frame, slide and tweaked and put pry marks in the freshly chromed slide stop. Seriously? They sand blasted the STI black magwell and attempted to chrome it, The magwell is porous and has holes and imperfictions all over it. It looked so bad I had to buy a new magwell. They chromed the sear and hammer which didn't do much for the trigger job the smith intended the gun to have. They either didn't chrome the disconnector or they picked a junk one up off the floor because it was incorrect for the hammer and sear and was blued. I was having a heck of a time developing a load for this gun, nothing wanted to feed. I finally got an OAL of 1.185 to feed fairly reliably. The first match I tried to shoot was a disaster, I had hammer follow because of all of the above issues. During the match after cycling the slide like 5 times I tried to cock the hammer back by hand it didn't stay the gun fired and the slide whacked my thumb cutting it. It was the last stage and I managed to finish the match. Everyone at the match told me to go talk to a local gunsmith that was there shooting. I spoke with him and he left with my gun. He called me later in the week, told me what the gun needed and gave me a price to fix it. I agreed, and he did the work. He replaced all of the trigger parts, cut the feed ramp and did a bunch of other stuff. He also told me slide glide smells worse than the sewers of hell. lol I picked the gun up today and we talked for quite some time. He told me the ejector is a little too short but he trued it up and did the best he could with it. He said I should really upgrade to an aftec extractor. He showed me on the barrel where it meets the barrel bridge how it is cut differently than it really should be and several other things.... Any way, I leave pretty happy and several hundred dollars poorer. Then, when I get home I take the gun appart to admire the work he did and I notice there is a small crack in the slide. I am beside myself over this. This gun has less than 500 rounds through it! It is a brazos slide, I am wondeing if they would do anything. I am also wondering if it really matters. Here are a couple of pictures.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihatepickles Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 A little more info please, does your pistol use a bushing setup or a bull barrel? When I saw the pic, my first thought (with incomplete info) is the reverse plug caused that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul-the new guy Posted October 9, 2011 Author Share Posted October 9, 2011 The pistol has a bull barrel and uses a reverse plug. The reverse plug does not seem to fit tightly and I would not think that caused the crack but I don't know for sure, The reverse plug has like groves cut into the outside of it and it was also chromed, I assume that is how it was made and that it should have been chromed. I called the smith that just worked on the gun and sent him pic's. He said he has never seen a slide crack there. He had suggested earlier that I put a shock buff in the gun and said that will probably help keep the slide from cracking further as that is the area of the slide that bangs into the frame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Cheely Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 I'd keep shooting it and monitor the crack. If it turns into a bigger problem, STI will probably replace the slide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul-the new guy Posted October 12, 2011 Author Share Posted October 12, 2011 I have had a TON of issues with my "new" Limited gun. Now I have some repair options and not enough experience to make an informed decision. The slide is cracked, it is a small crack on the bottom of the area where the reverse plug goes. Option 1. The chrome shop, who did bad things to my gun and I have no trust in, who's owner talks a very good game and freely admits that he is the finest 1911/2011 gunsmith on the planet, is willing to take the slide and bore a hole where the crack is and tig weld it back up and then re-chrome the whole thing. This will provide a durable and almost undetectable repair. This option put the gun out of service for a couple of weeks and is free except for the shipping. Money is a factor! Option 2. Bob Londrigan has offered me a replacement slide. I have to send him the complete top end of the gun and he will go through several slides and find the one that has the best fit for the barrel. The replacement slide will probably need to be fit to the gun. I have no idea if it will be able to be fit to the same the same quality as the original slide and barrel. The gun will be out of service for a couple of weeks and the expense for the slide would be free except shipping. The slide would be in the white so I would have to get it chromed, $150.00 I am guessing and then there would be the additional expense of whatever gun smitihing is required to fit the slide barrel and frame as much as possible. I have no idea what that expense would be. Option 3. Quit worrying about it and shoot it until it breaks in half. This is the only real free option, however it comes with the cost of reduced re-sale value. I am not a keeper, I have been shooting for almost 2 years and I have been through a LOT of guns. I always think I will "keep this one" but it has not happened yet. That being the case, being