Fitting 1911 barrels to slide stop pin

[Gunfiter74]

I'd like any opinions on this fitting "technique" for 1911 barrels to their slide stop pin. I have fit barrels using the Wilson lug cutters, for the initial lug cut and then files and stones for the final fitting. Seeing that my milling machine is much more precise than my aging hands and eyes, my question is this.... does this procedure make sense?
After the initial cutting of the barrel feet is done and with them still oversize, set up your stripped frame in your mill vise and true it up. Insert your slide stop pin in the frame. Locate the inside edges of the frame and zero your read outs. With a very small ( 1/8" or so) carbide end mill, making small cuts, mill flats on the slide stop pin where the barrel feet will engage. Of course, before milling, measure the width of the barrel feet and only cut those areas of the pin where the barrel feet will sit upon, not where the link will engage. You could check your work easily by installing and removing the slide / barrel group. I would think that the "flat" area of the barrel feet, engaging the "flat" area on the slide stop pin, would give you a better lock up.
Am I way off base here...? Thanks for a great forum! I really enjoy all the knowledge that is shared, here.

Tom

[log man]

No this isn't way off and is only a slight variation of a method suggested to me by Wil Schuemann. Which is to under cut the barrel lug with the .185" cutter and clean it up and then simply file the slide stop with a flat top in the inside frame area. No concern for the link as it pulls the barrel down so contact on the underside is undisturbed. This idea refined gives a lot more lug to stop pin contact and if it loosens up a new stop can be fit. The one consideration that should be looked at and fit is the contact between the feet and the pin.

LOG

[Magnumite]

I like that technique! Didn't know it was out there. Looks like I know what I am doing when I fit the barrel on my next build.

[BigJon]

Isn't that something Marine Corps armorers did a good while ago? I seem to recall having read that somewhere.

[Dave Berryhill]

Interesting idea. Years ago there was a company that sold "drop iin" barrels with an adjustable slide stop (The name was Centaur IIRC). Instead of fitting the lower lugs, the slide stop had a slot cut into the top of the pin that held a small steel roller. You put different thicknesses of shim stock under the roller to adjust its height which had the effect of increasing or decreasing the diameter of the slide stop pin. Shims of different thickness were used until the barrel locked up and you could add shims later if the fit got loose - Same basic idea, just a different way of doing it.

One problem with that method was dropping the roller and shims in the dirt if you removed the slide stop in the field. The company went out of business long ago and I don't know if there were any function or breakage problems with that method.

[donw]

Dave, I remember fitting one of the Centaur barrel/comp assemblies to a 1911 for a guy many years ago. The only drawback to the whole deal was the shims were easily lost as they were so tiny. The barrel shot VERY well as I recall, and if I'm not mistaken, the guy who did the Centaur deal was none other than Will Schuemann. Best,

[BigJon]

Don - is the set up you mentioned that had the screw?

[Jerry Keefer]

Here's a couple of pictures of a linkless system that uses that concept. They shot o.k., but not spectacular, and required a good bit of machining skill to install. It's quite similar to the S&W 52 system and many other modern semi autos. Sig for one, which can be quite accurate at combat distances..
For precise Bullseye work, there is no improvement...
The Marine Corp, and many others, still alter the Slide Stop pin O.D. to achieve the last final few thousandths of equal contact / fit. For stability, a nd Bullseye accuracy, I like to maintain full radial contact at the rear of the lug...so I don't like to change the radius to the point of altering that..

Jerry

[Dave Berryhill]

Originally Posted by donw

...and if I'm not mistaken, the guy who did the Centaur deal was none other than Will Schuemann. Best,

I thought his name was Ray something or other.

[schmeky]

I really like the way this sounds. As an added benefit, you basically couldn't over-cut the lower lugs since the final fitting would be confined to the slide stop.

Barrel = expensive
Slide stop = not expensive

I reality, there would be little metal removal from the slide stop.

I'm going to give this a try on my next fit.

[BBBBill]

Originally Posted by donw

... if I'm not mistaken, the guy who did the Centaur deal was none other than Will Schuemann. Best,

Originally Posted by Dave Berryhill

I thought his name was Ray something or other.

Ray G. Herriott
Centaur Systems, Inc.
Kalispell, MT

I think he passed on some years ago. Working from memory here, but I think I recall an extra "lug" on top forward of the locking lugs that acted only as a limit to upward barrel movement.

[rrabullseye]

Originally Posted by Jerry Keefer

Here's a couple of pictures of a linkless system that uses that concept. They shot o.k., but not spectacular, and required a good bit of machining skill to install. It's quite similar to the S&W 52 system and many other modern semi autos. Sig for one, which can be quite accurate at combat distances..
For precise Bullseye work, there is no improvement...
The Marine Corp, and many others, still alter the Slide Stop pin O.D. to achieve the last final few thousandths of equal contact / fit. For stability, a nd Bullseye accuracy, I like to maintain full radial contact at the rear of the lug...so I don't like to change the radius to the point of altering that..

Jerry

Was that the Briley linkess design?

[Jerry Keefer]

Originally Posted by rrabullseye

Was that the Briley linkess design?

Yes;
The barrel in the picture shot well, and functioned fine..
Jerry

[Gunfiter74]

Thanks for the replies and comments. I'm glad that I'm not totally off the mark with this. I have done this procedure on several of my builds and it seems to work quite well. Another technique I use is that after I get the frame set up in the vise, I take the assembled slide and barrel and put it on the frame. I then take several pin guages from my pin guage set and insert different sizes in the slide stop pin hole. By doing this, I can tell what size pin will cause the barrel to lock up tightly. Too big a pin; no lock up. The diameter of the pin that works.... that's the diameter that I mill the flats on the slide stop pin.
As a side note, I was in the Marine Corps for 10 years and didn't see any of the Govt. Models that I shot with these modifications. Of course, these guns were used for requalification.... not competition.
Semper Fi.....

Tom