Made a 1911 slide holder

[jmx66]

Was going to buy a yavapai slide holder then realized I could make one and it would be a good milling project. Had a chunk of 7075 lying around so I pulled out a slide made some measurements and started cutting.
Here's how it turned out.
I probably should have got a piece that went the length of the frame but I think this'll be OK.
There will be a disc of aluminum and a Delrin plug that push up on the rear of the slide and the Delrin insert that goes on the front of the slide.

So a fun milling project for those of us just starting out (or too cheap to buy the holder )

 

[JAS]

Very good I made one a couple years ago,do not do enough outside work to pay for the Yavapai brand.Works just as good.

 

[wrmiller]

Nice! I also do not do enough work to pay for the Yavapai, so I'll be making my own. I have some large chunks of fortal (aircraft grade aluminum) that I can use.

I'm still trying to decide how I want to make this fixture though. Now that I have a BS-1 indexer, I've been trying to wrap my head around a slide holding fixture for it that will allow for various angled setups, including the 1 degree cant on the top of the slide. I may have to make one for quick setups in the vise, and another for the indexer.

I still have time though as my next build is a ways off. Need to save my pennies for a Fusion frame and slide.

 

[jmx66]

Thanks Bill, could you elaborate on "1 degree cant on the top of the slide"?

 

[wrmiller]

Thanks Bill, could you elaborate on "1 degree cant on the top of the slide"?

If you set a 1911 slide flat on a surface plate, and measure it's height, you will find that the back of the slide is taller than the front. The difference is about 1 degree.

I don't know the exact reasoning behind this (I wasn't around when the 1911 was designed), but my guess it that because a properly fitted barrel cants at ~1 degree when in battery, i.e., when the slide and barrel go into battery, the chamber end of the barrel elevates up and the barrel is registered by it's interface with the barrel bushing at the muzzle end, and contact points at the back of the barrel hood, the upper barrel lugs, and the lower barrel lugs. The height differential fore to aft is about 1 degree of angle downward towards the muzzle, and not parallel to the slide rails like some folks think.

Because of this barrel cant, the business end of the 1911 needs to be tipped upwards a bit when firing, and without this compensating taper on the top of the slide, either the rear sight would have to be higher than desired, or the front sight would have to be very short. Maybe too short?

This is all a SWAG on my part of course.

 

[jmx66]

Thanks Bill. Well, that explains why the back of my vise was indicated perfectly square but when I mounted the slide and indicated the top, I had to re-adjust the vise.