Problem with Fusion slide

[InlandViking]

So... I am working on my 80% 2011 and have run into an issue. I bought a 6" slide from Fusion, and when I tried to start fitting the barrel I just got (Schueman AET bull barrel) it wouldn't fit in the slide at all.. It seems that the channel between the barrel bore and the recoil spring bore is cut too small, and at an angle. The specs say it should be .366. I am getting .356 at the front and .358 at the rear. Has anyone else had this kind of issue with a Fusion slide? I just sent them an Email and am waiting for a response. Just wondered if this is an anomaly, or if it has happened to someone before?

[ar15barrels]

That 0.366" width does not matter as long as it's wide enough for the standing lug of the barrel to pass through.
Sometimes, the problem is actually a radius on the standing lug where the lug meets the major diameter under the chamber.
In that case, I would bevel inside the slide before I would remove the radius from the barrel.
How wide is your barrel's standing lug?

[ar15barrels]

Another thought is that that channel might be left purposely small on a bull barrel slide since you won't have a bushing.



Without a bushing, many people go with a reverse plug that fills that gap in.



You would want to be able to fit that channel width to your reverse plug so maybe Fusion leaves it small SO THAT you have material to work with.
If you have your reverse plug already, how wide is the filler section?

[InlandViking]

Barrel foot measures .361 It's a Schueman barrel, so I doubt there is a problem there... Spec on the channel is .366+/-.003 I measure .356.. If it was just a bit tight I might be looking at checking the radius of things, but it is .005 too small for me to even get it to think about going into the slide.

Even if it was the right width, the fact that it is not parallel with the rest of the slide, it would still be a tight fit... As for them doing it on purpose, There would be no reason. That slot is only there so you can get the barrel in the slide. Has nothing to do with actual barrel fitment, just has to be wide enough for the feet to pass through... And if any fitting is needed on a supported plug as shown above ( which I will be using) You would do your fitting on the plug itself, not the slide..

I think what I will end up doing is just hitting it with a file. By the time I have made the slot parallel with everything else I should be about right on width.. I have been waiting to get my hands on this barrel for this build, and I don't think I can wait... I already have the slide lapped to the frame anyway...

I am still interested to see what they say about.

[pklin1297]

If it is one of their "Diamond Series" of slides, I think they are still having teething issues...

[MosinVirus]

Can you post a pic of how nonparallel that channel is? also, a simple test would be to put the slide onto the frame, move it all the way back and see how it aligns with the frame bottom lug channel. They should form a continuous channel from slide to the VIS of the frame.

Show us a pic of that...

Kind of like that:


This was an early TM frame, so don't pay any attention to the lack of machining on the VIS. But you should see what I am talking about.

[InlandViking]

First... They contacted me and offered to make it right. Offered to open the channel for me. Made sense since it had already been worked on. I have already started to fix it, so I declined.. Glad to get the offer though.. As far as I know, this is not normal for their stuff. Still a satisfied customer... Heck, It just gives me one more place to brag about "Hand Fitted"..


I only have a picture I took before I took a file to it.. I am not speaking parallel fron to back, I am talking top to bottom. A bit hard to see in the picture, but the top of the channel kicks a bit to the right..