1911 Slide Stop Backs Out

Josh Smith

Moderator
Hello,

My 1911 came with a slide release window that's cut just a little low. Not much, but enough to not let the ear that's supposed to hold the release from coming out unless aligned with the take down notch from properly doing its job.

My fix thus far has been to put a bead of silver solder on the bottom of the slide stop and filing the bead so that the slide stop fits normally.

Thus far I've tried a no-name extended release, a Brownell's, and a standard GI release, hoping for a bit of difference in the ear size. I have a Wilson on the way (should be here today) as well as a McCormick. A few others are on order.

This situation is doubly dangerous as I'm a lefty and the right side of the pin is sometimes hit while I'm shooting. Though it's not bumped hard enough to disassemble the gun, it does get bumped hard enough to keep the thing from locking the slide back.

I was thinking about dropping a small bead of weld on the stop and filing that, but I warped a Brownell's slide stop by "playing around" with different methods, and that was with a butane torch. I doubt welding would be much better.

I know I can't be the first to encounter a problem like this; there's just not much on the internet about it. I think I encountered one instance of this problem, but I do believe that guns that have the problem go largely unnoticed as most are right handed and their grips would not exacerbate the problem.

Has anyone run across this? If so, have you found a solution to the problem?

Thank you,

Josh <><
 
Why don't you just make the slide stop pin flush with the right side of the frame? That way you won't push it out.
 
My 1911 came with a slide release window that's cut just a little low

My goodness, and the manufacturer did not warranty it?

Along with shortening the right side of the pin to be flush with the frame (a common enough custom touch), a slide stop with a detent that is engaged by the slide stop plunger might help retard lateral as well as vertical movement.

How far is it from the top of the rail to the bottom of the window?

Regards,

Walt
 
I have fixed this by tig welding a little nub on top of the slide stop and filing it until it just lets the stop out when aligned with the takedown notch. Any good tig welder can do this.
 
A common fix is to use a Dremel tool to cut a vertical groove in the back of the slide stop and let the slide stop plunger keep the stop in place.

Of course if the clone makers did their job right, those kinds of fixes wouldn't be necessary.

Jim
 
I think that if it's needed with any of these slide stops that I've ordered (Wilson, McCormick, and Ed Brown thus far) I'll just either heat sink it well and hard solder it, or have someone zap a bead of weld on it and file to fit.

I'm not 100% sure why they don't make them oversize so that they need fitting anyway - if safeties and other small parts need fitted, why not this?

Thanks,

Josh <><
 
Boss clone maker to shop foreman: "Charlie, did you check the specifications and drawings before setting up the machines to make the slide?"

Shop foreman: "Specifications? Drawings?"

Jim
 
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