Slide position during lower barrel lug cutting?

[engineerjet]

When cutting the lower barrel lug, I'm running into an alignment issue that I wanted to pick the brains of more seasoned builders. I have found that if I keep cutting the lower lugs while pushing the slide forward, when the safety falls into the safety cut out, the front of the slide is not aligned with the full length dust cover. What is the general practice of when to stop cutting the lower lugs?

 

The way I see it, there are two scenerios;

1) stop when the safety falls into place, requiring cutting the dust cover to be flush with the slide, or

2) keep cutting until the front of the slide is flush with the dust cover, which would lead to a gap between the thumb safety and the safety cut out in the slide.

[shred]

Typically you blend the frame and slide front and rear after the fits are done.  Few ever match up perfectly.

[Braxton1]

If I recall the numbers correctly, the centerline of the link-to-barrel pin should be 0.030" forward of the centerline of the Slide Stop.  I'd have to check the Kuhnhausen book or Weigand's instructions to verify 100%.

 

It really has nothing to do with slide/frame mating.

[Cam73]

 

The print spec is highlighted above although I don’t think it gets much use while using a Brownells style cutter.

 

There is a fair amount of variation with thumb safeties, when it clears the slide is not the end-all be-all IMO.

Cut until it just activates and take a look through the disconnector hole in the frame to make sure the recess in the slide is exposed. There will be issues with inadequate disco/sear contact if the disco can not rise up enough as the result of not cutting the lower lug abutment deep enough. On the inverse, you will have a different set of problems if you cut too deep.

 

Like Shred said, things probably wont line up.

 

 

 

[CHA-LEE]

There have been MANY poorly fit barrels because the person fitting it put a higher priority on the front or back of the slide lining up with the frame vs fitting it to the proper depth for the safety engagement, hammer to firing pin stop engagement and disconnector notch to disconnector engagement.

 

You don't want to screw up the timing of the gun just because the slide looks better aligned to the frame. Function is the top priority, Fashion should always subordinate to Function.

[MoNsTeR]

> when the safety falls into the safety cut out

 

Depending on where the slide and frame mate up after the barrel is fit, you may need to move the safety cut out. That is, cut the forward edge more towards the muzzle.