Did I do the right thing, or....?

[rack&roll]

I was having trouble with my new STI Edge .40 locking back during a course of fire. The bullet nose was hitting the slide stop, and pushing it up during recoil. (No, it wasn't me hitting it) It did this regardless of OAL of cartridge, or bullet shape. I'm using (new) STI mag tubes, and Grams springs, followers and basepads.

I finally had to disable the slide stop by (carefully) filing it down until the mag followers no longer contacted it on the last round, locking the slide open. It can still be operated manually, but will not lock back after the last round is fired. The gun now runs flawlessly, like a well oiled machine. (which it is) With my pet load, PF is 170, wickedly accurate, and (now) boringly reliable. (yay!)

I guess my question is, are there better ways to fix this problem? Is it a common problem? And has anyone else done what I did?

I never use my slide stop or shoot to slide lock in IPSC competition, so I'm hoping this is OK, as I will only use this gun for competition.

Any ideas or comments are appreciated. TIA.

Larry

[Larry White]

Larry, common problem & common fix. Go anywhere to a match and I bet 99%of the s-i and 1911s won't slide lock, most don't have grip safetys either.-----Larry D

[Eye Cutter]

You can try using a different bullet head profile.

[h4444]

You can also dremel out a little divet in the back end of the slide stop where the plunger engages it. The plunger fits into the divet and it'll take more force for the slide stop to operate.

This is how my gunsmith fixed mine from doing the same thing.

[achard]

have you tried other magazine?

[blue edge]

r&r, Job well done

[benny hill]

I have not built a gun in years where the slide stop or grip safty was'nt disabled.

[Mistral404]

The slide stop does not work on either of my S_I guns. The grip safety is pinned in one and does not work in the other.

Alot of times installing the SV TriGlide trigger bow system circumvent st the grip safety.

The bow is notcthed in back and the safety does not engage it.

I would rather have to count the number of shots fired or know when I need to reload than have it slide lock with one or two rounds left in the mag. Especially when it only did it when it felt like it.

Disabling them was a good call.

[rack&roll]

Thanks for the replies, I feel better knowing it's a common problem, and that my "fix" is a common solution. I really love this gun. For the first time, I actually feel like I can be competitive. I can't blame my gun, or mag capacity. No excuses! (yikes)

Larry

[dajarrel]

Larry,

If you need to make "just one more little adjustement" be careful not to remove any metal on the catch that holds the slide stop in the frame. An overzealous dremel tool operator removed too much metal in that area on my STI and finally one day I noticed that the slide stop was working out after every magazine.

I replaced it and have no more problems,

FWIW

dj

[rack&roll]

dajarrel,

Thanks. I was warned about that before any metal was removed. It was a concern, but I think it's okay. I didn't have to remove that much metal to fix the problem. So far, so good. The slide stop isn't moving, it stays put. Hopefully, it will stay that way. At some point I may dimple the slidestop, but for now, it seems okay.

Larry

[Julien Boit]

I achieved the same thing by only grinding the followers on all of my mags.

All my pistols have their safeties and none of the slide stops were grinded, only the followers.

Ii I only put back a STI follower in the mag, it's in its original condition.

[rack&roll]

Julien Boit,

Do you mean grinding off the part of the follower that engages the slide stop after the last round is fired?

I don't see where that would have helped me, because my slide was locking back on the slide stop WAY before the follower could have engaged it. It was the BULLET hitting and engaging the slidestop, not the FOLLOWER.

I also haven't disabled my grip safety, simply because I don't see a need. Even with a "sloppy" grip, my GS disengages with no problem. I've had that problem before with other 1911's, but not with my Edge.

Larry

[Skywalker]

r&r,

as other have suggested, the best you could do is to add a little more resistance to the slide stop to be activated.

You can easily do this by drilling a small dent in the slide stop, on that small flat face where the spring loaded pin protruding from the plunger hole contacts it.

This will let the pin penetrate a bit into the slide stop (maybe a half millimeter) and add some resistance to the slide stop being activated by the bullets nose, but it should still let you activate it manually, should the need arise.

[rack&roll]

Skywalker,

I realize that indenting the slide stop was an option. I just chose another option, and it worked. I can still operate the SS manually if need arises. My fix also eliminates the bullet hitting anything before chambering, for smoother and more reliable feeding. Dimpling the SS does not.

I rarely, if ever, use the SS anyway, and never shoot to slidelock, so I'm pretty satisfied with the results. I've put about 200 flawless rounds through my gun since my initial post, and it works like a charm. Problem solved. As my gun wears & tears, I'm sure it won't be the last!

Larry