Amish Gunsmithing

2566 Views 8 Replies 1 Participant Last post by Guest, Apr 9, 2001

Discussion Starter · Mar 30, 2001

Hey, great idea for a forum! Thanks for setting it up.

A few weeks back I bought my very first 1911, a Series 70 Gold Cup. I tried my best to evaluate it properly but, being the woefully uninformed buyer that I was, I neglected to inspect the inside of the slide. Put 100 or so rounds through it, then field stripped it for cleaning. It was then that I noticed a rather odd repair job: the left side of the slide is bent outward and, rather than bending it back (this being Lancaster County and all), someone welded a bead of something along the bottom edge of the slide, and filed it to shape. This bead, which is probably 1/32" thick, rides in the groove below the frame rail, and actually simulates a tight fit between the slide and frame. I hope that description is accurate enough to give a clear idea of the situation.

Other than the extractor being too tight, so far the gun functions flawlessly, with 3 different makes of mags and my first LSWC reloads. So the question is, should I bother with having someone try to fix this? I imagine that the heat of welding didn't do the metal any good, and it seems smooth enough that it shouldn't cause excess wear on the frame. Durability is also a big question, but most of all, it just really really bothers me . . .

How difficult is it to find an original Series 70 slide in good shape?

Thanks.

zook

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gyp_c2

· #2 · Mar 30, 2001

One of the smiths' will need to give you the scoop on this one...If the pistol is working, don't DO anything to it!
There's an accuracy aid called the group gripper or somethin', that adds two rails to the FRAME that does a similar function, and it works very well for a while...I'm sure a picture would be a big help as well...:wink:

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Discussion Starter · #3 · Mar 30, 2001

I'm sure a picture would be a big help as well...

Well duh, why didn't I think of that?

Looking at these images, I'm really kicking myself for not noticing this before buying. :roll:

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Discussion Starter · #4 · Apr 2, 2001

On 2001-03-30 00:09, gyp_c2 wrote:
One of the smiths' will need to give you the scoop on this one...If the pistol is working, don't DO anything to it!
There's an accuracy aid called the group gripper or somethin', that adds two rails to the FRAME that does a similar function, and it works very well for a while...I'm sure a picture would be a big help as well...:wink:

I believe you mean the Accu Rail system, I had a set put into an old 1911 that I traded into at the right time.
They work quite well.

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gyp_c2

· #5 · Apr 2, 2001

ddifabio

...yes that was it...Thanks!
:wink:

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gyp_c2

· #6 · Apr 2, 2001

Zook...It looks like it was "tweaked" a bit hard at some point...If it's shootin'....Just enjoy it!

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Discussion Starter · #7 · Apr 7, 2001

I don't want to scare ya bud, but the "added" metal has a suspicious "bright" look to it... could it, prechance, be simply silver-solder or braze?

I'd suggest trying an inconspicuous corner with something like a small needle file or an eXacto tip... If it's not steel/weldmetal, it'll be pretty obvious.

If it IS steel, I'd say shoot it and just keep an eye on it for wear & damage. If it turns out to be solder/braze or some other soft metal, you're looking at removing it and crimping the slide back to shape (presuming not too much original metal has been removed under the added metal) or replacing the slide.

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Discussion Starter · #8 · Apr 8, 2001

Indeed, I managed to shave a bit off of an edge with a utility knife. My soldering gun won't touch it, however, even with a red-hot tip. So I'm really torn - it has functioned flawlessly through over 1000 rounds, but now I'm afraid that it will let go at some point and damage something or someone. And besides, it just ain't natural. Ehh . . . I gotta fix it. Any tips for bending slides? I imagine that one goal will be to keep the sides as close as possible to perpendicular to the plane of the rails. I'm not averse to buying tools if necessary, and will be getting Kuhnhausen Vol.1 shortly (already have vol. 2). Thanks, guys!

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Discussion Starter · #9 · Apr 9, 2001

"Red hot" being literal or figurative?

It's possible it's a silver-solder variant, with a 450-600 plus degree melting point... if you're trying a standard desktop electronics style soldering iron or gun, chances are the tip can barely exceed 300 F.

The question I would have now, is what's _under_ the solder? (If it is indeed solder.)

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