Fitting a slide

Clint Dismore · Nov 3, 2013

I'm wanting to get a 2011 in 40. I have a 9 mm edge. What I'm wondering is, how hard would it be to fit a complete 40 Cal slide to my edge. I'm not a gunsmith but this would fit my budget

Clint Dismore · Nov 3, 2013

This is a slide I found that I'm wondering if I can fit to my edge. Supposedly it is an sti slide but looks like it was cut for a shorter frame. Again no expert here but hoping this might work

Wall · Nov 3, 2013

not just a matter of fitting the slide to the frame but also fitting the barrel, lugs, link, etc.
All of this would have to be done without altering the frame or your current top end will no longer fit properly.

It's also going to look pretty cobbled together with that classic cut slide on a full dust cover frame.

Clint Dismore · Nov 3, 2013

That's what I was afraid of. Tried to contact Mike about building a new slide but haven't heard back

technetium-99m · Nov 3, 2013

Parts new are going to run around $550 depending on what you want. Add to that installation and a finish. I'd be surprised if you're not into it for $1,000.

I bet a take off top end from a factory STI gun would be close. You still really need to check the timing though.

Clint Dismore · Nov 4, 2013

Pretty much as I figured. It would be nice if I could have one frame and two slides and just swap out as needed but I don't know enough to do this and I'm not sure who to contact. I've found a semi custom 40 edge that was worked on by freedom gun works. I'll probably go that route but wanted to look at my options

mike cyrwus · Nov 4, 2013

Havent seen a mssg from you Clint, Howd you try to get hold of me??

mike cyrwus · Nov 4, 2013

Tony is correct. in that doing a top end on an existing gun is a little more work than doing one on a gun that youre building up. Not impossibly hard at all, its just that you cant modify the existing bottom while fitting the new top end.
Some gunsmiths probably might argue that theres no difference and that theres no extra work involved, but id chalk that up to attention to detail.

Lastly, when you do two top ends on one lower; things can go from "optimal and perfect", to ," its in-spec, it will run". -unless you want to swap out the ejector, mainspring, heck, mag catch, etc...
I had a setup like this, and Tony does now too. If youre going to have a top end and some 9mm mags lying around in your safe, you might as well have a bottom on it, so you can just grab it and go.