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My Slide Cracked!?!


Ssanders224

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I had mine crack a few months ago on a Springfield 1911 called them and they payed all the shipping fees and gave me a whole new slide and internals and re-blued the gun and tuned it up all for free and even gave me an extra mag. But I didn't tweak the gun or have any cuts in it. The slide cracked along the front serrations almost perfectly looked to be some weak metal.

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Hello: I am thinking the recoil spring was too long causing the spring to go into coil bind. I think the spring was not allowing the slide to come into contact with the guide rod like it should. Thanks, Eric

Thanks for the suggestion, but nope.

I run standard Wolf springs, and the slide makes nice solid contact at the back of the cycle.

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  • 5 months later...

So....I just wanted to update this thread.

I had to have an entire new top end put on my gun. I waited several months, and got it back, and thought all was well.

I have used the gun in 3 matches, and a few practice sessions. I'd say about 1500 rounds through the new top end.

WELL, MY NEW CASPIAN SLIDE IS NOW CRACKED AGAIN!

The crack is in a different spot, and I just noticed it last night while cleaning. I have babied the gun and made no changes since I got it back from the Gunsmith.

What the hell is going on. This is ruining the sport for me. I pay a lot of money and wait so that I can have a quality gun that will last, and I can focus on competing, but it just breaks again.

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He should stand behind it and he should move you to the front of the line to get you up and running

You'd think so huh?

He has yet to offer any help, or communicate that he is going to stand behind his work.

I do not have a backup gun, and this has the potential to ruin my season and progress.

Like I said, the headaches Ive gone through with this gun are ruining the sport for me.

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The first was an STI slide, this is a Capian.

I just shot a couple hundred rounds through the gun and it did not change. I guess I will shoot it until it does.

I cannot see the other side very well, so I cannot tell much about it. I might take it to work and see if dye pen will tell me anything.

Edited by Ssanders224
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Trouble with severe cracks around the slide, if that baby lets loose completely you may well look like the bad guy on Sin City, a 1911 slide stuck in your forehead.

Maybe try a slide without so many lightening cuts, sure is a key sign when the cracks are all at the cut areas though, and make sure you're using proper recoil spring weight. For a lightened slide in a Limited .40 I'd think a 12 lb or heavier would be best. You can go lighter with a heavier slide, but I'd not go lighter with less weight.

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Trouble with severe cracks around the slide, if that baby lets loose completely you may well look like the bad guy on Sin City, a 1911 slide stuck in your forehead.

Maybe try a slide without so many lightening cuts, sure is a key sign when the cracks are all at the cut areas though, and make sure you're using proper recoil spring weight. For a lightened slide in a Limited .40 I'd think a 12 lb or heavier would be best. You can go lighter with a heavier slide, but I'd not go lighter with less weight.

I run a 12lb spring. The Smith recommended and 11lb.

As to the cuts, the are a very common type of cut. And the Smith has "cut hundreds of slides that way and hasn't had one crack".

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Maybe try a slide without so many lightening cuts, sure is a key sign when the cracks are all at the cut areas though,

We don't know where the crack is on the second slide. And I would be willing to bet (99.9% sure) the crack on the first slide started at the plug housing and worked up. Now I'm sure the lightening sped the crack up once it started, but that's not what caused it.

Edited by jrbet83
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Steven, I feel for you my friend. No one should have to go through this much less twice. On my Gans 2011 when Gary returned it to me he sent me a note about the recoil spring. His parts list called for a 14 lb recoil spring so I bought an ISMI spring and sent it to him. In his note he told me that I may want to watch the ejection pattern because the spring only "tested" at 11.75 lbs and that Wolff springs are more consistent. I know everyone has there own thoughts and preferences on spring preferences just saying. I did purchase a 14 lb Wolff spring and will put it in the gun before I run any ammo through it. Good luck with this and if I can offer anything let me know.

Walter

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Check the head of your guide rod, if it has a sharp 90 degree angle that meets the slide round it off. This can be part of the problem that caused the slide to crack.

Rich

Sorry to hear that this happened twice.

Im also interested on what would be causing this.

When you say the head of the guide rod, are you referring to its back end, near the barrel link area? Sorry could not put an image in my head but if that is the one, that wont make contact to the slide though and it would only be the reverse plug that gets banged in which case I would have thought that it would be the reverse plug that would firstly fail before the slide does...or at least I thought.

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What ammo did you run through the Caspian top end? If you reload , have you chrono'd it? Do you chamber check the rounds? Did you notice any other places that seemed affected ? Any bulge in the chamber?

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Check the head of your guide rod, if it has a sharp 90 degree angle that meets the slide round it off. This can be part of the problem that caused the slide to crack.

Rich

Sorry to hear that this happened twice.

Im also interested on what would be causing this.

When you say the head of the guide rod, are you referring to its back end, near the barrel link area? Sorry could not put an image in my head but if that is the one, that wont make contact to the slide though and it would only be the reverse plug that gets banged in which case I would have thought that it would be the reverse plug that would firstly fail before the slide does...or at least I thought.

It would be the front side of the guide rod head that can impact into that 90 degree corner where the spring tunnel and slide body meet.

As to the slide coming off the back of the gun, it would hard to do unless the crack starts behind the radius that is made when the rail cut is made.

Rich

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I don't think the finish had anything to do with the crack or crack propagation

There has to be something impacting the slide to cause it to crack in the first place, as there isn't enough of a jerk from normal cycling to cause that type of material fatigue. My money is on that the guide rod channel is striking the frame somewhere just in front of the barrel lug channel. Can you post a picture of the top of your frame?

Edited by midget
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