3 1/2" Build questions

[Mgonz45]

New from Colorado

Just wondering if anyone knew where I could find parts for an Officers size build ? I've never seen slides shorter then commander or anything but full size frames for sale, and I've been wanting to try a 3 1/2" build

Or do you have to do some cuttin and weldin ?

Thanks

[OD*]

http://www.caspianarms.com/S35.php

[Mgonz45]

http://www.caspianarms.com/S35.php
Thanks, I swear ive searched thier site and never found those. I feel dumb now

[OD*]

Hey man, it happens to us all, sooner or later. ;)

[ElrodCod]

Fusion has Officer's size slides too. When I asked, they had slides for bushingless bull barrels as well as bushing slides.

[Sniper350]

Mgonz45 .......... Here's a short cut to your build. Look for a Used S.A Ultra Compact.......and go to work customizing that base pistol. It is a great design ......... what I like about it .......... it is built like a standard 1911 i.e. the barrel set-up and recoil system all the same. Soild steel frame & Slide ......so the pistol has a remarkable balance to it and is very easy to control and shoot double taps. I showed a friend how easy it was to shoot 6 rounds at less than 1 second apart, and keep a fist sized group in a target 20 feet away. The frame is made in Brazil ........... but the quality seems to me to be very good. The Slide's steel is a bit soft, in that the Slide stop shows a tiny amount of peening in the Slide's cut-out. I am using hot 230gr. hardball ammo, so that might be some of the cause. But the frames VIS shows no signs of wear or battering. The VIS shows a perfect Bow-tie impact area .....so I am very pleased with the way this pistol was machined and fit to the barrel. I think S.A. had a very good thing going with the Ultra Compact 45 Acp. .......most smaller pistols have troubles with 100% reliability and even S.A. went to a ramped barrel design in their later micro 1911's. I would have swore that 4.25" was the smallest you could build J.B."s design and get it to work 100%........... but this 3.5" ULtra Compact has changed my mind !! Mine won't jam ........ and I have feed it various HP's designs and used 3 different magazine manufacturers -- go figure !! I won't sell this baby for any amount of $$$. It is the slightly harder to find Bi-Tone model.

JF.

[Mgonz45]

Mgonz45 .......... Here's a short cut to your build. Look for a Used S.A Ultra Compact.......and go to work customizing that base pistol. It is a great design ......... what I like about it .......... it is built like a standard 1911 i.e. the barrel set-up and recoil system all the same. Soild steel frame & Slide ......so the pistol has a remarkable balance to it and is very easy to control and shoot double taps. I showed a friend how easy it was to shoot 6 rounds at less than 1 second apart, and keep a fist sized group in a target 20 feet away. The frame is made in Brazil ........... but the quality seems to me to be very good. The Slide's steel is a bit soft, in that the Slide stop shows a tiny amount of peening in the Slide's cut-out. I am using hot 230gr. hardball ammo, so that might be some of the cause. But the frames VIS shows no signs of wear or battering. The VIS shows a perfect Bow-tie impact area .....so I am very pleased with the way this pistol was machined and fit to the barrel. I think S.A. had a very good thing going with the Ultra Compact 45 Acp. .......most smaller pistols have troubles with 100% reliability and even S.A. went to a ramped barrel design in their later micro 1911's. I would have swore that 4.25" was the smallest you could build J.B."s design and get it to work 100%........... but this 3.5" ULtra Compact has changed my mind !! Mine won't jam ........ and I have feed it various HP's designs and used 3 different magazine manufacturers -- go figure !! I won't sell this baby for any amount of $$$. It is the slightly harder to find Bi-Tone model.

JF.
Thanks for the Idea JF. S.A. happen to be my favorites anyway, I currently have a full size Lew Horton "Night 45" that I have customized have had it many years with no probs. I also have a stainless "loaded" Champion wich is my CCW also never a problem with it. Also got a XD in .45 GAP its great !! So I am a big fan of S.A. I always look there first. I spent 15 years as a Machinist till I became disabled and ive been jonesen to work some metal. Being that I cant work right now I was looking for a way to s-l-o-w-l-y build an officer one piece at a time. so i can spread the cost out a while. I was even thinking of finding someone with damaged parts and modifying/repairing them. I have a Lathe and Mill in the garage so if I can find a way to get the wheelchair to them I could pass the time just trying to fix this stuff, and if it was cheap enough the learning curve would not be so expensive.

