how tight?

[stm1982]

I've been wondering, how tight should the frame/slide fit be for a 1911 to be as reliable as a 1911 can be? Are we talking no play, a little bit of play, or shake it and it rattles? I have a BHP that rattles a bit, and it has since I got it, and it feeds everything. The thing is, with all I here or read, everyone says tight is better. So, ona 1911, which isthe way to go?

[wichaka]

The tighter you go, the more room for problems to crop up......especially dirt, grime etc.

But as long as you clean often, they will run. It's just that they will need to be cleaned more often, compared to one that is a bit lose.

All mine have a good fit, but I wouldn't say they're tight.

[1911Tuner]

I like to see .003 inch clearance, both side to side and up/down. So little that you can feel a little movement when you pull on the slide with the rails dry...and it disappears when they're oiled.

[pa_guns]

Hi

You can go from very tight to a bit loose without seeing much impact on accuracy. That assumes we are only talking about slide to frame and not about barrel to slide. How accurate a pistol do you need?

Bob

[TonyW]

I had one made once that didn't seem too tight just operating the slide- but if not oiled every 50 rounds it would seize up. The gunsmith said to just shoot it some 500 more times -- I sold it.

[1911Tuner]

The gunsmith said to just shoot it some 500 more times -- I sold it.

Ahhhh...Shoulda slurried it. ;)

[TonyW]

Ahhhh...Shoulda slurried it. ;)
Well, the other thing wrong with it was that it was a Caspian frame during the period that they weren't taking blue well- sort of had an ugly purple cast to it.

[pa_guns]

Hi

To really answer the original question correctly, I suppose we should ask just how dirty you plan to get the pistol. If you routinely crawl around in the mud, or deal with fine blowing sand, that will make a difference.

Bob

[wichaka]

I agree......if you're wanting it for a combat carry gun, I wouldn't get it too tight. Snug is good though.

[stm1982]

I'm not as concerned about accuracy as I am reliability.The pistol would be a hunting, hiking, bug out gun, so it would probably get dirty, and not be cleaned every night. All the accuracy I would need is to be able to hit deer out to 50 yards, something like 2 inches at 25 yards. I was just wondering what it would take to get a gun reliable enough to be carried in the rain, snow, mud, and sand, and it still goes bang when you pull the trigger. I've been looking at a SA PRO. It's pretty tight and I don't see how any grime would build up at all in it. What does everyone else say? I'm lost on this as I've had a SA Loaded, and a SA TRP, and both jammed every 10 or 20 rounds oiled or dry, dirty or clean, and with the TRP, accuracy was horrid. Had I known of their great service rep, I would have sent them back, but I sold them at a loss totalling $200 on both. I just want something reliable. Thanks everybody.

[TonyW]

I usually go for custom tight guns, but it sounds like you would be happiest with a standard 5" Colt.

[David Rose]

Slide to frame fit only has a slight effect on accuracy. Of course, it is possible to be too loose, but from the later 1911s I've seen that ran fine and shot OK, I think that would be more than normal slop or in other places. An old Remington that I have will bounce oil cans at 25 every shot. It rattles like a diamondback and has a rough bore to boot.

David

[ranburr]

If your gun is built right, it can be tight as a bank vault and still work. My Baers are as tight as they come and they never miss a beat.

ranburr

[pa_guns]

Hi

The military was famous for super loose slide / frame fit pistols. I don't recall hearing about many reliability complaints.

Bob

[Hill]

Hi
The military was famous for super loose slide / frame fit pistols. I don't recall hearing about many reliability complaints.
Bob


Sometimes in the military if you're gun doesn't work you won't be in any condition to complain about it.

You know? An inop weapon automatically cuts the complaint rate down.

[pa_guns]

Sometimes in the military if you're gun doesn't work you won't be in any condition to complain about it.

You know? An inop weapon automatically cuts the complaint rate down.

Hi

When a weapon that your life depends on malfunctions - you complain about it *big time*.

Bob

[Walver]

I'm lost on this as I've had a SA Loaded, and a SA TRP, and both jammed every 10 or 20 rounds oiled or dry, dirty or clean, and with the TRP, accuracy was horrid. Had I known of their great service rep, I would have sent them back, but I sold them at a loss totalling $200 on both. I just want something reliable. Thanks everybody.That amazes me on the TRP, I have one and it shoots better than any 1911 I've ever shot. It is tight, but has never malfunctioned with thousands of rounds of every makeup. You could have sent it back to Springfield and the Custom stuff like a TRP would have been fixed. Don't expect a Kimber to be even half the gun as a TRP, different animals, different $$$$$. In a Ransom Rest with handloads my TRP will shoot a 3/4" hole with 7 rounds including the first hand cycled round, at 15 yards, never went further out. Ammo could have been your problem.
Walt

[David Rose]

Bob,

I think he means that if it fails and you don't live, there are few complaints. The fact is, of course, that everyone who has a gun fail does not die. Of the guns brought to me with failures, I seldom see an old military model, even a worn out one. I see lots of military models that guys want to modify, but not that are failing in function. In hundreds of 1911s that I see over the years, I don't think that loose guns fail more than tight ones. Especially with the militaries does this hold true.

The joys of a nice tight gun are great. But there is a point where residue and dirt fills the tiny gaps. Then malfunctions (can) start. The trash has to go somewhere.

David

Hi

When a weapon that your life depends on malfunctions - you complain about it *big time*.

Bob

[pa_guns]

Hi

That's what I was getting at. Loose as in old military loose seems to be very reliable. My guess is that they pretty well knew what they could and could not get away with.

Bob

[Joni Lynn]

If you want reliable, then I'd recommend not having it really tight. Follow Tuner's suggestion.

[Panama1911]

I've seen old issue guns that were loose enough that you could see the recoil spring from the outside. They all shot fine.

My most reliable 1911 has just a small amount of vertical play, and a fair amount of side to side with the gun completely assembled (sorry I don't have numbers). After a full weekend of riding/camping, I can literally pull a teaspoon's worth of gritty gunk out of it, and it's never missed a beat. The barrel locks up like vault, however, and it groups better than a combat gun realistically needs to IMO.

This leads me to agree with our more knowledgeable forum members that slide fit has little to do with accuracy, unless you're talking Camp Perry level shooting.

[Joni Lynn]

After talking to some pistolsmiths I get the opinion that IF you are building a 1911 for the best possible accuracy with all the stops pulled out then a good slide frame fit will be the last very few percent of your accuracy.

[pa_guns]

Hi

It's tough to find a reason to make a combat pistol super tight. A 1/2" of added precision at 50 yards is unlikely to help in the real world.

Bob