Plunger Tube Design Question
- Thread starter BigG
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MoNsTeR
Member
On STI/SV modular frames and SV single-stack frames, it's not 
My guess would be the difficulty of machining the frame and tube as one piece, particularly with technology circa 1911.
My guess would be the difficulty of machining the frame and tube as one piece, particularly with technology circa 1911.
1911Tuner
Moderator Emeritus
Why?
Howdy Big G...That's an often-asked question. Study it a minute to
get some insight to Browning's mind.
The plunger tube is a pretty thin piece of work on a pistol intended for
rough use. You could even say that it's fragile, and since it's on the
outside of the gun, exposed to all sorts of hazards. If it were integral
with the frame, and got damaged, you'd have to either trash the whole
frame or take the pistol out of commission for an extended period for
repairs.
Reason? Easily repaired in the field. A unit armorer can remove and
restake a new tube in 15 minutes or less.
And now we know!
Cheerios (Honey Nut)
Tuner
Howdy Big G...That's an often-asked question. Study it a minute to
get some insight to Browning's mind.
The plunger tube is a pretty thin piece of work on a pistol intended for
rough use. You could even say that it's fragile, and since it's on the
outside of the gun, exposed to all sorts of hazards. If it were integral
with the frame, and got damaged, you'd have to either trash the whole
frame or take the pistol out of commission for an extended period for
repairs.
Reason? Easily repaired in the field. A unit armorer can remove and
restake a new tube in 15 minutes or less.
And now we know!
Cheerios (Honey Nut)
Tuner
Jim Watson
Member
I figure it is at least partly because the addition of a thumb safety was one of the last changes made in the design from 1910 to 1911 and they had to come up with something quick to design, manufacture, and install.
A 1910 prototype looks like a 1911 without thumb safety. The slide stop is tensioned by a plunger in the end of the lever bearing against a stud on the frame. Kind of like a Star or Smith & Wesson.
Proper 1911 grips are made so the top of the left panel overlaps the plunger tube quite closely; so that if the tube gets loose from the frame, it won't work out far enough to tie up the safety or slide stop. Many current grips have little or no overlap, or too much clearance to retain the tube.
Proper 1911 frames have the plunger tube holes countersunk from the inside so the tube legs really rivet out. But that is not an easy cut to make and many frames have little or no countersink. It has gotten to be a routine operation for a gunsmith to make the cut the factory can't be bothered with; using a Dremel or the teeny little reverse cutter from Brownells.
A 1910 prototype looks like a 1911 without thumb safety. The slide stop is tensioned by a plunger in the end of the lever bearing against a stud on the frame. Kind of like a Star or Smith & Wesson.
Proper 1911 grips are made so the top of the left panel overlaps the plunger tube quite closely; so that if the tube gets loose from the frame, it won't work out far enough to tie up the safety or slide stop. Many current grips have little or no overlap, or too much clearance to retain the tube.
Proper 1911 frames have the plunger tube holes countersunk from the inside so the tube legs really rivet out. But that is not an easy cut to make and many frames have little or no countersink. It has gotten to be a routine operation for a gunsmith to make the cut the factory can't be bothered with; using a Dremel or the teeny little reverse cutter from Brownells.
1911Tuner
Moderator Emeritus
Thumb Safety
Jim said:
I figure it is at least partly because the addition of a thumb safety was one of the last changes made in the design
That probably figured in, too...Maybe a hasty add-on to meet a deadline.
Still would have been fairly easy to add another stud and spring arrangement as per the pre-thumb safety models, and still another
potential problem if damaged. The plunger tube is oft-maligned, but
after careful consideration, it may not be such a bad thing after all...
Amazing man...Amazing mind. Wish he could have lived to be 200!
Tuner
Jim said:
I figure it is at least partly because the addition of a thumb safety was one of the last changes made in the design
That probably figured in, too...Maybe a hasty add-on to meet a deadline.
Still would have been fairly easy to add another stud and spring arrangement as per the pre-thumb safety models, and still another
potential problem if damaged. The plunger tube is oft-maligned, but
after careful consideration, it may not be such a bad thing after all...
Amazing man...Amazing mind. Wish he could have lived to be 200!
Tuner
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