Gary Stevens Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Searched with no luck. Can anyone tell me how much is normally cut off of the slide to build a shorty? Guessing about 3/4 of an inch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kneelingatlas Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 I have two short 2011s: one with 1/2" off the slide and one with an inch off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Stevens Posted May 29, 2015 Author Share Posted May 29, 2015 I have two short 2011s: one with 1/2" off the slide and one with an inch off. With that knowledge if you were to do another one how much would you cut? I assume they both have full length recoil systems? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kneelingatlas Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 They do have full recoil systems. That's a tough call... They both have holes (two large holes in the longer one and three small holes in the super shorty), and they chrono almost exactly the same (the super shorty is an AET barrel and the longer is STI). I have so many different Open guns I'm not sure what I prefer anymore. If you want a shorty, you might as well go all the way, I would cut an inch off the slide with minimal cuts, use a 4.4" 9mm bushing barrel with a cone adapter and a good TI comp and no holes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 4.5 (1/2" off) works well for most and is pretty much the norm now (in my experience). A lot were built at commander length (3/4" off). An inch off would be going outside the bell curve . YMMV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kneelingatlas Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 An inch off would be going outside the bell curve I have a Tanfolio with a 3.8" slide! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitefish Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 I have had three Dawson shorties. Two of them were 3/4" off (one 9 major with no popple holes and one 38 Supercomp with two popple holes) and one is 1/4" off with 2 popple holes (9 Major). All have full length guide rod systems and are of the Dawson stroked variety. The true commander (4.25" guns) need to be pushed harder to make major and are a little more violent, but not really to the point of being punishing. They do handle and point nicely. The 4.75" gun is a lot more stable and not as violent, but is heavier and does not handle or point quite as quickly as the shorter guns. It is all in your personal preference as to which one works best for your shooting style. I actually do prefer the shorter guns by a small margin, but I have and shoot both. Of course with the lengthy Dawson 4 chamber comp, the shorter guns end up being nearly as long as a full length gun with a shorter comp like the Brazos Thundercomp. Were I to have a shorty gun built these days with a similar configuration, it would probably be 4.5" (1/2" off) . 4.5" is as short as my current gunsmith will build an open gun per our discussion. A 5 inch gun can be made as light as the shorty, so it is all in your preference. Opinions do vary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 An inch off would be going outside the bell curve I have a Tanfolio with a 3.8" slide! Good for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Stevens Posted May 29, 2015 Author Share Posted May 29, 2015 This is for a friend who is about to decide on the final configuration. He is using a titanium comp which should help with weight. Thanks for the input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aircooled6racer Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 Hello: Make it a full size and don't look back. Less powder to make major, will transition just as well as a shorty, less wear on your body and easier to sell when that time comes. Thanks, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
818-DVC Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 I owned a shorty once, that was purpose built for steel. Breaking the gun in with 172pf loads wasn't fun. I couldn't imagine it having any advantage to a 5" gun. I now own a Brazos open 5" gun, and I won't look back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echotango Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 (edited) Shooting a shorty now. Just ordered a 5". Will sell the shorty once the 5" is done. Edited May 30, 2015 by echotango Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRichardson Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 I kinda like shortys. Making major has never been an issue and to me the gun handles more like a limited gun. Makes my constant division switching easier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalo chip Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 I run a short slide -1/2" , full length barrel with cone and custom to comp. Comp is longer before cuts to house the full length barrel. No popple holes. Gun feels like a shortly in transition and recoils like a full size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sauza45 Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 I have a Brazos 5" open in 38sc, I had a chance to shoot his Pro sx which is a shorty. I ran my gun on the stage and then ran the Pro sx, I shot the pro sx faster and had better hits. Needless to say I have a Pro sx on order. Also they both were 38 sc loaded with N105 and 125 bullets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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