Two guns in one?

[drudown20]

I have a Kimber Custom II and I am wondering if you can simply replace the slide, barrel, and the rest of the top portion to essentially make it a Pro Carry size pistol. I would like to have a smaller pistol for concealed carry and a larger pistol for target/open carry type stuff. Would this even work? I don't know how interchangeable Kimber 1911 parts are, but I don't want to find out the hard way. Any thoughts?

[Sabre]

From what I understand, you could kind of do that.

You can fit a new slide to your frame, and a new barrel to that slide. The issue is that your frame will wear in to that new slide and then may fit the other loosely. Then it will wear to the other one when you switch back and both could be loose. It's the same reason that using one bolt carrier group in more than one upper reciever with the AR-15 isn't recommended.

You don't gain much by losing one inch of barrel, anyway. That's not the hard part to conceal. The grip frame is the issue when your talking about carrying concealed. The few ounces of weight you'll drop by losing one inch of barrel isn't practical, in my opinion, when compared to the cost of a slide + barrel + fitting of both of those items + new recoil spring assembly.

My advice is to get a good IWB holster and pack that Custom II.

[drudown20]

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll do that.

[7790314]

Auto Ordnance tried cramming a commander type slide on a full sized frame and called it a Pit Bull. There tolerance's were probably so big that they may have got away with it on occasion. The slot face where the barrel lugs come home in a commander frame is different than a standard gorernment frame. I cant remember whether it is closer or further from the feed ramp but I do know it is different. Also the slide rails are longer on a standard government frame.

[John]

It can be done. Just make sure that your gunsmith knows what he is doing. The differences between a Commander and Government frame are not that significant, they can be adjusted to use both top ends.

rgds

[hundesport]

anyone here who have done fitting a commander size slide to a Government size frame? whats modifications are made to slide and frame that works best... there might be lots answers but can it be done that we dont modify the frame and work on just the commander slide...just incase the owner wants to go back to the government size slide later on.

[John]

Read my post above. No modifications are needed on the frame or the slide. An extended ejector will be required most probably, and that should be all. The frame rails on a Government frame are further forward than on a Commander frame by some .060". The same is true for the area where the guide rod flange rests inside the frame.

[Bud White]

Sure it can be done Les Baer stars with a full size frame when he build's the commanche models

Takes some time and fitting and as john said you will need a extended ejector but it can be done

[hundesport]

thank you guys for the reply... now i have to talk to my gunsmith. what im planning really is taking my armscor 1911 A2 that i have for almost ten years now and put a commander slide on top of it. now how about the barrel which is better a standard commander barrel or a bull barrel?