Roger Rabbit Posted August 7, 2002 Share Posted August 7, 2002 There are discussion about barrel life. How many round shoot through one barrel. How about slide? I Shoot for 8 years broke 4 slide already Colt, Mccormic, Les Baer, STI you name it. I have broke it all. I shoot may be 80000-100000 round already. Average is 20000-25000 per one slide. How about you gus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcoliver Posted August 7, 2002 Share Posted August 7, 2002 Personally, I haven't broken any of my slide yet (probably haven't shot enough ) Since you've opened this, I was wondering if you noticed any particular pattern in the slide that seems to break first? I always figured if not near the ejection port area then near the frame dustcover area? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted August 7, 2002 Share Posted August 7, 2002 Current 38 Super 70, 000 rds 2 barrels, 1 slide All major with majority 175 PF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Rabbit Posted August 7, 2002 Author Share Posted August 7, 2002 Any one have and idea what's the factor of broken slide? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted August 7, 2002 Share Posted August 7, 2002 I vote for improper fit but it could be combination of reasons. 4 seems like a lot. I could see 1 with just bad luck but 4? Does it always break in the same area? We need more info. Caliber? I remember years ago people thought the lower ejection port the better. Yea nothing there would stop a lot of malfunctions. There is a limit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Rabbit Posted August 8, 2002 Author Share Posted August 8, 2002 Bseever.. The area are left side of the ejection port. I'm notice that my gunsmith keep the barrel hood to wide. May be it is the hood that too wide that hitted the slide every time the slide close. Now I have the hood file off. And I have to wait another couple of years to find out if my suspicion right. I shoot 38Super in major with 120 grain lead bullet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted August 8, 2002 Share Posted August 8, 2002 The hood is important to a good fit. It has broken in the same place 4 times? That really points toward improper fit not bad slides. Do you know what metal "peening" looks like? There should be no metal moving anywhere. When you say left do you mean looking at the gun as you are firing it? That is a very thick part of the slide and I think you mean the other side.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted August 8, 2002 Share Posted August 8, 2002 RR, I am with Bill. Not very many people have four slides go south on them...and, the people here shoot a bunch. It pretty much has to be in the way your gun is setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Rabbit Posted August 8, 2002 Author Share Posted August 8, 2002 Left is the looking at the gun as I'm firing it. I have dug up old broken slide. It break like this. The first is Colt Factory - Break from the right side on the ejection port to the slide rail. I think this one has a little lower ejection port. And this one has Nitride finish (Which my friend told me that the nitride finish will make slide easier to break)] The Second one was Mccormic it broke like the first one but crack down to the front of the slide. The third and the forth one was STI and LES BAER they are broken the same way the left side of the slide. These two which I think that the hood problem cause the broken. Thanks you all for information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcoliver Posted August 8, 2002 Share Posted August 8, 2002 Hey RR. You don't happen to be dropping your guns like some guys here, do you? Kidding aside, I'm really intrested in the broken slides, is it possible for you to post some pics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Rabbit Posted August 8, 2002 Author Share Posted August 8, 2002 I'm will have to borrow my wife digital camera. Of course, she pay for it. I don't drop my guns like you guys. Especially the loaded one. I will post some picture soon. Thanks for your interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted August 8, 2002 Share Posted August 8, 2002 Sounds like your slides are breaking at the corners...which are stress points. These spots should be rounded, not sharp. Tell us about your load and your spring setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted August 8, 2002 Share Posted August 8, 2002 I echo Flex's determination, but would like to get more data Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Rabbit Posted August 9, 2002 Author Share Posted August 9, 2002 Here are picture of the broken slide. I have to use the pen to mark it because it will be difficult to see the breakage The A's mark is the where it broke. It's not on the corner of the ejection port. This one is les baer and I think it is the barrel hood is too wide and hitting the slide every time the slide close. 20000 rounds for this one I guess The B's mark was Colt factory slide and STI, and this one is nitride finish and lower ejection port lower The C's mark was Mccormic it crack up to the front And I don't know why it happen. In the early years of shooting I use 15 pounds recoil spring with the 175 ps 38 super load. I use that heavy spring because the old timer gunsmith told me too But now I use 9-10 pounds spring with sprinco guide rod Any suggestion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted August 9, 2002 Share Posted August 9, 2002 B is the "classic lowered the ejection port too far". I am showing my smith the other 2 but would still say its a fit problem. Sad thing is I could check it out if I had you guns in my hand in 10 minutes. I have seen C but never seen A before. I bet it is the hood fit. I would still look for peening. Your gun usually tells you what's wrong just pay attention to it. Don't worry about springs. If you gun is set up correct is most important. Remember how many rounds I shoot? All with a 8 pound recoil spring til IMSI came out with a 7 pound. 