Another 1911 thread, but you know you love em

H

HALLAUSTIN

New member
So I'm the proud owner of a new (and my very first) sr1911 cmd. Its a great gun. It has been reliable in its first 180 rounds including pdx-1s, federal fmj and tulammo fmj. My question is can you build a new slide and just slap it on? I ask because i have a 4.25" barrel and I'd like to build a 7",buy quality parts over time and make a nice target rig. Is this possible? If so can anyone point me in the right direction as far as what companies to go with? As always, any and all help or opinions are appreciated.
 
GI pistols had greater tolerences and parts interchange with little difficulty. Today there are so many manufacturers with their own specs you may or may not find a slide/ barrel that will interchange, good news is most parts are easily fitted and a competent gunsmith should be able to make your parts collection run like a top.
 
Alright, that's good news. The main thing I'd like to do is keep 100% reliability, or close to it. I know nothing is perfect.
 
If it's a "true Commander", the internal dimensions of the frame are slightly different than a 5" gun.
The area in the frame where the guide rod seats is closer to the slide stop pin, and the frame rails are shorter, to allow a little more slide travel with the shorter barrel and slide.
The barrel is also modified so that the lower lugs don't hit the head of the guide rod when the gun is in battery.
I have seen Commander top ends on Government frames, but I don't think I've ever seen a Government top end on a Commander frame.
There's also the matter of the dust cover on the Commander being shorter than that on the GM, so there will be a gap between the frame and slide, exposing part of the recoil spring.
 
new 45 owner

Congrats!

Before you buy any new parts, check with a competent gunsmith who can advise you if the conversion is possible and what parts he/she recommends for the conversion.

Happy shooting.
 
To go the route you have outlined you will have to locate a 7" slide or have one built (usually by welding up) and then fitted to the frame of your current gun. You will need a barrel of that length as well. This is not a common size for 1911s so it will cost more than more common sizes, but folks do make them. Other than that the parts are common ones.

The longer slide will require a different recoil spring and it may take a bit of experimentation to get that right.

Another issue is that the shorter Commander frame (some manufacturers use a slightly shorter frame for the commander length guns) will not offer the same length of support for a 7" slide that a 5" GM frame does. Most longslide guns are built on full size frames or welded up extended frames.

If you are set on this route take your time building a custom longslide gun it will mean sacrificing your commander for some length of time to the work.

You may want to consider simply getting another gun and having it built to your desires.

tipoc
 
PSA sells forged frames that are high value dollar for dollar. I don't know how long they will last so I would get one fast. I would consider a 6" instead, as there are a couple of manufacturers out there producing those slides and barrels. As others have said, I don't believe it's feasible to make a full length slide work on a true commander frame. Maybe it's possible, but I've never seen it done. Probably for good reason. Get a government frame and build a 6" gun. I think you'll be more than pleased.
 
You can get a kimber .22 conversion kit and used it on the sr1911. I have one and it fit fine. Inexpensive ammo to shoot and lots of fun.
 
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