Steel putty for 1911 frame/slide fit?

What's the worst that could happen?
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The problem is more with getting a reliable bond to the existing metal. A scrupulously clean surface "might" do it, but a long, razor-thin piece of epoxy material that comes un-stuck at just the wrong time could seriously jam up the works. The presence of heat (from firing a number of rounds), heat cycling (cold to hot and back again, who-knows-how-many times), lubrication (and what is used to lube the pistol), and the repeated jarring impact of the slide cycling x-many times are all variables that are difficult to account for.

Bottom line--I'm sure there are better ways to tighten up frame/slide fit.
 
One more thing is,you may be attacking a problem that doesn't completely exist.Yeah,a lot of 1911's rattle and clank! But,if a match barrel is properly fitted to the slide,the barrel,slide and sights are all working together with a tight lockup.The frame /slide fit is much less involved in accuracy.

I will second the idea that a metal filled epoxy job is not likely to be successful and if you got it done,would present a reliability issue.

You might get away with something like Brownells Guncote moly filled bake on epoxy paint,but I don't think I would go that way
 
This is for a Bullseye wadcutter gun, not a carry gun. I was thinking just a few small spots along the frame, then smooth/polish.

All I'd be trying to achieve is consistent lockup over a 200 round session. I wouldn't mind if the work slowly wears away and needs redoing every few thousand rounds.
 
I understand what you're trying to do but it won't work that way. If you're slide to frame fit is really loose, tighten the slide up with the proper tools.

Now having said that, I do have to add:
When we refinish a semi auto pistol, I apply the finish thicker in the slide/frame rails. It's actually too thick...so thick that the slide will no longer fit on the frame. Then I hand lap off the excess so the end result is a perfectly matched fit.

Two important things about that:
I don't do it this way to make a loose pistol stop rattling. I do it to get a better matched bearing surface with less surface friction that will result in a smoother stroke.
This will only work with a finish that has the abilty to burnish. We use Gunkote Molly resin. Normal paint or duracoat will just "ball up" .
Keep yer powder dry, Mac.
Tuff-Gun Finishes. The Name Says It All.
Mac's Shootin' Irons.
http://www.shootiniron.com
 
Melchloboo,

I have worked with the Devcon products you linked to. They are very strong as epoxies go, good chemical resistance, great for stock bedding (the aluminum-filled type is Harold Vaughn's favored bedding as it doesn't dull his wood chisels when he trims it). Gallon cans of the liquid steel-filled version are used for leveling old concrete before installation of machine tools. All applications, you will notice, where no significant rubbing occurs once everything is in place. It is not formulated to be a sliding surface as the specialized gun finishes are.

This material is soft, relative to actual steel. It also has far less sheer or tensile strength. Let a small quantity set up and take a file to it. It cuts down and clogs a file so fast you will reasonably be worried about the adequacy of its strength for what you want to do. You don't, for example, see engineers running around patching cracks in the nation's deteriorating steel bridge beams with the stuff. It won't even begin to compare to steel strength in that regard. You can score it with your pocket knife.

Steel fit-up in target guns wears loose over time, so they often need periodic fit tightening for maximum accuracy. But that is only between many thousands of rounds if the initial work is good. What you propose, if it works at all, will probably need it every few hundred rounds. Then you will have to find a way to get the old layers off and replace them. Epoxy is famous for refusing to stick well to itself once it has thoroughly cured. I predict you will feel like you've got hold of never-ending job after awhile.
 
If your gun is so loose you really think tightening the slide to frame fit will be a benifit there's two good ways of doing it.
As suggested acc-u-rail is a good method or weld the frame rails and machine them to tighter specs.
I do not recommend any of the old peen methods, they don't last and many a good gun has been ruined by them.
Regards
Bob Hunter
www.huntercustoms.com
 
I do not recommend any of the old peen methods, they don't last and many a good gun has been ruined by them.
Regards
Bob Hunter
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Thats odd, that's exactly what the Armors at AMU and NGB MTU do. They've been doing it for a long time with good results.
 
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