Milling Hellcat for Red Dot

[TWheeler45]

I have a customer who is looking to have a Springfield Hellcat milled for a Red Dot. He is looking for someone local in SoCal, preferably somewhere near the OC. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

[hermosabeach]

Out of curiosity, will springfield sell the milled slide?

What is the price for a second slide?

The one guy I know has not done a hellcat and does not have the CNC programming for the slide. He did not have any interest....

My guess is that its very unlikely he would ever have another request the milling while we have the CA Roster.


If your customer LEO? if yes, they can buy the firearm with the milling and the shield red dot for $619 @ proforce

The Next generation of small red dots are sweet on guns like this...

['ol shooter]

I can't think of anything dumber than putting a big azz sight on a belly gun. I have a Crimson Trace laser on my Shield and it's out of the way.

[hermosabeach]

these folks are in HB

https://dynamicweaponsolutions.com/collections/optic-cuts

[Lanejsl]

I can't think of anything dumber than putting a big azz sight on a belly gun. I have a Crimson Trace laser on my Shield and it's out of the way.

These kinds of posts always crack me up. Every time someone asks about an RMR on a micro pistol there's one of these responses. That's not what the OP was asking. If it doesn't work for you, why crap all over the idea? What purpose does that serve? Plenty of us old folks with bad eyes would benefit from a red dot on a "belly gun."

[TWheeler45]

Yep, thought of that, but it doesn't look like SA will sell the slide separately.

[pacrat]

The one guy I know has not done a hellcat and does not have the CNC programming for the slide. He did not have any interest....

Now that's a damn shame. That someone working as a "gunsmith". Doesn't know what those "turney handle things" on his mill are for. Or how to use them.

Can he flush his toilet without "Siri" pulling the handle for him?

[eaglemike]

Now that's a damn shame. That someone working as a "gunsmith". Doesn't know what those "turney handle things" on his mill are for. Or how to use them.

Can he flush his toilet without "Siri" pulling the handle for him?

I'd guess he just doesn't want to do it for some reason. Sometimes one gets a feel about a certain job, or customer, that it's not going to be worth it. In the machine shop business, guys come in the door often asking for stuff done too cheap, or I know they are going to be difficult.

[ar15barrels]

Now that's a damn shame.
That someone working as a "gunsmith". Doesn't know what those "turney handle things" on his mill are for.
Or how to use them.

Most CNC milling machines don't HAVE handles that you can turn like a manual machine.
It's mostly toolroom and prototype cnc machines that can also be turned by hand by depowering the motors and folding out handles.

[pacrat]

Most CNC milling machines don't HAVE handles that you can turn like a manual machine.
It's mostly toolroom and prototype cnc machines that can also be turned by hand by depowering the motors and folding out handles.

OK, as a working gunsmith, what do you have?

[ar15barrels]

OK, as a working gunsmith, what do you have?

I have a manual milling machine.
I don't have a CNC milling machine.
That's why I can't do RMR cuts.

Doing RMR cuts RIGHT require the ability to cut arcs and mill threads through circular interpolation.
These are not things you can do on a manual machine.
That's why the places do it WELL all use CNC machines.

[hermosabeach]

I’ll throw in - how many Glock slides were ruined figuring out
How deep can we cut before we interfere with internal parts.

The RMR Glock / red dot Glock goes back a long time. Kelly mccann aka Jim Grover.


This is a newer gun
How long does it take to figure out how deep one can mill the slide and
1- not mess with internals
2- not cause premature slide failure
3- have enough meat to secure threads


And what red dot? Slides must be killed for a specific footprint.



As the Gun is off roster- how many people own the gun in ca? And maybe 1% might want to have it cut for a dot

And you can buy
1- the Gun
2- factory milled
3- with a dot installed for just over $600


And people wonder why they would pass.

[pacrat]

Doing RMR cuts RIGHT require the ability to cut arcs and mill threads through circular interpolation.
These are not things you can do on a manual machine.
That's why the places do it WELL all use CNC machines.

I find "WELL" and "RIGHT" to be subjective terms.

As to the underlined......I'm undoubtedly missing something in translation. The only threads I see required, are 2 screw holes for mounting.

