Here We GO! Building an open top end HELP?!?!?

[jcc7x7]

I've owned and built several 1911(yes that old!) and 2011 open guns

Bought a Tanfo Limited 40 did a bunch of mods for the trigger got it at 2 lbs with all factory stuff, shoots great and really enjoying it.

Getting the open itch again and thinking I might build it on the Limited frame. want to go with a 9mm Major

EAA site has 6" bbl's at reasonable prices again and I have a guy who can thread it, thinking a Bedell Comp. I don't want to try and engineer my own. Obviously need a coned GR, springs etc

Biggest ? which slide 9 or 38 super so if I want to ream the bbl to 38 some day. My 2011's would shoot 9mm Major out of the 38 super chambers.

Thinking of getting the plainest 9mm slide on the EAA site since I'll be lightening it, scalloping the rear where the sight sits and installing a racker.

Looking for those of you that have experience on open builds to help out the new tanfo guy!

Thanks

jcc7x7

[kneelingatlas]

The problem with using a 1911/2011 comp on a Tanfoglio is that the bore axis and the top of the slide are not parallel so the comp will point down relative to the top edge of the slide. I know first hand:

Eric Grauffel stocks factory three port comps in his webstore and depending on exchange rates they are ~$160 US. Combined with ports in the barrel these work very well and drop right into a Limited slide:

Two things you should know about converting from 9 to 38: the base of a 9mm case is 0.391" whereas the base of a 38 case is 0.384" so a 9mm chamber is going to be a little loose at the base and will bulge cases a little more than normal. Also if you start with a 9mm slide, the breech face is too small for 38 Super rims and will only run 38 Supercomp.

There's lots more to consider, but I don't have time to recap my last three years of experiments at the moment

[jcc7x7]

Thanks for the input

I'll start looking for 9mm slides cause if I go the 38 route it will be with SC brass

and go with Eric G comp to solve problems before they occur

Thanks

Neil (jcc7x7)

[jcc7x7]

Many thanks to Atlas for the info and expertise he shared