1911 frame and slide sizes - mix and match?

[BAC]

OD, what you're saying makes me really think that simply mating a gov't frame to an officer slide would work. This is all theoretical for me until I get a couple more 1911s of different sizes to really start tinkering, but I would imagine a shorter frame would help concealment in the same way a bobtail can, potentially keeping the better ballistics (marginal or not) and sight radius of the longer barreled-slide.


-B

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[JD]

You'd probably be better off just chopping the grip of a Gov't frame. Personally, I'd just have a bobtail done and call it a day.

[OD*]

OD, what you're saying makes me really think that simply mating a gov't frame to an officer slide would work. This is all theoretical for me until I get a couple more 1911s of different sizes to really start tinkering, but I would imagine a shorter frame would help concealment in the same way a bobtail can, potentially keeping the better ballistics (marginal or not) and sight radius of the longer barreled-slide.


-B

It's not really a straight-up swap. As QK mentioned, the recoil spring channels (dust cover) are different sizes, as are the frame rails, the ejectors are a little different. The block where the barrel lugs make contact on the receiver (for the life of me I can't place it's name ) is thinner on the Commanders and Officers than it is on the Governments (thinner gives you more slide travel, that's why shock-buffs usually screw up a Commander & Officer before they do a Government).