# 1911



## slingshot69 (Aug 31, 2009)

Im new to the forum. Have what is probably a dumb question, but with the interchangability of parts for the 1911, can you change the barrel and slide to shorten or lengthen it? ie can you put the 4" barrel and slide on a current 5" standard frame?


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## tekhead1219 (May 16, 2008)

Welcome from southeast Texas. I cannot answer your auestions, but, there are some 1911 gurus on this forum that I'm sure can help you out.


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## YFZsandrider (Feb 28, 2009)

No. You can't. For one thing, if you tried a shorter barrel in a 5'' it would not make it out the end of the slide! As for making a commander length longer, you could propably stick a 5'' barrel in a 4 1/4'' gun, although, when the slide comes foreward, you would not get the barrel lock-up you need, to put it mildly!


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

YFZsandrider said:


> No. You can't. For one thing, if you tried a shorter barrel in a 5'' it would not make it out the end of the slide! As for making a commander length longer, you could propably stick a 5'' barrel in a 4 1/4'' gun, although, when the slide comes foreward, you would not get the barrel lock-up you need, to put it mildly!


While you can't put a Commander-length barrel and slide on a full-length frame, as you point out, you certainly can put a full-length slide and barrel onto a Commander-length frame.
Lockup would be just fine, and shooting it should be OK, but there would be an ugly gap between where the shorter frame ends and where the longer slide's dustcover begins. The gap my end up kinking the recoil spring, but I'm not sure.
I'm also not sure whether a full-length barrel will function correctly in a Commander-length slide. I know it'll all fit together, and it'll lock up OK, but the resulting gun's timing may be off, and function may suffer. You may also need a somewhat looser bushing, to make it work.


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## GySgt1811 (Jul 4, 2009)

SteveM1911A1, I will need you to verify this for Slingshot69 but I also think the ejector may be somewhat different between a Commander frame and a 1911A1 frame. My Commander, a 1976 vintage, appears to have a slightly different profile to the ejector than the 1911A1 frame's ejectors I've seen. However, I have no idea if that would cause a difference in operation. Interesting question, what?

Gunny


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## DevilsJohnson (Oct 21, 2007)

You can put a 6" bbl and slide on a Gov. frame. As to getting a 5" slide and bbl on a commander it will fit but I'm not sure it would cycle right. In theory it should but I've never tried it and have not seen anyone else do it either so I wouldn't want to get someone hurt taking advise I can't back up. Steve is usually pretty much on top of things.

I'm looking at my Para LTC and a PT1911 that is 5" and the frames look not quite the same as to size. If it was me I don't know if I'd do it. I don't have a tape handy but it appears to be as much as a .5" difference.

I just took both down and my LTC slide will not go on the full size frame. THe ejector gets in the way.

:watching:


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

GySgt1811 said:


> SteveM1911A1, I will need you to verify this for Slingshot69 but I also think the ejector may be somewhat different between a Commander frame and a 1911A1 frame. My Commander, a 1976 vintage, appears to have a slightly different profile to the ejector than the 1911A1 frame's ejectors I've seen. However, I have no idea if that would cause a difference in operation. Interesting question, what?
> 
> Gunny


Hi, Gunny;
I have a couple of full-size 1911s, and a "pre-Officers'-Model" Officers' Model that was cut down from a .45 Commander. I took 'em apart and looked at the ejectors.
Both full-size pistols have standard .45 ejectors. The shortie's ejector has a prong which extends forward from the ejector body, which would make the gun eject sooner in its cycle than would a full-size pistol.
The shortie's ejector is a standard Colt's part, in that it hasn't been welded-up or otherwise modified. However, I don't believe that it's a .45 ejector. I think that it's either from a 9mm or a .38 Super, but I don't know which.
I don't have an unmodified Commander to look at, but my memory (imperfect, at my age) says that its ejector is the same as that in a full-size (pre-Series-80) gun.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

I think that I've just remembered where I've seen a 1911 ejector with a prong projecting forward from it:
The Colt's .22 Ace, on a full-size, 1911 frame.
(Does anybody know whether I'm right or not?)


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