Ed Brown slide stop ... a little disappointed

[mpthole]

Well, as some of you know I'm upgrading most of the RIA small parts to Ed Brown's Hardcore line of parts. And if you didn't, now you do.

The other night I installed the slide stop and got to test fire the gun last night. Unfortunately, I found out that some of my magazines - that worked just fine with the old, original slide stop - don't engage the slide stop enough to keep the slide back on an empty magazine.

Granted, these are "cheap" mags...mostly 7-round Metalform and O.E.M. mags from Midway. Not all of them fail the test, but some do. But still... didn't expect to have any problems with such a high-dollar part.

Maybe I'm being too picky...?

 

[1911Tuner]

No-Lock Blues

Howdy Mark,


What was the problem, exactly? Did the follower shelf ride over the lug,
or did the stop not rise far enough to engage the slide?

If it was the former, it's the magazine follower that needs tweakin'. If it's
the second issue, the slot in the stop may be a little too narrow to get over the area in the slide that it sandwiches...maybe a burr or other interference with free movement. Check it with the recoil spring out. Engage slowly by hand and feel for any roughness or hesitation.

Most Hardcore stops will drop right in and work. Every so often....well...
No such thing as a drop-in part, ya know...


Standing' by...

 

[Black Snowman]

Or maybe the frame is out of spec for the in-spec hardcore part and causing an issue. RIA might have picked-fitted the old slide stop. Or the hardcore part is not in spec in order to make it "better". Or (slightly less likely) the hardcore part is just plain out of spec.

 

[mpthole]

Or maybe the frame is out of spec for the in-spec hardcore part and causing an issue.

he he... guess I never thought of that

If it's the second issue, the slot in the stop may be a little too narrow to get over the area in the slide that it sandwiches...maybe a burr or other interference with free movement. Check it with the recoil spring out. Engage slowly by hand and feel for any roughness or hesitation.

At first glance it looked like the follower was too narrow to engage the stop - that or maybe a hair to short? as in not raising up high enough...?

Good ideas - as usual. I'll check your suggestions tonight when I get a chance. I'll be out of town for part of the weekend though, so won't be able to report back until Sunday probably.

 

[1911WB]

Brown slidestop

I agree with Tuner about the "Hardcore" slidestop dropping in; however I was disappointed to learn that it was a cast part when i recently got mine.

 

[Dave Sample]

The Ed Brown slide stop is an excellent part. I am sure it may need to be fitted in some 1911's.

 

[mpthole]

Upon closer inspection I found a couple high spots that was causing some hesitations in slide movement. One was on the slide stop. The portion of the slide stop that rides on the outside bottom edge of the slide was just a hair to tall and would hang up in both notches of the slide when cycled. I took a little bit off of that and it now cycles better. It seems like there is enough room in the slot width to accomodate the slide, so I left that alone.

The other hang-up I found was actually on the firing pin stop. When the slide would be in full reverse and ready to come forward, the hammer was catching a little bit on the top (or maybe its bottom in this case) of the firing pin stop. I took a file to this area and now it operates much smoother.

I will be going through all of my magazines later this week in live fire exercises and see which ones, if any fail to engage the slide lock. If its just one or two range mags then I guess I'm not going to worry about it a whole lot. As long as they stay open with my IDPA and carry mags I'll be happy.

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I got the trigger installed today too. Looks so nice and feels better than the original. I'm having some other issues with getting the other parts installed (disconnect, sear and hammer), but I've got to do some more reading of the 1911 clinics before I post anything.

Thanks guys!

 

[1911Tuner]

Much Better!

Ahhhhh, Mark! It's the little things that getcha.

Dave said:

The Ed Brown slide stop is an excellent part. I am sure it may need to be fitted in some 1911's.
________________________

Agreed...on both statements. Although the Brown hardcore stop is a casting, it's one of the best cast slidestops that I've seen. I haven't had one to break or wear out yet...and I have'em in a couple of my old hard-use beaters. Read that as HIGH round count through both. I wouldn't
have a major concern with having one in a carry gun as long as the gun
didn't see heavy use as I define heavy use...25k a year or more. Of course,
none of my designated carry guns see that kind of use anyway.

Luck to ya sir!

Tuner

 

[Dave Sample]

I used 20 of these on the last 1911 Class. I wanted a few spares around. I have a supplier that carries them and I bought 20 for $200.00 plus a little shipping. I examined Ed's and these with my Opti-loupes and they were identical. They came out of the same mold. I am out of them now and have to order a few more. I like them because I can sign them with a 30 LPI file. They are harder than the Hammered Hubs of Hades. They are also .0200 round which is slightly oversize. I have used Ed's Parts for 20 years now with very few problems. If I have a problem, they take care of it instantly with no BS. He is one of my favorite suppliers and has been a big supporter of our Distance Education Online 1911 Class.

 

[RogersPrecision]

The identical slide stops are available at Gil Hebard Guns.
They are there called 'Master Class'.
The dealer price is $10 each.

 

[Dave Sample]

Thanks, Chuck. You are right, of course. Gil has been a favorite supplier of mine for many years. I used to send him a blank signed check with my orders in the old days and they would fill it out. An outstanding company.

 

[mpthole]

Well, I got to run through all of my mags tonight and guess what...

Did the follower shelf ride over the lug,

Yep! At first glance, it didn't look like this was happening, but I then realized that the normally drop free, fast eject magazines were all hung up. So I took a closer look and sure enough, the follower shelf had somehow gotten by the slide stop lug.

... and the even wierder part! This happened on 5 of my 10 Metalform mags!

So, can I just tweek the follower a bit? Maybe bend it out? Or could/should I order new followers from somewhere and maybe upgrade the springs at the same time?

 

[1911Tuner]

Follower Tweak

Howdy mark,


I've found that...as good as Metalform mags are..that some of their flat followers need a little tweak to work like John Moses intended.

Ya gotta be careful, though...or you'll snap the shelf off and warp the top of the follower.

Hold the follower in front of your face, so that you're lookin' at the front end of it...slidestop shelf to your right. Grasp the top with a pair of wide pliers...as close to the front as the shelf will allow, and use the widest
pliers that the shape of the follower will allow without causing the rear leg to bend outward and mess up the angle.

Wedge a slot-tip screwdriver blade between the split in the follower and
apply a little quick leverage toward the shelf. It'll be trial and error until you
develop a "feel" for it, so be patient.

What you want to see is a very narrow "V" split between the shelf and the
front of the cartridge ledge. This tweak not only establishes that "V", but it tends to put a slight upward slant on the shelf toward the outside, and
make the engagement with the stop lug more positive. Look at the top
of the follower to see the "V". When you can see a little sliver of light
between'em...it's just about right.

Install it in the magazine and try it. There's a chance that you may have to
take a couple of shots at it before it works...so take your time and don't
put a lot of leverage on the shelf. They break off like right now when ya
don't use a delicate touch.

Luck!

Tuner