Long story, but I wound up with a Colt 1903 slide that is pinched in too much on the bottom to fit back on the frame rails. What is the best way to fix this? I know that guys who work on .45's a lot are always tightening slides and soemtimes go too far. WHat is the easiest way to open the bottom of the slide up a little?

I can make a screw-spreader for this job, but before I spend the time to make it I wanted to look for an easier way.

Thanks

If you can get it on at all then lap it in. In the old days, the .45 smiths would tighten until it was a mallet fit and lap it back and forth with the mallet and then by hand. If not then you have to make a spreader

quote:

Originally posted by Marc_Stokeld:
Long story, but I wound up with a Colt 1903 slide that is pinched in too much on the bottom to fit back on the frame rails. What is the best way to fix this? I know that guys who work on .45's a lot are always tightening slides and soemtimes go too far. WHat is the easiest way to open the bottom of the slide up a little?

I can make a screw-spreader for this job, but before I spend the time to make it I wanted to look for an easier way.

Thanks

Brownells makes a rail spreader, however, you can make a quick and dirty wedge type spreader device, tapping it with a mallet to force the slides rails apart. Use plenty of oil and go slow so you don't break the slide. Depending on how far off the fit is, you might make the wedge slightly undersize and then finish it by lapping the slide to the frame like was suggested above. I use Clover 320 grit.

Use 2 pieces of 1/4" plate steel, approx 3" wide by 4" long. Take a 5/16" (I think) piece of rod between them and about an inch down from one end, strap everything together with a couple rubber bands, and then using all 3 of your hands clamp this in your bench vise (your big one) with the shorter legs between the frame rails. now you can really gently increase the pressure to spread your slide. Hope that makes sense. If you want to use this a couple times, you can epoxy some blocks to the longer legs so it rests in the bench vise by itself and does not neet a hand to support it. Also, a step milled into the other end helps the slide sit evenly. Like I said, go slow. No matter how pinched your slide is 1/2 turn of the vise handle will be too much.

thanks mark, i understand exactly what you are saying. i never thought of that! It will definitely be faster than me making a screw-spreader that I will likely never use again. Thanks!!!

Mark,
how awesome is that.. i had been thinking of telling him to take 2 of his smallest mill stepped blocks, clamp them together on the long/smoothside, and tapping that in place... then put a smallish pipe clamp around the tick ends to hold together

that would provide a wedge, with a "jackscrew" to expand it.. put the small ends in the slide, turn the screw, and have a decent control of spread

the double fulcrum lever works even better!! and takes about 5 seconds to "make"..

jeffe

jeffe