175 til 99?/165 now PF in practice and match. To shoot a high pressure gun for a long time the smith is critical. Many big name smith's stink. I know I have used their guns. There are a few good ones. The good ones would also fix those guns. No slide cracks in 20,000 Rds. Either bad fit or bad slide. Bad slide you send it back to mfg. 4 broken slides points toward bad fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIIID Posted August 9, 2002 Share Posted August 9, 2002 Roger's Les Baer slide is the 4th one that I have seen to crack in the same place (a) and 1 Caspian. None of them had radical slide cuts to lessen weight. One of them was mine with less than 30,000 rounds. All were 9/38 caliber. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted August 9, 2002 Share Posted August 9, 2002 Without having the slide to look at and only pictures, I agree with Bill. Looks like a fitting problem to me. Bill is also correct when he says that there are many gun mechanics, and few pistol smiths. Finding a good one is like discovering an auto mechanic you trust. What is the dimension from the bottom of the slide to the lowered ejection port. If it is much less than .470 it significantly weakens the slide. (Edited by tightloop at 7:03 am on Aug. 9, 2002) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Posted August 12, 2002 Share Posted August 12, 2002 The only correctly-fit and truly worn out slide I have ever seen came off my brother's Argentine 1911A1 in .45 (not that Balister thingy) that was used as an academy training gun; only God knows how many rounds that gun has seen! The lugs in the slide eventually rounded just enough to where the slide unlocks from the barrel a little too quickly and now the gun blows primers out of the cases of reloads and some factory loads. We had a new Kart barrel put in with a good tight link fit; same thing happens. It still worked 100%, but the slide is absolutly done. Short of the problems mentioned or excessive dropping-slide-on-empty wear, a slide should not crack. Thnaks for posting the pictures. BTW, where do you live? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Rabbit Posted August 13, 2002 Author Share Posted August 13, 2002 BSeevers, Thanks for your diagnosis. A lot of useful information here. I hope that I don't have to buy another slide for another decade. I use to live in australia for 5 years. Now I move back to live here in THAILAND. The sad things here is there are only 2-3 gunsmith in THAILAND. I have to wait for almost a years to built one gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted August 13, 2002 Share Posted August 13, 2002 Roger Rabbit No problem I wish I was more help. If you ever shoot in the states look me and my smith up. Those guns should last a long time for the kind of money you pay. I wish you luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Rabbit Posted August 13, 2002 Author Share Posted August 13, 2002 BSeevers!! I have post two new picture. The first I think it is the peening you are tell me to look for. The second I post it, may be you can see something I don't see. Thanks again for your help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny hill Posted March 2, 2003 Share Posted March 2, 2003 the flat on top of slide look's to deep. the metal is left very thin at these points. add to this a to light recoil spring & you have a cracked slide Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Rabbit Posted March 2, 2003 Author Share Posted March 2, 2003 I do the flat top slide after I try to fix the crack by welding it. The crack was happen before. Now I'm send this slide to fix again. There's a gun here in THAILAND he claim that he has a special way to welding it together. He will send it back tomorrow, he said that I don't have to pay him until I'm satisfy the results. Will post again to report the results Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkgsmith Posted March 8, 2003 Share Posted March 8, 2003 I've had several slides crack, mostly from lots of rounds and lightening cuts. I even had a stock para slide crack from the ejection port downward. It had about 25,000 rounds of hardball ammo thru it. Funny thing it kept working except but it would shoot to the left. Metal on metal things break, part of the game. One of the guys from Caspian told me that cracks in slides and frames were directly related to whether it was "good flow day or a bad flow day in the mold shop". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rufus The Bum Posted March 8, 2003 Share Posted March 8, 2003 "One of the guys from Caspian told me that cracks in slides and frames were directly related to whether it was "good flow day or a bad flow day in the mold shop". Yikes, that's quality control at it's finest. My Caspian slide cracked at the lugs after about 10,000 rds. Of course I was shooting 124grn 38 super at 180pf, so I guess it was my fault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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