able to sell this at some point is important to me. The only option that I don't think will have an impact on the resale value is number 2 which is also going to be the most expensive. I am looking for opinions, what would you do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Merricks Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Threads merged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Cheely Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Option 3 is my recommendation. Option 2 is never going to fit as good as original. Option 1 seems like you're not comfortable with, and I've seen too many slides with welding on them crack down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul-the new guy Posted October 12, 2011 Author Share Posted October 12, 2011 Matt, what do you think this would do to ever being able to sell it some day? Not that I ever will... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aircooled6racer Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Hello: As an old German road racing friend says "run the sh!t". I would keep using it untill something happens or maybe nothing will happen. Either way you will be able to enjoy the pistol right now. If something happens in the future get Bob to fit another slide to the frame which will turn out great. Thanks, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLM Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Option 3 is my recommendation. Option 2 is never going to fit as good as original. Option 1 seems like you're not comfortable with, and I've seen too many slides with welding on them crack down the road. What about drilling a small hole at the end of the crack as a stress relief? Would that keep it from cracking more? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Cheely Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 You could drill a hole, it couldn't hurt. I'm sure it's going to reduce your resale value, how much I couldn't tell for sure. But if you're talking about fitting a new slide, chrome, etc; I wouldn't think that the resale would be reduced as much as that would all cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny hill Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 How light a recoil spring are you running? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul-the new guy Posted October 12, 2011 Author Share Posted October 12, 2011 It is a 12.5# spring and no shock buff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Hey Matt, How about using a "Flange" style Reverse Plug? You would have to mill off the area of the crack to get it to fit? That would only work if the crack is not to deep? Sparky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunfixer Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Hey Matt, How about using a "Flange" style Reverse Plug? You would have to mill off the area of the crack to get it to fit? That would only work if the crack is not to deep? Sparky It'd drive ME nuts, and I would likely email the pics to STI and follow it with a phone call. They are REALLY GOOD FOLKS and will likely tell you to send it to them (Perhaps the whole gun..) and see what happens.. 'Couldn't hurt, but if it does.. "Drive-r till the wheels fall off..!!" Good luck, and sorry bud.., That really sucks.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlennRasch Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 (edited) Are you running a full dust cover..? If your are, mill the crack off and run it........ Edited October 13, 2011 by S&W WHEELNUT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul-the new guy Posted October 13, 2011 Author Share Posted October 13, 2011 The gun does have a full length dust cover so the crack is not cosmetic at all. I have the FL state match in a few weeks I am for sure just going to shoot the heck out of it until then and shoot it at the match and then re-evaluate the situation. I shot it last night but only 100 rounds I am happy to report that it did not break in half....yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Boudrie Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Bob Landrigan is offering you one hell of a deal. If you can get him to debur the safety you can probably end up with a decent serviceable gun but, as a matter of practicality, once you start dealing with this sort of thing (gun from big name smith goes to a noname to get screwed up, and then back to the big name) you may have a "Frankengun" that is very useful but won't have the market value of a pristine one from Brazos. If money is a big issue, you could consider a two-tone effect with a blued upper. About 20 years ago, this was the rage (once Rob Leatham and other big names did it, everyone concluded there must be something to the stories about if offering less glare off the top when shooting), and it's still a perfectly fine way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunfixer Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 (edited) Wow.. That slide exchange & refit, etc.. offer is a smokin' GREAT one..! But, since it's never going to be seen and will not effect the function... Repair it yourself: (There is allot of satisfaction in this too, maybe it'll help yah feel a 'lil better..) Find the stopping point of the crack, and mill or cleanly cut it off squarely right there, then sand/ polish/ buff the cut edges, cold