How can I slow the slide down?

I'd say that's commonly done with handloads using a fast powder. My guess is most commercial ammo use medium powder, probably easier to meter for fast high volume production.
 
On a 1911, changing the angle of the firing pin stop and also upping the main spring (hammer spring) weight are two ways to slow the slide a bit -- and these do not carry with it the commensurate FORWARD slamming of the slide in to battery that comes along with simply upping the recoil spring weight.
 
Locked breech semi-auto handguns like Glock, Ruger and the 1911 are operated by momentum. The slide velocity is based on conservation of momentum. The momentum of the slide/barrel combination at the time of bullet exit will be equal (for all practical purposes) to the momentum of the projectile.

So bullet mass times bullet velocity will equal slide velocity times slide+barrel mass.

Slide velocity = (Bullet Mass x Bullet Velocity)/ (Barrel Mass + Slide Mass)

In hammer-fired guns, it might be possible to use the hammer/hammer spring as a delay mechanism, but there are some unpleasant side effects to that approach.

You can go with a stronger recoil spring, but that has less of an effect than one might expect. And a recoil spring that's too strong can cause problems.

Another option is to use a completely different operating system. Maybe a gas operated system or a gas-delayed operating system.

If you want to stick with the basic design of the firearms you mentioned, then the options are fairly limited. You can slow the slide by making the slide/barrel combination heavier or by making the projectile momentum lower. You can lower the projectile momentum by using a lighter bullet, lowering the muzzle velocity, or both.
 
Assuming you start with a gun that is functioning well now, and you are looking for a simple way to change the cycle rate without altering the gun design or ammo, you will be a bit limited on what you can achieve. There are two times involved which are different but add to become the complete cycle, yes, recoil back and slide return.

The way to change the timing of BOTH parts of the cycle is to slightly alter the mass of the bolt/slide combination. But remember that on the slide return, you are already changing the return mass when the slide picks up another round from the magazine.

More bolt/slide weight will slow the cycle, less weight will speed it up. If you lighten the bolt/slide too much, the bolt inertia factor starts going away, allowing the case to be pulled out before the bullet leaves the gun, and the rear of the case starts seeing high pressure without chamber protection. If you increase the bolt/slide weight too much, it reaches the point where the proper cycle pressure is no longer available from your current ammo.

Back to the slide picking up a new round. It does not take very much force to stop the pick up and become a failure to feed. As a first trial, I might start by duct-taping a spare round firmly on the slide and see if the result is noticably slowing to what you want. As you add more weight, you will most likely see failure to feed before failure to eject. At either point, you have exceeded the design cyclic rate and now are into a redesign effort, involving different spring, ammo, etc...
 
What do you mean by "slow?"

As in slow down violent operation with +P ammo?
Or slooow so you can watch the slide travel like when they do a slow motion shootout in the movies?
 
Do a forum search on "357 ROF" and you'll find why he's trying to slow down his slide. The high slide velocity is a side effect of his excessive chamber pressure.
 
Do a forum search on "357 ROF" and you'll find why he's trying to slow down his slide. The high slide velocity is a side effect of his excessive chamber pressure.
Click to expand...

And when his beloved ROF goes KaBoom I'm sure he'll blame Glock
 
Another way to slow down slide velocity would be with a compensator. (Porting like mag-na-port won't do it, ports just reduces muzzle climb but that process is generally more practical for most guns.) Downsides include increased noise, blast, increased weight, increased length, etc.

Good for a competition pistol, target pistol or maybe a hunting weapon, but usually not practical for a self defense pistol. There are several companies that make threaded barrels and compensators for Glocks, 1911s, etc.

A heavier slide would cycle slower, too. So long slide models would be a good choice.
 
Slide velocity = (Bullet Mass x Bullet Velocity)/ (Barrel Mass + Slide Mass)
Click to expand...

Pretty much this, without changing the design of the gun or welding weights on the slide, you would need to reduce bullet mass and/or bullet velocity. Lighter bullets are typically faster, which is not what you want, so either way you're going to have to reduce pressure. And, if you fire light bullets at reduced pressure, you'll need a lighter spring so the slide can go all the way back to cycle the action, assuming you want the gun to continue to function normally.
 
Someone mentioned changing the firing pin stop on the 1911, but nobody has explained why that works. On most 1911s built today, the forward, bottom corner of the firing pin stop plate has a pronounced radius. As the slides comes back in recoil, the hammer face slides along that radius during the cocking cycle. The point if initial contact with the face of the hammer is comparatively high on the hammer - away from the fulcrum.

The original M1911 design had a MUCH smaller radius on the firing pin stop plate, resulting in the point of contact being closer to the hammer fulcrum. This resulted in the slide having less mechanical advantage relative to the hammer. The effect was to both delay and slow the slide compared to the current, large radius design.

EGW (Evolution Gun Works) in Pennsylvania sells square-bottom slide stops for 1911s that you can stone to however much or little radius you want.
 
It's probably worth pointing out that excessive slide velocity in a factory handgun that isn't defective, is the result of using ammunition that is well outside of the design parameters of the pistol. This is a practice which causes damage to the firearm and has the potential to cause injury to the shooter.
 
Do a forum search on "357 ROF" and you'll find why he's trying to slow down his slide.
Click to expand...

Ah, OK. I did not remember he was the inventor of the .357 ROF. He will soon need a broom with those loads.
 
All

Thanks Guys.
I've seen those things mentioned to speed up cycling. I thought they may be for faster lighter bullets...maybe race guns...so I wondered if the slides could be slowed a touch for better powder burn with slower powders...and heavier bullets.
 
Better powder burn depends on the bullet staying in the barrel longer. The only way you're going to achieve that is with a longer barrel and/or slower muzzle velocities/heavier bullets.

The only way you're going to slow the slide significantly is to make the slide/barrel combination heavier and/or to reduce the muzzle momentum of the projectile (slower muzzle velocity and/or lighter bullet).
 
JonSka, All

Working on that. Waiting for a Glock 20 barrel with ports, not compensator with an additional modification now.
Heaviest recoil spring to be installed also.
Thanks Jon.
 
Last edited:
Invent a hydraulic buffering guide rod, and what you are attempting becomes a possibility. Recoil will still be hellacious, but the gun could possibly survive.

Alternately, you can cram a Twinkie in it like those idiot Youtubers.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top