fitting 9mm slide to 1911

[CaptJack1]

I have a Springfield 45 1911 trying to fit a Rock Island 9 mm slide. It appears the disconnector has some interference with the 1911 frame. I have it circled in red in the picture attached. The slide is fairly stiff operating on the frame so before I try the dreaded Dremel to remove some material on the frame wanted to ask you 1911 gurus if you have any other suggestion.
thanks
Jack

 

[armorer951]

Contact between the feed rail and the spring loaded disconnector during slide cycling is normal. I would remove all the internals prior to attempting to hand fit the slide to the frame.

Contact points between the slide rails and the frame can be determined by using Dykem or Sharpie to stain the rails, and then mounting and cycling the bare slide over the bare frame. The contact points can then be carefully dressed with wet dry paper, or by using a slurry of fine grit in oil, like Clover compound for instance.

This is a tedious and time consuming process process. If it's done correctly, when you are finished, all that remains between the frame and slide is enough room for lubricant, and very little, if any, resistance is felt when the bare slide is cycled on the bare frame.

 

[CaptJack1]

currently, I have all the internals removed. The only thing remaining is the disconnector and I’m pretty sure that’s where the resistance is coming from. was just wondering if there was another suggestion besides a Dremel to remove a small amount of material where the slide meets the disconnector.

 

[offrdmania]

Get yourself some stones to work the channel. Take material from the slide and not the frame. Only take material from the frame if it is a burr or something.
No need to take material away from the underside of the slide. It is normal for the disconnector to ride the underside. Only take 5000 grit wet sand paper to the underside of the slide to polish off the finish of the trail to where the disconnector rides.
A dremel can only get you in trouble to the point of throwing parts in the bin.

You should be able to push down the disconnector with ease by pushing down with your finger. If it is hard to push then you may have the sear spring hook in the wrong spot which is binding the sear movement.

When fitting a slide, the internals in the frame should also be removed.

 

[armorer951]

I would suggest polishing the top and bottom flats on the disconnector before removing material.

Also, there should be a polished surface on the front bottom edge of the slide feed rail, where the feed rail first contacts the disconnector. Your slide may have a small angle cut there instead of a "squared off" edge.


Carter

 

[erikpolcrack]

Isn't the ejector in a different position on a frame set up for 9mm vs one set up for 45?

 

[CaptJack1]

changed ejector to 9mm…simple
I want to thank all for the suggestions. I used a ceramic stone and worked on the slide rails. That’s where the interference was located took a while but it’s now working great here’s a picture of the end product now I’m gonna go shoot it in the Gulf of Mexico at tennis balls and see how it performs.
thanks
Capt Jack

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

In many...if not most...1911 platform pistols the feed ramp angle for a 9mm is different than for the .45. There's a real chance you might do all that work to fit the slide and ejector and it will malfunction due to the different ramp angle. If you use a fully supported ramped barrel it's not an issue but it does mean definitely milling the frame which cannot be redone.

Better do some research into that before starting all the other work.

 

[CaptJack1]

Will let you know will shoot it over the weekend when I get out in the Gulf of Mexico. It actually wasn’t much work a couple of hours and to me, it was very enjoyable.
Will report back on reliability

 

[CaptJack1]

also, it is feeding and ejecting rounds perfectly, so hopefully it will function reliably

 

[stansdds]

In many...if not most...1911 platform pistols the feed ramp angle for a 9mm is different than for the .45. There's a real chance you might do all that work to fit the slide and ejector and it will malfunction due to the different ramp angle. If you use a fully supported ramped barrel it's not an issue but it does mean definitely milling the frame which cannot be redone.

Better do some research into that before starting all the other work.

Not sure about all makers of 1911 clones, but that is certainly true of some.

 

[DWalt]

I added a new Springfield Armory 9mm slide to a Colt frame around 20 years ago (same slide works for .38 Super). I needed to do only very minor fitting on the slide rails. You definitely need to use a 9mm/.38 Super ejector, a .45 ejector will not work with a 9mm slide. No job at all to swap ejectors, takes about 10 seconds. Never had any feeding problems when using an unramped 9mm or .38 Super barrel.

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

Not all makers use a pin to retain the ejector. Low buck makers such as AMT used a spot weld to retain the ejector.

 

[DWalt]

Not all makers use a pin to retain the ejector. Low buck makers such as AMT used a spot weld to retain the ejector.

My .45 Colt frame uses a small pin to retain the ejector. But it is unnecessary to use the pin, even though I usually do. The ejector will stay in place with no pin. There is nowhere for it to go with the slide in place. No way I would tolerate a spot welded ejector on my frame. A stupid idea. I have heard of people using loctite to retain the ejector. Not as bad as a spot weld as it is removable. But I wouldn't do it.

 

[CaptJack1]

Range (Gulf of Mexico) Report, 9mm RIA fitted to Springfield Armory frame
shoots like a dream…2 boxes or ball ammo, killed 5 tennis balls.
Thanks for all the suggestions
capt jack

 

[DWalt]

Range (Gulf of Mexico) Report, 9mm RIA fitted to Springfield Armory frame
shoots like a dream…2 boxes or ball ammo, killed 5 tennis balls.
Thanks for all the suggestions
capt jack

No surprise there. An easy - peazy conversion. Now you need to find a .38 Super barrel and magazine. I have been an advocate of multi-caliber capability for the M1911 for many years. I was not interested enough in adding .40 S&W/10mm to the list to the list. But I do have a .400 CorBon barrel and a .22 conversion kit.

 

[AJ]

I own a couple of Colt frames. On one of them I am using three different slides. One slide is set up for 9MM, .38 Special, .38 Super, .40. Another is used for .45 ACP, and the third is a Colt Conversion Unit in .22LR. All work as advertised.