blue them.. Do not cut more than absolutely necessary though! If the cold blued edge bothers you, touch it up w/ a Silver Sharpie Marker.. Done.. I believe you may really need a correctly fitting reverse plug, not the loose fit mentioned, and may also need to address or re-evaluate your spring weight.. "A half pound can make you or break you..." I don't think you mentioned if you shoot major or minor loads? Which finishing shop was the gun sent to? Inquiring minds WANT to know.. Just my .02 Edited October 13, 2011 by gunfixer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul-the new guy Posted October 13, 2011 Author Share Posted October 13, 2011 Wow.. That slide exchange & refit, etc.. offer is a smokin' GREAT one..! Bobs offer is generous, however it is only to replace the slide. The re-fit is on me. I don't know the cost but whatever it is right now I don't have it. I am a B.A.M.F. broke ass mo fo I believe you may really need a correctly fitting reverse plug, not the loose fit mentioned How should it fit? When I took the gun apart last night it looked as though it had been moving or spinning in the slide..... you may also need to address or re-evaluate your spring weight.. "A half pound can make you or break you..." I don't think you mentioned if you shoot major or minor loads? I shoot .40 S&W Major. So, you think the recoil spring it too heavy or too light? The gunsmith that just re-did the trigger and all of the latest work changed the main/hammer spring. It is a much heavier spring and it changed the way the gun handles a lot. He didn't do anything with the recoil spring. I am pretty trusting of him although he told me never use slide glide again Just changing the main spring made the gun a whole diferent animal. It was much flatter before and I didn't lose the front sight during recoil like I seem to now. Just a learning curve I am sure. Which finishing shop was the gun sent to? Inquiring minds WANT to know.. Just my .02 My take on this is no one intended to sell me a gun, or a service that did not preform. I am not going to put the name out there. I think that the owner of the shop trys to put out a quality product but he told me yesterday "I don't touch every gun" he also said "the boy that assembled your gun just built himself a gun from parts so he knows what he is doing" Of course my first thought was.... I know where he got the ignition components. The shop is very busy, he said he does all STI's work and all of Dawson's work to him my gun was just another gun. To me it represents a large cash outlay that was made in hopes of progressing to another level in a sport that I am loving. I thought buy once cry once would apply but in this case I bought once and I have cried at least 3 times so far. $.02 dude don't sell yourself short that was at leat $.05 worth! Seriously Thank You! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunfixer Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Okay.. .05 worth.. 'Not sure why the main spring effected the action so greatly, but I suggest (Pretty standard..) a 13# to 14# recoil spring, or.. Although I just changed mine out, perhaps a recoil-master. Good luck w/ it Sir, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Merricks Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Okay.. .05 worth.. 'Not sure why the main spring effected the action so greatly, but I suggest (Pretty standard..) a 13# to 14# recoil spring, or.. Although I just changed mine out, perhaps a recoil-master. Good luck w/ it Sir, Not worth shooting if I had to run something that heavy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunfixer Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Okay.. .05 worth.. 'Not sure why the main spring effected the action so greatly, but I suggest (Pretty standard..) a 13# to 14# recoil spring, or.. Although I just changed mine out, perhaps a recoil-master. Good luck w/ it Sir, Not worth shooting if I had to run something that heavy. O-kay... Perhaps a suggestion could take the guess work out of that.? What do you recommend? 'Don't think anyone's fishing for controversy, just help for a fellow enthusiast... Anyway.. It's my personal opinion that less than 13# w/.40 Major may possibly feel a slight bit flatter, but is perhaps a bit more battering to the firearm itself than I care to have the possibility of contending with later.. His pistola is a 'lil peak-ed already.. ** Shooting ANY-which-way is better than not, any 'ole day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Merricks Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 A discussion for another thread, but the lightest spring possible to reliably cycle the gun is the spring I would choose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul-the new guy Posted October 14, 2011 Author Share Posted October 14, 2011 I don't really know why the recoil changed so much either. I am guessing that it is taking more force to cock the hammer since the spring that was in there was too light and too short. Compared to the spring is in the gun now it is night and day. When I would cock the hammer with my thumb with the old spring in the gun there was almost no resistance. So, since there is more force required to push the hammer back the result is mor muzzle rise??? maybe?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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