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1911: when is loose too loose?


Squirrel45

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Hi All, 

 

I have a an odd question in that I know there is no real definitive answer to this. With that being said I have a LB PII with 30k +  or so rounds though it. It started off life very tight as all Lb's do but over the years has loosened up so and now has a 'wiggle' between the frame and slide. The barrel to slide lockup is a still good. I have had this gunned peened once but has lost whatever little that gained me a couple years ago. When do you think the slide to frame fit has become to loose, when should I be concerned? If it has become to loose is there a smith out there that has a good reputation of snugging these back up?

 

thanks 

Squirrel

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As long as the barrel to slide lockup is good, i wouldn't worry much about some frame to slide rattle. A lot guns  are pretty rattley out of the box.

 

Is your accuracy acceptable? If so, I would just keep shooting 

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loose only matters if its so bad the accuracy suffers beyond reasonable limits. so a lot depends on what your doing with it, shooting Bullseye you will have a whole different limit than shooting USPSA/IPSC. guys can and have competed at the super squad level of USPSA with $500 RIA rattle traps they shoot good enough for what we do 99.99%of the time. That said a loose slide to frame can affect a gun with a frame mounted sight more than a slide mounted sights, but even then you would be surprised how loose a gun will still shoot good groups.

If your after 1" at 50ys from a ransom rest then you may want to send it to a smith that specializes in bullseye guns, if your getting shotgun patterns at 20yd then its unlikely the frame to slide fit is the problem.

Edited by MikeBurgess
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I only shoot this gun out to 35-40ft. It does have a frame mounted optic but groups seem good at the current time. Maybe it's all in my head. I think I was concerned with on account of it loosing up beyond the tolerances of my other 1911s. This one sees the most use by far. 

 

Thanks for the replies! 

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It's kind of like the AR-15 thing.  Its how the barrel is fit to the slide.  Saying that I like a good fit between the frame and slide.  I use a Gunsmith in PA who can weld and recut the rails on the frame. He has done a few pistols for me and am happy with the results.  He is Jim Milks of Innovative custom guns.  

http://www.innovativecustomguns.com/

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A friend cracked the slide on his used USPSA Open gun.  He gave it to me to find out what his options were.  I took it apart any measured everything.  The frame rails had worn down to .750".  The slide ways were .755".  The gun was loose as a goose, but ran fine until the slide cracked.

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I appreciate the replies, I would say the accuracy is still okay to good, but no longer the one hole when it was new. Would anyone know what Jim Milks typical lead time would be? a month or a year + 

 

thanks 

Squirrel  

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1 hour ago, Squirrel45 said:

I appreciate the replies, I would say the accuracy is still okay to good, but no longer the one hole when it was new. Would anyone know what Jim Milks typical lead time would be? a month or a year + 

 

thanks 

Squirrel  

Send him an email or call. His business is Innovative Custom Guns

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I would say the same, however this gun has been modified with an aftermarket barrel and comp, almost since new. It also gets run fairly hard with +200PF loading. Perhaps my idea of wiggle is a bit over embellished here. Lets same this is not to the point of my 9mm RIA intro level 1911, but it is looser then any of my Ruger and Springfield ones.   

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On 2/11/2021 at 6:11 PM, Squirrel45 said:

I appreciate the replies, I would say the accuracy is still okay to good, but no longer the one hole when it was new. Would anyone know what Jim Milks typical lead time would be? a month or a year + 

 

thanks 

Squirrel  

Jim is has a long lead time. He is a one man shop.  I think more like a year

Edited by Salsantini
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Accu-Rail is a good option and will definitely do the job.  Just keep in mind that you can't run the gun without the rails after the work is done because of how much material they remove from the slide and frame.  Most people don't realize that until they get the gun back.

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1 hour ago, Bill H said:

Is the slide stop still able to lock back after accu rails? 

Yes. The rail on that side is sculpted to allow clearance for the slide lock.

 

As far as running the gun after the rail job is done, Doug can provide additional rails.  They basically are a "wear" item as that part absorbs the friction from the moving slide.  Several guys around here run Open guns with his rails.  They have had them so long that they broke a rail, usually the one that is cut down for the slide stop. 

 

It's very easy to replace them.  Remove the slide, push out the old rail's curved end that locks into the frame and push in the new one.  Put the frame back on.  Done.

 

BC

 

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On 2/17/2021 at 8:38 AM, BillChunn said:

Yes. The rail on that side is sculpted to allow clearance for the slide lock.

 

As far as running the gun after the rail job is done, Doug can provide additional rails.  They basically are a "wear" item as that part absorbs the friction from the moving slide.  Several guys around here run Open guns with his rails.  They have had them so long that they broke a rail, usually the one that is cut down for the slide stop. 

 

It's very easy to replace them.  Remove the slide, push out the old rail's curved end that locks into the frame and push in the new one.  Put the frame back on.  Done.

 

BC

 

 Im sorry to sound snippy but have you seen Doug's work and are people happy with him? 

 

thanks

Squirrel 

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12 hours ago, Squirrel45 said:

 Im sorry to sound snippy but have you seen Doug's work and are people happy with him? 

 

thanks

Squirrel 

 

Doug has some very well respected clients who make their living with firearms.  He has a patent on the rail system and with that goes a backlog of orders.  Almost every Open gun at the club has gone through his shop.  He can get a 2011 trigger down to 16 ounces and it lasts.

 

People are more than happy with the results he produces.

 

BC

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