A Detailed Look at 1911 Slide to Frame Fit & Tightening

DISCLAIMER: I am not encouraging or advising anyone to modify their firearms. This is for entertainment and educational purposes only.

Reference diagrams from The M1911 and Colt 45 Automatic manuals by Jerry Kuhnhausen.

M1911 manual:
Pg. 87, 96-98, 101
Colt 45 automatic manual:
Pg. 110-122

My other technical 1911 content:
   • 1911 Technical Content  

00:00 Intro
01:10 Slide to frame fit background
05:03 What should the slide to frame clearances be?
06:25 Other clearance considerations
07:48 Pros and cons of tightening slide to frame fit
09:08 Intro to tightening methods
09:51 Vertical clearance tightening intro
11:41 Peening
13:00 Swaging
13:28 Horizontal clearance tightening
14:06 AccuRails
14:32 Welding and machining
15:24 Measurement considerations
16:10 Tightening demonstration intro
17:18 Measuring my slide and frame
20:38 Dimensions and clearance discussion
23:37 Tightening work intro
24:34 Fixturing the frame
25:30 Swaging (tightening vertical clearance)
26:40 Squeezing the slide (tightening horizontal clearance)
28:29 Swaging results and discussion
30:49 Slide squeezing results and discussion
32:11 Conclusion