Can a slide be too tight?

[Shyster]

I just had the slide on my Wilson 1911 refinished. It looks awesome but, since Wilsons are already built to really tight tolerances, the refinished slide is REALLY hard to work. If the hammer is down I almost can't rack the slide.

Question: Does anyone have an opinion if this is safe to shoot right now? Working the slide by hand seems to be loosening it up a little but would shooting some range FMJ ammo help break it in or is the gun going to blow up?

[Joeywhat]

Even if the slide is VERY tight I wouldn't say it's unsafe. Maybe check it a couple times to see if it's going into battery for the first couple shots. I'm sure after the first 100 rounds or so it'll loosen back up.

[Kimber45]

My Kimber SIS is like that. I have to cock the mammer to cycle it by hand.
It's safe to fire. The worst that will happen is it won't cycle.

[remingtondude58]

I think you would be safe but you may have to cycle it by hand.

[TFin04]

It wont be dangerous just may not cycle. Use a thick grease like auto wheel bearing grease and it should break in well.

[Kimber45]

It wont be dangerous just may not cycle. Use a thick grease like auto wheel bearing grease and it should break in well.

Disagree. A thick grease will just make it harder to cycle. Get some slide glide from Brian Enos's web site. He has it for tight slides.

[RifleGuy]

Disagree. A thick grease will just make it harder to cycle. Get some slide glide from Brian Enos's web site. He has it for tight slides.
Avoid the grease. Slide Glide, or Gun Butter (my favorite other butter!) and a few hundred rounds.

[Tedfs]

Refinishing the slide on a Wilson almost always results in re-lapping the slide to frame fit and get it back to factory specs.

They are lapped by Wislon to a tight fit anyway and refinishing the slide without re-lapping the slide to frame fit will result in what you have.

It's not dangerous but I wouldn't use that as a carry gun until the slide and frame are re fit.

[TFin04]

Disagree. A thick grease will just make it harder to cycle. Get some slide glide from Brian Enos's web site. He has it for tight slides.
I "fix" a handful of 1911's every day at the range with this grease. The stuff B Eno's sells is good lube, but ridiculously priced and works no better than high temp lithium grease.

[Tedfs]

I "fix" a handful of 1911's every day at the range with this grease. The stuff B Eno's sells is good lube, but ridiculously priced and works no better than high temp lithium grease.

Ain't that the truth.

I used to buy all those high priced gun lubes for 1911s. Switching to high temp lithium wheel bearing grease solved quite a few issues, was cheaper and made cleaning easier.

Some people hear grease and think of globs, you don't need much to get things wet and running.

[Kimber45]

I "fix" a handful of 1911's every day at the range with this grease. The stuff B Eno's sells is good lube, but ridiculously priced and works no better than high temp lithium grease.

Wow, you must have a lot of "broken" 1911's at your range. How many are repeats gunked up with too thick a coat of grease? It takes a very, very light coat of slide glide to do the job. I bought mine from Brian 3 or 4 years ago and have used less than a third of my 1 oz tub. That includes weekly USPSA matches and league shoots.

[TFin04]

Wow, you must have a lot of "broken" 1911's at your range. How many are repeats gunked up with too thick a coat of grease? It takes a very, very light coat of slide glide to do the job. I bought mine from Brian 3 or 4 years ago and have used less than a third of my 1 oz tub. That includes weekly USPSA matches and league shoots.
I'd say I see 3-4 malfunctioning 1911's every day. Some dry, some with light oil, some with way too much grease, some with white lithium grease.

My point was Enos' lube will not work any better and for $2 I can buy a tub of grease that is just as good that will last me the rest of my life.

[Tedfs]

As a 1911 nut myself and having built several of them over the years, I used to buy into all the hype of the over priced gun lubes.

After trying the wheel bearing grease, I was a convert.

Go to Walmart and buy a $2.00 can of High Temp Lithium Wheel Bearing grease and it will last you a lot longer than anything else, unless you let other people use it.

Does slide glide work ? Sure it does but why pay $12 for a 2oz can ( $96 a lb ) when you can buy High Temp Lithium Wheel Bearing grease for $2.00 a lb and get the same results ? You're more than welcome to throw your money out the window if you like, some of us would rather not.

You don't glob it on like most people think. Slide Glide isn't globed on so why would grease be ?

[Joeywhat]

Do you run that white lithium through all your guns? We've got about 500 pounds of it at work :rolleyes:

[Tedfs]

High Temp Lithium Wheel Bearing grease

[_DK_]

Is that the red stuff?

[Tedfs]

Is that the red stuff?

Some of it is red, some of it is black.

All that matters is that is says:

High Temperature Lithium Wheel Bearing grease