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Thread: What 1911s have a slide that is easy to pull back?

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  1. #1
    Join Date
    20th October 2010
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    What 1911s have a slide that is easy to pull back?

    I am looking for a 1911 that will be used for protecting my home. Problem that I have encountered is the slide! Some slides are very hard to pull back because some 1911's are more tightly put together than others.
    Can anyone here recommend a 1911 that is not as tightly put together and still reliable? Semper Fi Till The Day I Die! Thank-You!
    Praise The Lord & Pass The Ammo

  2. #2
    Join Date
    2nd June 2004
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    Tightness should not affect the effort required to rack the slide, unless your pistol is so tight the slide doesn't run freely. What make and model pistol do you have, and roughly how many rounds have gone through it?

    If you field strip the gun and put the slide back onto the frame (no barrel, no recoil spring or guide) ... if you tip the gun back about 45 degrees does the slide go back just due to gravity? It should.
    Hawkmoon
    On a good day, can hit the broad side of a barn ... from the inside
    Likes (2) :
    MuyModesto (26th February 2020), Ric4509 (27th February 2020)


  3. #3
    Join Date
    9th March 2006
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    You're probably fighting recoil spring weight and the mainspring compression. But then is the gun clean? Or another thought, do other people have the same issues with the same guns?

    Here's a few things to think about:

    Government length guns generally use lighter springs than their Commander length counterparts. Probably a 2 pound difference.
    Lighter calibers 45 to 9mm will run lighter springs, pretty obvious.
    For 5" guns.
    45acp is generally 16-18#
    9mm about 14#
    10mm is in the range of 22-26#

    Mainsprings can be sticky. I had one gun that was really stiff. I disassembled and then lubed the channel, spring and moving parts. Helped a lot. It wasn't lubed when I got it.

    I usually thumb cock the gun before racking the slide. See above. This procedure takes the hammer and main spring out of the equation.

    Technique has a lot to do with mitigating the effort. By bringing the gun to your chest and with a good grip the support hand grasps the slide and you push with each towards each other letting go at the end of the stroke. The key is the dual push and the additional strength of having the gun close in. This IS NOT the technique for an unloaded gun as you shouldn't drop the slide of a 1911 on an empty chamber.

    Now as Hawkmoon indicated the slide should run easily on the frame, if not you have a different set of issues. A good cleaning and proper lube may be all that is needed, after that I've used a polishing compound between the frame and slide and multiple strokes to try to smooth things out (not everyone is comfortable with this).

    Or just take it to a competent gunsmith and have them check it out.

    If the extent of your experience is with new guns at the gun store, I'd suggest find a well broken in example to test. Pretty much everything in my collection is smoother than a new find at the local gun store.

    Jim
    Likes (2) :
    Ric4509 (27th February 2020), Sergio Natali (3rd March 2020)


  4. #4
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    I had my gunsmith do some work on the bottom edge of the firing pin stop. He rounded the edge a bit, which made the slide easier to operate. The first thing the firing pin stop does when the slide moves back is it contacts the hammer and cocks the hammer. Having a bit of curve there made a noticeable difference.
    i sold all my handguns. . . . . . . . . . except for the 1911 style pistols in .45 ACP.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    21st September 2008
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    Great question.

    As others said, 9mm pistols with 5" barrels will have the lightest recoil springs from the factory. Colt puts 14lb springs on them, others (MOST others) run them with 12lbs or less. A 4.25" 9mm will work great with a 14lb recoil spring, and is easy and a joy to shoot (as is a 5" 9mm).

    But beyond that, probably the biggest factors in helping you deal with racking the slide are:
    a) the mainspring (aka the hammer spring) and more importantly...
    b) the way you hold the gun when you rack the slide

    Try cocking the hammer before racking the slide. You shouldn't have to, but it will definitely make racking the slide much easier. Spur hammers are easier for this than more modern ones, however there are other implications with their use (the grip safety will be the GI type, which for many isn't as comfy as a beavertail).

    Then there's the way you rack the slide. Most people simply hold the gun in front of them and use their support hand to grab the slide by the serrations and pull it back. I'm assuming here that this is what you're doing. There's nothing wrong with this but it doesn't give you nearly as much leverage on the slide, as if you bring your gun a bit closer to your body, still pointing downrange, then get your support hand over the slide, the thumb pointing back towards your body, and PUSH the slide open, rather than pull it.

    IMHO, doing the above will help you much more than a lighter recoil spring, or mainspring, or cocked hammer.

    I hope this helps.

    Regards,

    Spyros
    Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold.
    M. Setter
    Likes (1) :
    MuyModesto (2nd March 2020)

    Last edited by Spyros; 1st March 2020 at 04:03.


  6. #6
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    Great suggestion. The only thing I would add is push with both hands, it works well for me.

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