First ever 1911, stupid question on reassembly and Slide Stop

[HarryPottar]

Ok this is a time for everyone to have a good laugh but I searched here and you tube and could not find my specific answer.

Purchased my first ever 1911, S&W E series. I got it home and field stripped it to do the obligatory clean and oil and to take a look inside.

Taking apart and putting back together is simple enough, there are enough videos on you tube on the subject.

I'm fine putting everything back together except when it comes to reinserting the slide stop.

You obviously push the slide stop through the frame and pull the slide back to the take down notch to seat the slide stop fully.

However what is the slide stop supposed to go through? on the barrel is a barrel link that rotates on the barrel link pin.

This I believe is plastic, is the slide stop supposed to go through the barrel link hole or does it rest against something else.

In all the assembly videos they just put the slide on and insert the slide stop but I would have thought it needs to line up with some thing.

Thanks in advanced.

Harry

 

[bill o]

It goes through the barrel link.

 

[JAYNOSE79]

Did you watch this video? at the 4min mark he mentions it.

 

[HarryPottar]

Thank you Bill o and JayNose79, that makes sense, I've watched a lot of 1911 videos but I think this the first that mentions it.

Thank you.

Trying to learn all I can about the 1911, I was and probably still torn between the S&W 1911 and the SR1911. I liked the both for different reasons but ended up picking up the S&W last night. I haven't shot it yet, plan to later today.

harry

 

[fencer]

Congrats on your new 1911 and enjoy your first range trip with her.

Know in advance, that she is your " no excuses" gun. If your rounds are not going exactly where you want them, it is you! Not the gun!!

With decent ammo. that 1911 is capable of very tight groups and is a joy to shoot.

 

[HarryPottar]

Just come back from the range, flawless and spot on, it shot where I pointed it, very impressed and pleased.

The only comment is the extractor is strong, it was trying to throw the spent brass into the next state. These rounds where some cheap Winchester White Box 200 round range brass but they had some kick. I like to reload, just purchased the 45 ACP dies but the extractor is quite rough on the brass rim, is this normal?

So far very, very happy with my S&W1911 e.

thanks

harry

 

[fencer]

This is not a knock on your S&W, it is a fine pistol, but I have never cared for the external extractors. I know that they are supposed to help prevent FTE and I am sure they do. 1911's were constantly criticized for being finicky or jamming a lot, especially as they got tighter and more accurate.

I prefer the flared and lowered ejection port and internal extractor. YMMV. Your e series is a sweet gun. I do hate WWB ammo though. Kind of like giving Boon's Farm to Kate Upton.

 

[Dadstoys]

Mine tosses brass like a skeet thrower as well.
It's a great pistol and one of my favorites to shoot.
It takes a few times putting it back together to get that part down.
One of those " You got to hold your mouth just right." Deals

 

[highlander]

You should have no problem reloading your brass. Some 1911s are rougher on brass than others,just keep loading them till they don't chamber anymore but you'll loose them before that point.

 

[Picton]

I stick the slide stop partway in, then rattle the barrel a little to ensure the stop went through the barrel link. Then I move the slide back to the notch and seat the stop.

 

[Shotgun Scully]

Excellent pistol.. Enjoy

 

[HarryPottar]

Thanks for all the replies, I have field stripped twice now and it's still working.

I picked it up yesterday from MFS and took it to Hopkinton Sportsmans club this afternoon. I put about 100 rounds through it while testing my ladder loads on the chronograph and generally getting to see how she shoots. I'm very pleased so far, it's nice and heavy and stays where it's pointed all my other hand gun barrels are under 4 inches so this is nice sight radius.

After confirming my load data with the chronograph I just loaded three hundred rounds to take to MFS tomorrow to break her in and get some practice. I don't have a trigger gauge but it's very light and crisp. I dry fired the SR1911 and this one last night and all though the SR1911 trigger was nice this one just had the edge and todays shooting confirmed it.

My prior experience has been with .380 and 9mm so this as been a two first for me, a 1911 and 45 acp.

Thanks for all the feed back

harry

 

[enbloc]

Mind your insertion...

Put a business card where your slide lock travels until you get the hang of it.

 

[HarryPottar]

Thanks, I noticed that mark on most. My slide stop pulls straight up and if you line the slide with the take down notch it pushed straight back in.

No need to turn the slide stop at all.

Thanks
harry

 

[AHM]

... I'm fine putting everything back together except when it comes to reinserting the slide stop. ...

FWIW, I feel your pain. I knew that the slide stop pin was supposed to go through the barrel link. However, it seemed as if the link had way too much freedom - that nothing short of looking through the hole in the frame under a bright light was guaranteed to spear it with the slide stop's pin upon reassembly.

I figured that must be some process that would allow a G.I. to reassemble a 1911 at midnight in a rainstorm on Guadalcanal without a flashlight. It may just require following the absolute proper steps in the absolute proper sequence - carefully add tidbits with frame upside down, flip it right side up, align slide, insert pin, viola. However, I haven't proven it to myself with geometric logic.

However I did a little experimentation and it's harder to reassemble a 1911 with the pin not spearing the link than you'd think. It may be impossible to mistake such a pistol for a properly assembled one - it won't look right, or it'll fail the most basic slide-racking function tests.

• The barrel locking lugs have to engage the slide lugs during assembly. Otherwise the barrel protrudes from the bushing when you think you've got everything assembled and the slide is home. The barrel at least protrudes like one of those toys that sticks its tongue out when you squeeze it.

• If the link is flipped back when you try to fit the slide onto the frame, then the link will contact the frame's impact surface, thus keeping the slide from moving far enough back for the slide stop to reach the slide's cutout notch. Also, the barrel's knees will just occlude the hole in the frame (at least on a SR1911CMD; I don't know if that's true for all 1911's, particularly Government or Officers).

• On the other hand, if the link is flipped forward against the barrel and you try to insert the pin while the pistol held upside down, the body of the link itself will occlude the hole (on a Ruger Commander, yadda³...).

I love Hickok45, and he's not lying that with good light, a probe, and an understanding of the shape of the innards, you can always move the link into alignment. I just would like to hear a pro explain a guaranteed way to do it in poor light with no tools.

 

[wahsben]

Kind of like giving Boon's Farm to Kate Upton.

Hey, whatever works.

 

[Machete]

FYI - the barrel link on the E-series guns isn't plastic. It IS a MIM part though, so can have a chintzy feel. I have thousands of rounds through mine with 0 issues. Pure anecdote, but it's all I have for ya.

As for reassembly in low/no-light, once you've stripped and assembled the pistol a few dozen times, it's easy to get the alignment right just by touch, and a few gentle shakes of the slide (solely have experience with gov't length slides if it makes a difference). YMMV as one of my friends had a RIA that had a hole in the barrel link tighter than a gnat's a$$h013 that took me about 5 minutes to get it in....

 

[nstassel]

Mind your insertion...

Put a business card where your slide lock travels until you get the hang of it.

Oh man that hurts! Been there done that on my first 1911 Stainless.