Pistolpete9 Posted October 7, 2017 Share Posted October 7, 2017 I decided to make my TS an open gun. Bought the mount from kneelingatlas and was going to have it done professionally, but wanted to have that "did it myself" feeling I've had in this gun so far. If you are considering the same, learn from my mistakes. Things I learned. 1. Use an impact drill if you don't have a drill press. 2. Mark your spots very carefully and don't let your bit wander AT ALL. I had one wander just a tiny bit and had to overbore that mount hole a tiny bit to make it work. Start really slow and with a smaller bit. 3. Cobalt bits!!!! I ended up using three different sizes and that was a winner. Start with small bits and work your way up. Tried with a cheaper bit to start and it snapped very quickly. 4. Lubricate along the way. 5. If you have a good bench vise to hold it, you will have less sunny scratches than me. 6. TheDeWalt M4x0.7 combination drill bit and tap works well. You may need to switch to hand tools to finish it out (takes a lot of torque) If you use the right tools and take your time, it's actually not that hard. I'm not saying it's a good idea. It's not much savings when you consider it against the cost of the frame you could screw up. That being said, I feel like a stud. Please feel free to ask questions or PM me if you are considering similar surgery. Note: I am clearly not a professional and should not be held responsible for any mistakes you make with your gun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kneelingatlas Posted October 7, 2017 Share Posted October 7, 2017 Nice work Pete! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistolpete9 Posted October 7, 2017 Author Share Posted October 7, 2017 I also fashioned a slide racker from a Dawson sight installation tool. Works pretty well! Everything is still a little raw right now (even the slide stop because I had to file it down a touch sure to a mount that is too far back). Once I get it all recoated I'll post a pic. Lots of small errors to cover up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandabooks Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 What barrel did you put in? I'm going to be doing the same as soon as I get around to fitting a 6" barrel I picked up a while back. Who makes the mount that you bought? I'm looking for one that takes a Cmore or a DPP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipu12 Posted October 22, 2017 Share Posted October 22, 2017 plus one on the cobalt bits...but good quality ones not the $4 from Amazon, almost ruined my TS when snapped Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistolpete9 Posted October 24, 2017 Author Share Posted October 24, 2017 I didn't change barrels, so can't help you there. Sorry. My mount is only set up for Cmore and I'm not sure that I won't end up drilling and tapping out for different patterns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandabooks Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 Do you have a picture of your gun? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunsen Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 Well done!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistolpete9 Posted December 6, 2017 Author Share Posted December 6, 2017 I can post a pic, but my hope is that about 2 months from now I'll actually have GOOD pictures. I am scheduled to get my refinishing done next month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandabooks Posted December 6, 2017 Share Posted December 6, 2017 Any pics will be good. I just got in a new slide for a TS in 9mm and I'm just starting to fit an extended barrel. As soon as that is accomplished, I'll machine a comp and slide racker. After that I'll start on the optic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistolpete9 Posted December 6, 2017 Author Share Posted December 6, 2017 https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ao35ZgPEWvWsQ06m1 Let me know if the link doesn't work. I suck at posting pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouperMan Posted December 6, 2017 Share Posted December 6, 2017 https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ao35ZgPEWvWsQ06m1 Let me know if the link doesn't work. I suck at posting picsThat sir, looks like a well loved and enjoyed gun!How close is your slide stop release to the front edge of the mount? It looks super close that you have to cut the mount a little to fit (or it’s just the angle of the photo.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistolpete9 Posted December 6, 2017 Author Share Posted December 6, 2017 (edited) Good eye! I actually had to trim a little material off of the front of the slide stop to have it fit right. That goes back to the fact that I didn't properly dimple my drill points before I got started (because I didn't know what I was doing). It's about an 1/8th of an inch farther back than I wanted it to be. I'm probably not the best example to follow. I don't have a vise or even a work bench. I have done all of my work by hand in our little apartment. However, I've been very happy with the outcome every time. The frame reshaping, sear and hammer replacement, and mounting an optic have all made large differences (still not sold on the *thumb rest [generic]*, but I'm giving it more time) Hey, aandabooks, if you want to machine an extra slide racker, I'd happily buy one. Mine is a little bit of a joke (works, but looks really really amateur). Edited December 6, 2017 by Pistolpete9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouperMan Posted December 8, 2017 Share Posted December 8, 2017 On 12/6/2017 at 8:47 AM, Pistolpete9 said: Hey, aandabooks, if you want to machine an extra slide racker, I'd happily buy one. Mine is a little bit of a joke (works, but looks really really amateur). You did this by hand in a apartment, and you made a slide racker from a Dawson Sight Installation Tool; by no means are you a amateur! That’s some good old ingenuity right there! You should drop Dawson Precision a line with your little mod; I’m sure they would get a kick out of it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistolpete9 Posted December 8, 2017 Author Share Posted December 8, 2017 Thanks for the nice words, but they'd probably laugh. If you notice, I actually also reshaped the mag release to get it a little lower. I'm the king of being too cheap to let someone else do my smith work. You should read my post about working on the trigger on my own (costly)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandabooks Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 On December 6, 2017 at 10:47 AM, Pistolpete9 said: Hey, aandabooks, if you want to machine an extra slide racker, I'd happily buy one. Mine is a little bit of a joke (works, but looks really really amateur). Here's what I got done Friday afternoon just to check fit on. Still needs cleaned up, cut to length and drilled/tapped if I decide I like it. Might try radiusing one but not sold on a knurl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistolpete9 Posted December 13, 2017 Author Share Posted December 13, 2017 Not bad! Way better than my iteration! I think I'm going to call up Armory Craft and see if I can get one of the factory rackers in a more fun color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistolpete9 Posted October 30, 2019 Author Share Posted October 30, 2019 So after all of this and having tried out both the open and limited set up for a while (went back and forth a few times), I really prefer the TS as a limited gun. It takes more away than it adds to have the extras on there. At this point, I've beaten this gun senseless (drilled, filed, sanded, pounded out the sights more than once... First time was a doozy!) And have put a LOT of rounds through it. I've never minded that it looked like a working gun every step of the way and I still don't. However, I think it's earned the right to look less like a mad scientists halfway/poorly finished project. So my plans are to refill the drill holes and sand down anywhere I've marked up the gun and then recoat it and put on the correct magwell (I've been using the factory plastic ones because speedy practice makes for many many dings and the plastic is cheaper and does less damage to the mags). I'll likely throw a new recoil spring and hide Todd on at the same time. That being said, anyone ever used JB weld (that's my current plan) and then coated it? My current idea is to lay the frame down against a Ziploc bag and fill the holes from the inside so that it is more than enough on the outside and then I can sand back down to the frame from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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