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I put this up last night in handguns, but there's more potential knowledgeable traffic here.
I have a factory colt commanding officers model 1911, my dad got it for me when I graduated from some college.
It's an officer slide on an 8 shot (so non officers model) frame. Full sized grip, unknown dust cover length, officers slide.
I saw PSA had gsg conversions on sale in October, so I poked around. This kit fits government and commander models, at least the ad says it does, but it says it will not fit the officers model. Now, the officers model is a chopped grip model, so the standard mags that come with the conversion won't fit flush in a chopped frame, but I am not worried about that, because my frame is not chopped in the grip area. I wasn't sure if that's what they mean by it "doesn't fit."
I did some net digging, and I thought I established that my pistol had a commander sized frame, which means gsg says the conversion will fit.
So I ordered it. Naturally, Here's what it looks like.
Yes, that's a gap.
It fits on the rails snugly, there's very little play, no rattle. It cycles by hand like butter, without any apparent binding. It will strip a snap cap out of the magazine, chamber it, and eject it. I can't detect any binding anywhere. I'm worried about the dust cover to lower front slide clearance.
Mechanically, the conversion has a full length guide Rod and captive spring, so I am not sure the dust rail serves a purpose other than dust exclusion.
I know it's fugly, but will this work? Or did I come up with a way to KB a 1911?
I've been pointed to a kimber conversion for compact 1911s, but that gets me the other way, the slide will fit, but the magazines are too short.
So, question one, can I shoot it this way.
Question two, since this is gun smithing, anyone think of a clever way to eliminate that gap? I think the slide is zinc or aluminum, so that complicates just welding a spacer on and grinding it to fit. The finish on these slides is supposed to be very fragile, so I don't mind having to refinish it if I can get something less fugly.
Thanks.
I have a factory colt commanding officers model 1911, my dad got it for me when I graduated from some college.
It's an officer slide on an 8 shot (so non officers model) frame. Full sized grip, unknown dust cover length, officers slide.
I saw PSA had gsg conversions on sale in October, so I poked around. This kit fits government and commander models, at least the ad says it does, but it says it will not fit the officers model. Now, the officers model is a chopped grip model, so the standard mags that come with the conversion won't fit flush in a chopped frame, but I am not worried about that, because my frame is not chopped in the grip area. I wasn't sure if that's what they mean by it "doesn't fit."
I did some net digging, and I thought I established that my pistol had a commander sized frame, which means gsg says the conversion will fit.
So I ordered it. Naturally, Here's what it looks like.
Yes, that's a gap.
It fits on the rails snugly, there's very little play, no rattle. It cycles by hand like butter, without any apparent binding. It will strip a snap cap out of the magazine, chamber it, and eject it. I can't detect any binding anywhere. I'm worried about the dust cover to lower front slide clearance.
Mechanically, the conversion has a full length guide Rod and captive spring, so I am not sure the dust rail serves a purpose other than dust exclusion.
I know it's fugly, but will this work? Or did I come up with a way to KB a 1911?
I've been pointed to a kimber conversion for compact 1911s, but that gets me the other way, the slide will fit, but the magazines are too short.
So, question one, can I shoot it this way.
Question two, since this is gun smithing, anyone think of a clever way to eliminate that gap? I think the slide is zinc or aluminum, so that complicates just welding a spacer on and grinding it to fit. The finish on these slides is supposed to be very fragile, so I don't mind having to refinish it if I can get something less fugly.
Thanks.
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