Multiple Uppers for the same Frame???

[AJ]

How many have tried this? I have a Colt M1911 that started life as a .38 Super in 1958. I am guessing that someone decided to change it to a .38 Special match gun way back then. The .38 Super barrel was reamed out to accept a .38 Special cartridge. And a Bo-Mar rib with an adjustable sight, and stripled the front grip and main spring housing. Sort of a forerunner of the Colt Mid Range. That is how I got it.

Since I have owned it I have picked up a Colt slide, with a NM barrel and NM bushing. It is the tightest slide to frame fit that I have ever seen and the barrel to slide and bushing are the same way. Was given a .40 barrel and then picked up a .38 Super barrel. Have a Colt Conversion Unit in .22 LR that fits well.

In the process of getting the .38 Super, and the .40 Cal barrels to run in the original slide. Shot it yesterday at the local range and all seemed to want to work, a few failures to extract that I am putting down to light loads or springs being to heavy.

Next up is to take the pistol out with one of the barrels at a time and try hotter loads and different recoil springs until it runs well. Then it will be on to the next one and get it sorted out.

Already thinking of getting a 9MM barrel to fit to it.

I guess I am getting bored with winter.........it is 73 here now.

 

[NYlakesider]

Going to date myself here.

Way waaaaaaaaaaay back a very prolific gun writer of the time did a article on making a 1911 frame very versatile. Referring here to Major George Nonte!

By swapping barrels, extractors, ejectors, slides, modifying mags in some cases he got if I remember right about 14 calibers that would work off of one frame.

 

[AJ]

The .38 Super slide seems to work well with the .38 Super (as that was the original caliber), the .38 Special (as that was what is was modified for) and the .40 cal. I figure a 9MM should work in the same slide too.

Since I also have a spare .45 ACP slide and a Conversion slide in.22 LR, I see no sense in going totally nuts with this project. As this will bring the grand total to six different calibers.

I have "Pistolsmithing" by Nonte on the shelf. Maybe I ought to look it over as it has been about 30 years since I cracked it open.

 

[STORMINORMAN]

Of course, one MUST take into account the differences between "standard" frames and those with ramped barrel designs (i.e., Wilson/Nowlin vs. Clark/PARA)...

Cheers!

P.S. MUCH easier with my M&P 40s

 

[AJ]

Of course, one MUST take into account the differences between "standard" frames and those with ramped barrel designs (i.e., Wilson/Nowlin vs. Clark/PARA)...

Cheers!

P.S. MUCH easier with my M&P 40s

Why would I want to do that. I only use Colt frames from the 50's to 70's. if I go off the reservation I will use a Caspian standard frame.

I do have a ramped barreled pistol. A Ruger SR1911 in 10MM. Have a Sig .38 Super barrel for it, but it will not fit the slide as it requires a barrel bushing and the 10MM slide does not have one.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

The version I heard is that you can swap slides and barrels for rounds whose rim diameter is the same-9MMP, 38 Super, e.g. 30 Caliber Luger if you can find it. It is the position of the ejector that determines it.

 

[AJ]

The version I heard is that you can swap slides and barrels for rounds whose rim diameter is the same-9MMP, 38 Super, e.g. 30 Caliber Luger if you can find it. It is the position of the ejector that determines it.

That is basically what I am doing. The .38 Super slide is being turned into a .38 Super/.38 Special/.40 slide at the moment. The 9MM Barrel will come later.

The .45 ACP slide will be a stand alone slide. And the same for the Colt Conversion Unit slide in .22LR.

 

[petepeterson]

Not to hijack, but since you cats seem to know stuff....

I have a Ciener conversion kit on my 1991A1, but it won't go onto the frame of my Colt Competition Model in 9mm, or the Delta Elite Frame.
Any idea why?

 

[AJ]

Not to hijack, but since you cats seem to know stuff....

I have a Ciener conversion kit on my 1991A1, but it won't go onto the frame of my Colt Competition Model in 9mm, or the Delta Elite Frame.
Any idea why?

PM me or email me.

 

[Murdock]

Going to date myself here.

Way waaaaaaaaaaay back a very prolific gun writer of the time did a article on making a 1911 frame very versatile. Referring here to Major George Nonte!

By swapping barrels, extractors, ejectors, slides, modifying mags in some cases he got if I remember right about 14 calibers that would work off of one frame.

Ha! You beat me to it. I gotta be as old as you. Fifty years ago: George C. Nonte, Jr., Pistolsmithing, Stackpole Books, 1974 (ISBN 0-8117-1133-1) pages 384-386. Nonte describes 9 different calibers adapted to what we now call, "The government model .45." Because everybody but Glock makes one we now have to call it a "1911" instead. Used to be when you said "forty-five" everybody knew exactly what you meant. And today add 10mm, .40 S&W, .357 Sig, etc.

I bought the book new and it's still on my shelf. I would have sent pix of the relevant pages but it may still be copywritten.

 

[DWalt]

For many years I have owned and shot a multi-caliber M1911. The single frame is a WWI Colt. It is set up for .45 ACP, 9x19, .400 Cor-Bon, .38 Super/9x23, and .22 LR. All work perfectly. My favorite caliber is .38 Super. I have a Springfield Armory 9mm slide for use with 9x19 and .38 Super. The Springfield Armory slide fits very well on the Colt frame, no fitting required. I was never interested enough in .40 S&W or 10mm to add them to the list. I am satisfied to stop with the .400 Cor-Bon to fill my .40 needs. My .22 conversion is an EAA. I do not use it much as I have a plethora of other .22 handguns which are better. I would like to add 7.62 Mauser/Russian, but I don't know where to get a barrel, or even if it could be done. The .400 Cor-Bon is the easiest conversion. Needs nothing but a barrel. 10mm ballistics can be duplicated with the .400, but I don't do that. For reasons unknown, the .400 groups better than any other caliber. I really like the .400. Of course complementary springs and magazines are needed.

 

[AJ]

I bought the book new and it's still on my shelf. I would have sent pix of the relevant pages but it may still be copywritten.

My wife bought me mine so I had something to read overseas on one of my tours WestPac in 1979.


Below are the three different slides mounted on the same frame. First is the 1958 .38 Super slide (it will be the home to .38 Super, .38 Special, .40 and eventually 9MM). Second is the Colt Government slide that has the .45 ACP barrel in it. Third is the Colt Conversion Unit in .22 LR.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Ha! You beat me to it. I gotta be as old as you. Fifty years ago: George C. Nonte, Jr., Pistolsmithing, Stackpole Books, 1974 (ISBN 0-8117-1133-1) pages 384-386. Nonte describes 9 different calibers adapted to what we now call, "The government model .45." Because everybody but Glock makes one we now have to call it a "1911" instead. Used to be when you said "forty-five" everybody knew exactly what you meant. And today add 10mm, .40 S&W, .357 Sig, etc.

I bought the book new and it's still on my shelf. I would have sent pix of the relevant pages but it may still be copywritten.

I liked reading ol George's (with his handlebar mustache)stuff. Back when I was young and didn't have the $$$ .

 

[Rock185]

AJ, Sounds like fun to me. I've done a bit of that stuff. Had 3 different .22 conversion kits, a Colt 9mm kit, a Colt .38 Super conversion, have converted .38 Supers to 9mm and vice versa. The 1911 type pistols are so easily convertible, can't help myself

 

[DWalt]

All that is needed to convert a M1911 from .38 Super to 9mm or vice versa is another barrel and magazine. I have found that .38 Super magazines do not feed 9mm ammunition reliably. .38 Super barrels work fine with any other 9x23 cartridge, assuming they are of the later type that headspaces on the case mouth.