Shorty 45 goes under the knife

[BMCM]

Unlike many of the Shorty 45s I've seen on the forum, mine is kind of a beater. So, I don't feel too awful bad about performing a bit of surgery on it.

The goal of this operation is to fit a spring loaded decocker.
Nothing new here, you guys have seen this before, a quick buzz in the milling machine on the left side and were good.

Eh! not so fast Bucky! Shorty 45 came with a 9mm type ambi lever and lacks the relief for the 45 ambi lever like you see here on the 4513TSW slide.

Gotta make that relief cut to provide clearance for the 45 ambi lever. Since the spring decocker lacks the plunger & spring of the manual safety decocker it requires one to use the 45 ambi lever to keep it properly located in the slide.

A little more buzzing with a 3/16" carbide stub mill and...

Mildly dehorned the new decocker on both sides.

Did a light dehorn on the slide stop too.

While i was at it, I fabricobbled a new stainless grip retention pin. Made it a bit longer so it sits flush with the grip keeping lint & junk from collecting in there. And it wont rust, Bonus!

Stuck a set of freshly re-lamped factory sights on there and were done. Operations was a success and the patient even survived

SFF back on belt duty

Cheers
Bill

 

[vigil617]

You have no idea how hard I caught my breath when I read the title of this thread!

Whew, what a relief! (No pun intended!)

 

[DocB]

That is cool!!!

 

[TTSH]

You have no idea how hard I caught my breath when I read the title of this thread!

Whew, what a relief! (No pun intended!)

Same here! OhMyGawd I thought! What happened to poor Shorty!

 

[Fastbolt]

Nice.

However ... dude ....

I cringed when I saw you'd not removed the nylon ejector depressor plunger before showering the area with metal shavings! Someone of your machining skills and experience would have no problem drifting out the rear sight (after marking it for position) and removing both plungers & springs.

Were you just feeling lazy, or what?!?



BTW, do you need any LH .45 mag catches? I came across some.

 

[Gripgrabber]

WOW! Good job, sounds like a boatswain mate has a little MK in him!
SEMPER PARATUS

 

[GaryS]

When I read the thread title, I chuckled because I knew some people would have a case of the vapors.

 

[BMCM]

Nice.

However ... dude ....

I cringed when I saw you'd not removed the nylon ejector depressor plunger before showering the area with metal shavings! Someone of your machining skills and experience would have no problem drifting out the rear sight (after marking it for position) and removing both plungers & springs.

Were you just feeling lazy, or what?!?



BTW, do you need any LH .45 mag catches? I came across some.

I'm busted
Yep I was feeling lazy and thought maybe I could get away with it. WRONG! I didn't take any pictures of me taking the thing apart anyway to clean all the junk out of there. I was too busy cursing Anyway, the patient made it through the procedure despite me almost suturing her up with a hemostat left inside

Cheers
Bill

 

[JohnHL]

The title took me aback until I saw you were the poster.
I figured you'd have a good explanation.

RE: Milling the slide for ambi-lever clearance.
Could you have used the slightly wider decock assembly from the TSW models and skipped the clearance cut?

John

 

[BMCM]

Could you have used the slightly wider decock assembly from the TSW models and skipped the clearance cut?

John

Nope, the SFF slide already had angled part of that relief already for removing the ambi lever from the lowered position.

If I did not cut the relief area for that tab on the 45 ambi lever to sweep, there would be left a raised ridge that would catch that tab and hang up the decocker on the way back to the fire position. A few thousandths extra width on the decocker body wouldn't make a difference.

I see the same thing on the PC4506. That gun although already machined on the port side from the factory to receive a spring decocker lacks the relief on the starboard side to be able to install one.

Cheers
Bill

 

[JohnHL]

The SFF slide already had angled part of that relief already for removing the ambi lever from the lowered position.

And there's my answer.
The removal cut was already there.
From your picture it looked like a new cut but I guess you just touched up the bottom of the trough as you were cutting the new upper section.

Job well done.

John

P.S. You do these modifications in such a workmanlike fashion that I can imagine the discussions in the 2047 Smith & Wesson Forum as to whether these pistols were "salesman's samples" or should be "lettered"!

 

[GaryS]

Obviously they were custom jobs from the Performance Center made as special gifts for valued employees.

P.S. You do these modifications in such a workmanlike fashion that I can imagine the discussions in the 2047 Smith & Wesson Forum as to whether these pistols were "salesman's samples" or should be "lettered"!

 

[TTSH]

You do these modifications in such a workmanlike fashion that I can imagine the discussions in the 2047 Smith & Wesson Forum as to whether these pistols were "salesman's samples" or should be "lettered"!

Obviously they were custom jobs from the Performance Center made as special gifts for valued employees.

Which I will probably find someday years from now out at a certain "Guns & Parts" shop out in Western MA and then post questions about it right here in this very forum!

 

[4506517]

As always absolutely amazing.

I am always captivated by these threads.

Your talent as a gunsmith as well as a fabricator always fascinates me.

Nicely done.

 

[gmiller0737]

Did Any Shorty 45's Come From S&W as Decock Only? I picked up My Shorty 45 MK2 Used & it's Decock Only & Prevoius Owner Switched The Adjustable Sight for Trijicon Night Sights.

 

[lolaralph]

Another BMCM thread, I've been waiting for one. Educational and entertaining all in one. All the initial doubters make it even better.