sarpau Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 Wondering if there is a preferred slide manufacturer for building an open gun. Will be 38 supercomp shooting major PF Intention is to lighten the slide, and I'd prefer to start with one that is least likely to crack down the road. I know the quality of the machining/lightening cuts themselves play a big role in whether a slide will eventually crack, but doing some reading and asking around, seems as though complaints of cracked slides are mainly STI? Am I wrong? Could just be because of greater number of them out there vs other manufacturers. For those in the know, is there a preferred slide manufacturer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyler2you Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 I've had good luck with Caspian slides and a couple of smiths I've spoken to about Open builds have expressed a slight preference for them as well. I've cracked one CK and one STI slide during my short time in Open. The CK cracked at the front of the extractor tunnel (still shooting it) and the STI cracked at the back of the ejection port (toast). Whichever slide you decide to go with, I'd do a flat top vs. tri top as they seem to last longer from what I've seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcc7x7 Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 Caspian Ck if you can get one Sti used to be good and back their stuff up, not as much now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teros135 Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 Phoenix Trinity is developing a slide design right now and is in the process of testing it (actually, torture-testing it, from a recent Facebook post). they don't want to let out anything that might crack or be otherwise unsafe. It should fit well on the PT frame, which is a solid design itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarpau Posted February 17, 2017 Author Share Posted February 17, 2017 24 minutes ago, tyler2you said: Whichever slide you decide to go with, I'd do a flat top vs. tri top as they seem to last longer from what I've seen. This came up in my discussions as well. I love the look of the tri top though, at the very least the front of the slide and comp. You think tri topping the front and rear, and flat top the area surrounding the chamber/ejection port may help add life to the slide? Seems most cracking is in and around the ejection port, so possibly if this area is left alone, may prevent an issue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcc7x7 Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 Want flat top to clear scope mounts. Unless you're mounting to the slide Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bamboo Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 Caspian slide would be my pick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzt Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 Carolina Arms was recommended to me as a source of quality slides. I know one gun maker who has used some of them and thought very highly of their quality. They will (or possibly would) sell an individual slide with some cajoling. With almost every slide out there, you are buying rejects. They might be good rejects, but not as nice as those put in their own manufactured guns (tolerancew ise or aesthetics). When I need a slide, my choice is usually Caspian. First off, they are better than most. Secondly, if you do get one that is out of spec, they will replace it without a hassle. They will even do that if you bought the slide from Brownell's, etc. I won't voice my opinion on some of the other slides mentioned, except to say never again. Some time in the future I's like to try an SVI slide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerBaron Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 I like tri top too (both for the look and weight loss). My sv slide is tri topped slide and comp but the tri top transitions to a flat top just ahead of the lugs/ejection port. In the rear it has the normal swoop cut just aft of the breach. It seems to work well. It's a very light slide as it's tunnel bored for a full profile barrel and on top of the tri top has lightening cuts right through. Weighs just over 8oz bare (has 1/2inch off the front - imm length gun). No cracks yet...touch wood! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troupe Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 Caspian, plus they have supported the shooting sports for a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerBaron Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 I should add I have 2 ck slides. Both flat topped not tri. They are too new to comment on longevity but from close inspection they look good. My one criticism is the disconnector rail is quite wide. Nearly 1mm wider than the rail in my sv slide. This caused it to get hit by the cut in the back of the feedlips on my old style sv mags. It's a non issue with sti mags and other mags I've tried but the old sv mags have a narrower cutout there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
357SIG Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Caspian...no question Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ssanders224 Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 On 2/17/2017 at 7:57 AM, teros135 said: Phoenix Trinity is developing a slide design right now and is in the process of testing it (actually, torture-testing it, from a recent Facebook post). they don't want to let out anything that might crack or be otherwise unsafe. It should fit well on the PT frame, which is a solid design itself. Seriously, if you can hold off for a little while you should. The PT slides will be a huge improvement over current options in many ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garmil Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 How do the svi slides compare? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
357SIG Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 45 minutes ago, Ssanders224 said: Seriously, if you can hold off for a little while you should. The PT slides will be a huge improvement over current options in many ways. What kind of improvements? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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