1911 slide fit

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Purple2

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I just received a SAM 1911 commanded stainless v2. It is my first 1911 and I do not know much about the platform.

The gun rattles if I shake it. It is mostly lateral movement that is causing the rattle, although there is a bit of vertical play if I pull up on the rear of the slide. I only paid $480 for it, so I do not expect it to be perfect. How does the slide to frame fit effect the accuracy of a 1911?

Also, it looks like there is a flaw in the cast frame. Does anyone think that this is a problem?

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A little bit of slide play is fine. I have a couple of mint 1970's Colts, Norinco's and a Para. They all have a varying amount. Some are sloppier than others. One of my Colts will rattle a bit when I wiggle it, the other doesn't, but still has the play. Same with one of my two Norcs.

As for that frame imperfection. Not sure what the deal is there.
 
Did you purchase it from Wolverine? If you did, give them a call. I bought my SAM's, all of which are great, tight guns, from them. They are very good people, give them a call, and voice your concerns.
 
The flaw, forget about it. It's nothing. As far as "Rattle" and slide fit, I suggest you goggle it and you will find VOLUMES on it . At the end of the day the consensus will be that there are "loose' guns that are tack drivers and "Tight " ones that are so so. Fine 1911's almost always compete with regard to their tight tolerances. Barrel to slide impacts more than slide to frame as a rule. I have an assortment of 1911's and the best of them have no play at all between frame to slide or barrel to slide etc. You really should fire a few boxes out or your piece, you may find that you have a tack driver! But even if you have a real shooter, when it come to 1911's everyone wants that "Les Baer" tightness if they are spending high dollars.
 
Purple2 said:
I just received a SAM 1911 commanded stainless v2. It is my first 1911 and I do not know much about the platform.

The gun rattles if I shake it. It is mostly lateral movement that is causing the rattle, although there is a bit of vertical play if I pull up on the rear of the slide. I only paid $480 for it, so I do not expect it to be perfect. How does the slide to frame fit effect the accuracy of a 1911?

Also, it looks like there is a flaw in the cast frame. Does anyone think that this is a problem?
Click to expand...

The flaw in the cast is cosmetic only, therefore doesn't matter at all.

The sloppiness in the slide to frame fit is more serious. As a rule of thumb, accurate 1911 pistols have a tight slide to frame fit without any wobble.
Some posters state that there are loose fitting tack drivers, I never saw one, and if they exist, they must be a rare exception of the rule.

If you want a tight fitting 1911 "on a budget", get an STI.
 
Slide to frame fit has little to do with how accurately the 1911 shoots.Far more important is slide/barrel/bushing fit.If these are in reasonable tolerances,the sights will line up accurately with the barrel for each shot and the slide/frame fit has very little influence on this.

In Jerry Kunhausens classic book on gunsmithing the 1911,he puts the influence of slide/frame fit at 5% to total accuracy.

Its a $480 gun so it would be a bit unreasonable to expect it to lock up like a Les Baer,the real question is how does it actually shoot?.I have a Ruger which is a real rattle trap but actually shoots quite well.
 
Pretty much every 1911 will have some lateral play. It has no bearing on accuracy as others have stated. A very tight fitting slide is only good for showing off, and for giving you feeding/extraction problems after a few mags because the rails can't operate with a little crud in them.
 
Slide-to-frame fit is comparatively insignificant compared to correct fit of the barrel and bushing in terms of accuracy. Some people fixate on this because it is something that can be easily detected by hand. At the same time, it is entirely possible to build a reliable but tightly-fitted gun, provided it isn't so tight that it is binding during hand cycling.

I would not worry about the casting flaw. You can't see it with the gun assembled and it will not affect function.
 
My Ruger SR1911 has a pretty sloppy frame to slide fit and rattles but it it very reliable and shoots pretty accurate. I have a SAM Thunderbolt on the way, from what I hear from others the slide to frame fit on most of them is pretty tight.
 
As others have correctly mentioned, slide to frame fit is virtually insignificant as it applies to the accuracy of the gun. the barrel's lock up to the slide via it's fit to the bushing and it's locking lugs fitting to the slide are the real make or break issues for accuracy.

Take it out and shoot it. I suspect it will be capable of greater accuracy that most shooters can reasonably take advantage of. :) Also keep in mind that not every 1911 that doesn't rattle is properly fit and not every 1911 that rattles is poorly fit...
 
polaris said:
The flaw in the cast is cosmetic only, therefore doesn't matter at all.

The sloppiness in the slide to frame fit is more serious. As a rule of thumb, accurate 1911 pistols have a tight slide to frame fit without any wobble.
Some posters state that there are loose fitting tack drivers, I never saw one, and if they exist, they must be a rare exception of the rule.

If you want a tight fitting 1911 "on a budget", get an STI.
Click to expand...

I got one of the first 'Wolveriene' stainless SAM Thunderbolts not long ago, and I have to say, this thing is "fit" perfectly! No rattle, no slop (at all, anywhere!!), not too tight and very solid. Considering how well built this unit is and how GOOD Wolverine is...I would call them. If one thing is clear to me with all of my purchases from them, Wolverine wants happy "return" clients MORE then sales.

PS: They will even send you custom artwork if you ask nicely! :)
 
the most important is the barrel/slide fit. If the barrel is sloppy in the bushing and/or the bushing sloppy in the slide that will affect your accuracy more than the slide/frame fit
 
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