After much googling for pics. Looking for a top view of a Hellcat slide with the SMSc sight, or filler in place. There aren't any I could find. I initially thought the cut was Sq on both ends. But your "cut arcs" comment gave me pause.

I did find this one. https://www.sportsmansfinest.com/hc9...osp-3-optic-re and increased it 500%. In order to be able to see the radius at the rear of the recess, at an oblique angle.

[A]
With a correct dia end mill, that corresponds with the radius. Piece of cake. Index the spindle on CL of slide. The cut is sq on both ends with radius in middle of rear. Clear it all out, but the radius. Bring spindle back to CL index. Then cut the radius last.

Pretty simple with DROs, which I don't have. Just a bit more care taken, and attention to detail, and still very do-able without.

[B]
Without the proper dia EM to match radius. Bit tougher with smaller dia cutter. But do-able. Clear out forward section as before. Layout and scribe radius. Then "nibble cut it" to scribe. Then hand dress arc of radius with a stone to smooth it. Not quite as precise on the radius as [A]. But this cut is not a critical mating surface. And with either the sight, or the filler, in place, you can't even see it.

I imagine both [A] and [B] would take much more time than clamping in a CNC mill. Push a button and go get a beer. But certainly do-able.

If it looks right, fits right, and works right. Who's to say it isn't done "WELL" or "RIGHT". As I said "SUBJECTIVE".

[ar15barrels]

I find "WELL" and "RIGHT" to be subjective terms.

The only threads I see required, are 2 screw holes for mounting.

With a correct dia end mill, that corresponds with the radius. Piece of cake.

Slides are sometimes too hard to tap so you MILL the threads with a little tiny thread mill.
Not a task that's possible on a manual mill.
You also want to make the posts that key the sight to the slide so you mill those posts as you are making the pocket cut.
You also want to make a post where each threaded hole is to increase the number of threads you have in the slide.
The radius on an RMR is 3" so you need a 6" diameter cutter.
The total length of the cut is well less than 6" though so this makes it impossible to do that cut with a cutter of 6" diameter without cutting too much of the slide away.

[eaglemike]

I find "WELL" and "RIGHT" to be subjective terms.

As to the underlined......I'm undoubtedly missing something in translation. The only threads I see required, are 2 screw holes for mounting.

After much googling for pics. Looking for a top view of a Hellcat slide with the SMSc sight, or filler in place. There aren't any I could find. I initially thought the cut was Sq on both ends. But your "cut arcs" comment gave me pause.

I did find this one. https://www.sportsmansfinest.com/hc9...osp-3-optic-re and increased it 500%. In order to be able to see the radius at the rear of the recess, at an oblique angle.

[A]
With a correct dia end mill, that corresponds with the radius. Piece of cake. Index the spindle on CL of slide. The cut is sq on both ends with radius in middle of rear. Clear it all out, but the radius. Bring spindle back to CL index. Then cut the radius last.

Pretty simple with DROs, which I don't have. Just a bit more care taken, and attention to detail, and still very do-able without.

[B]
Without the proper dia EM to match radius. Bit tougher with smaller dia cutter. But do-able. Clear out forward section as before. Layout and scribe radius. Then "nibble cut it" to scribe. Then hand dress arc of radius with a stone to smooth it. Not quite as precise on the radius as [A]. But this cut is not a critical mating surface. And with either the sight, or the filler, in place, you can't even see it.

I imagine both [A] and [B] would take much more time than clamping in a CNC mill. Push a button and go get a beer. But certainly do-able.

If it looks right, fits right, and works right. Who's to say it isn't done "WELL" or "RIGHT". As I said "SUBJECTIVE".

Do you know how long it would take to nibble to a scribe line, with an end mill? Since it's on an arc, you'll have to eye-ball every end point. One would have to wear magnifiers and have a good light to get close. Even with that, laying out all the marks is not easy, and keep everything nice enough to keep the typical CG'ers here happy. And then stone out all the high spots? On something as hard as a slide can be? You'll be hating the job before it's done. I promise.
CNC is the right way. Still takes skill, an expensive machine, and cutters that are not free.