Mike

[Karnaaj]

Gunbroker can be your friend. <G> I've seen the Officer-size frames and slides there, can't remember if I've seen barrels or not. I've also found parts kits - strip everything off the frame and sell those bits when you destroy the frame (police evidence/confiscation/turn-in, I assume) - bought one for a Llama Minimax II (3.5" barrel) recently, and passed (due to budget) a Para Warthog (might've been a P.10, though) earlier this year, I think.

If you decide on Caspian, remember to check the Foster Industries website - they're the outlet for Caspian "factory seconds", and as I just looked, they've got Officer's frames for $136 and change ($134 and change for the integral plunger tube version). I was incredibly tempted back around December by those... didn't grab one, but maybe later. <heheheh>

[Mgonz45]

Thanks for the info, never knew of Foster. Of course they're out right now because of camp Perry so I cant get prices. but i'll be checkin back.

[Mgonz45]

Thanks for the info, never knew of Foster. Of course they're out right now because of camp Perry so I cant get prices. but i'll be checkin back.
Now that I have found parts sources, From your experiances which way is more reliable. Bull barrel set up or Barrel and bushing since it appears this needs decided before I order a slide. also Can a standard slide be cut down and used with a bull barrel ?

[Karnaaj]

Don't know about cutting a slide down - I'm sure that's how they were originally made this small, but since there *are* manufactured slides now... <G> anyway, the choice between bull barrel and bushing seems to mostly come down to where you want the the wear to occur - the inside of the slide (bull) or the bushing itself. Most of the commercial builds I've seen seem to go with the coned-style, and I'd suspect this is due to the non-entertainment value of getting the bushing tweaked right for function in that short a distance. (Not to mention the lack of space to fit a standard recoil-spring plug.)(It's doable, however, as I've seen at least one 3-3.5" with a bushing.)

You might get better answers from people with more experience and knowledge, however... I'm a total n00b still with a lot of this. <G>

[Hawkmoon]

If you are asking if a 5" Government model slide can be cut down to Officers length, the answer is yes ... but no. Yes, you can cut it down in length and set it up to run with a short, bull barrel (Actually, a cone barrel). But ... the frame dust cover on an Officers ACP is shorter than that on a Government model, and the slide dust cover on a Government model doesn't extend back far enough to reach it. You would be left with a gap of perhaps an eighth of an inch between the slide and the frame.

[Mgonz45]

If you are asking if a 5" Government model slide can be cut down to Officers length, the answer is yes ... but no. Yes, you can cut it down in length and set it up to run with a short, bull barrel (Actually, a cone barrel). But ... the frame dust cover on an Officers ACP is shorter than that on a Government model, and the slide dust cover on a Government model doesn't extend back far enough to reach it. You would be left with a gap of perhaps an eighth of an inch between the slide and the frame.
Thanks Hawk ! The onlt reason I ask is Im just looking for something to try that will be more of a learning experiance for me so I want to do it on the cheap. I was also thinking of cutting down a standard frame grip Then i could leave the frame long enough to reach the dust cover. Like I said I'm just looking for a project to keep busy till I recover from my surgeries. Even if i end up with a non functioning piece I will have learned alot and passed alot of time. Now if I could just find some damaged frames/slides to start experimenting with. I heard that Numrich used to sell "Practice" frame, but I cant find anything.

[Hawkmoon]

Cutting down a Government model frame to Officers ACP height may not work. Most Government model frames have a large "window" behind the grip panels. The location where the Officers ACP lower grip screw should go is located in this window. If you can find a frame with a short window, you're good to go.

You might call Sarco in New Jersey and ask if they have any more of their "decorator" 1911 frames. These were not completely machined and don't even have serial numbers. They were CHEAP -- $29.95 if memory serves. As a machinist, it is legal for you to finish them yourself, for your own, personal use. The grip length on them is "intermediate" -- it's longer than an Officers, but shorter than a Government.

[Mgonz45]

Cutting down a Government model frame to Officers ACP height may not work. Most Government model frames have a large "window" behind the grip panels. The location where the Officers ACP lower grip screw should go is located in this window. If you can find a frame with a short window, you're good to go.

You might call Sarco in New Jersey and ask if they have any more of their "decorator" 1911 frames. These were not completely machined and don't even have serial numbers. They were CHEAP -- $29.95 if memory serves. As a machinist, it is legal for you to finish them yourself, for your own, personal use. The grip length on them is "intermediate" -- it's longer than an Officers, but shorter than a Government.
Thanks, I'll give that a lookin into !