Does S&W make their own 1911 slides?
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Dukesamson
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they make their own but I have been told they sell to others including frames to wilson combat
They originally made frames & slides for Kimber years back.
Dukesamson
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T, I had gone on Wilsons site and noticed that the frames they sold were identical in every way to my PC 1911 (wavy serrations) down to the overlap shadow on the front strap checkering.
I had called STI a 2 years ago and wanted a stainless slide on stainless frame the guy told me their equipment was not up snuff and all they could do is stainless on carbon steel+/- hard chrome as it turns out he tells me it’s no easy trick to get stainless on stainless without galling problems.
I pointed out to him my vanilla smith 1911 he stated smith was the **** when it comes to machining but in the same breath he told me I should order today because of large Japanese order coming lest he lose sale to smith. True story.
I had called STI a 2 years ago and wanted a stainless slide on stainless frame the guy told me their equipment was not up snuff and all they could do is stainless on carbon steel+/- hard chrome as it turns out he tells me it’s no easy trick to get stainless on stainless without galling problems.
I pointed out to him my vanilla smith 1911 he stated smith was the **** when it comes to machining but in the same breath he told me I should order today because of large Japanese order coming lest he lose sale to smith. True story.
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Fastbolt
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S&W has one of the largest forging & heat-treating operations going.
Yes, they forge and heat treat their own slides. (The stainless slides are through-hardened.)
They've made frames, slides & barrels for other 1911 gun companies at one time or another, but they typically keep pretty mum about such things. (Professional courtesy, business agreements, etc.)
This sort of thing isn't exactly unheard of in the firearms business, you know.
They make any number of other things requiring forging and heat-treating, too.
I suspect many folks might be quite surprised by how many millions of dollars S&W has spent, and continues to spend, when it comes to buying, maintaining and operating state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment.
Yes, they forge and heat treat their own slides. (The stainless slides are through-hardened.)
They've made frames, slides & barrels for other 1911 gun companies at one time or another, but they typically keep pretty mum about such things. (Professional courtesy, business agreements, etc.)
This sort of thing isn't exactly unheard of in the firearms business, you know.
They make any number of other things requiring forging and heat-treating, too.
I suspect many folks might be quite surprised by how many millions of dollars S&W has spent, and continues to spend, when it comes to buying, maintaining and operating state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment.
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The forging operation is impressive. I don't know if the forge is the same one I saw during my first tour there in 1980, but it's in the same area. It shakes that entire end of the building.
The last time I was there, they were forging 1911 frames. Those and the slides were machined on one of their many CNC machines. The guide told us that S&W has more CNC machines than anyone else on the east coast.
I know that they make products for Harley Davidson, among other companies.
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They make their own and at one time even provided forgings to Kimber for theirs.
They use to provide slides for several brands until they came out with their own 1911s. When they did that, the cut off the other brands in an effort to starve them out.
Others went to Caspian and especially to Ruger for slides from then on.
Others went to Caspian and especially to Ruger for slides from then on.
