American Handgunner May/June 1977

.*SPEED-LOADING SLIDE STOP MODIFICATIONSs big-bore autoloaders see more useA and as that use involves both law-enforcementand assorted, competitive,shooting games, rapidity of reloadingtakes on greater importance. In fact, theautoloader's firepower superiority overthe revolver is roba ably more responsiblethan any other, single factor for broaderuse in various fields of law-enforcement.No matter how great a sixgun fan youmight be, you cannot escape the simplefact that several different autoloadersoffer up to two and one-half times as manyshots from the initial loading as a revolverbefore reloading becomes necessary. And,even a modestly-proficient pistolero canreplenish his auto with that same numberof rounds in far less time than it takes tostuff a mere six cartridges into a revolver.Even though the auto may offer fromeight (Colt .45) to fifteen (9mm S&WM59) shots before reloading becomesnecessary, rapid reloading is sometimesessential-and being prepared for rapidreloading is always essential. The old sawrepeated so many times "if I can't finishthe fight in six (8,10,15) shots, it'll be toolate to worry about reloading." must be regardedas facetious and bearing no truerelationship to a real, armed encounter. Itmight take 15 or more shots of coveringfire to get you in a position for the singleshot needed to end the fight-and if youcan't reload fast enough for that one finishingshot, you might be the one who getsfinished.In any event, it is a matter of simple andincontrovertible reality that no amount ofcartridges that can be stuffed into a practical,one-hand gun will ever eliminate theneed for speedy reloading. In one instancebrought to my attention, an officer fired22 shots at a suspect in less than that numberof seconds after his partner had beenkilled by a sneak shot. Most of those shotswere covering fire since the officer wasfully exposed and had no defense whateverexcept to keep his assailant down bywithering fire.'The bad guy did wind upvery dead, but there might have been two6officers buried if the survivor hadn't beenable to reload in one hellava hurry.Even though reloading an autoloader iseminently faster, more convenient, andless prone to accident than with arevolver, there are still a couple ways tomake it easier, faster, and more foolproof.One of these methods involves simply funnelingthe mouth of the magazine well inthe butt so that even in the dark or whenone's eyes are on a potential target, themagazine is more likely to enter on thefirst try. It is to the discredit of the majorUS. handgun manufacturers that thisfeature is not standard on all serviceautos. It is significant that of all theworld's major makers, only the SpanishStar Bonifacio Echeverria provides thisfeature on all its big guns.Pitolsmiths charge a goodly sum forthis modification, and often require thegun for several weeks before they can getto the job. You can save the money andhave the gun out of service less than anhour by doing the job yourself. It requiresnothing more than an assortment of smallfiles, a vise, and a little time and effort.Simply strip the gun, stuff the magazinewell with rags or tissue to keep filing's outof the innards, and clamp it butt-up in thevise. Begin at the radiused front of themagazine-well mouth and with a 3/dnchdiameter round file of medium cut, file auniform bevel, extending about '1s-inchinto the well and outward one-half the wallthickness. With that done, take a 6-inch,flat file and carry this bevel back alongboth sides, keeping it as straight and trueas possible. The rear wall doesn't reallyneed beveling, but some people like it,and it can be done easily with a narrow,pillar file. Once the filing is done, wrapmedium-grit, aluminum-oxide clotharound the files or hardwood sticks ofsimilar shape and dimensions, andcarefully smooth out the filing marks.This makes the "funnel" adequatelysmooth, but you may polish it further ifyou'd like it slicker. Finish by touching upthe bare metal with any good, cold blueand you'll find urgent insertion of a freshmagazine has become much easier andmore rapid.The second method used to speed upreloading is modification of the slide stop.On all big-bore, service-type autoloaders,an external stopusually of basic Browningdesign-is forced up by the magazinefollower to engage a notch in the undersideof the slide and hold it open after thatlast shot is fired. The story goes that thiswas originally intended merely to signifyto the shooter-who might very well beexcited and unobservant in the midst of afire fight-that his weapon was empty andin need of recharging. That may well betrue, for military requirements of 57 yearsago did specify a visual indication that thelast cartridge had been fired. However,slide stops on all of our modern, big-boreautoloaders also serve the purpose ofallowing the slide to be released to run forwardand chamber the top cartridge of afresh magazine just as quickly as it seatshome. This disengagement and chamberingof the top cartridge is accomplishedsimply by reaching forward with the gunhandthumb and pressing down the slidestop. If this were not possible, it wouldprobably require both hands to get thatfirst round in the chamber after shoving inthe full magazine.The only trouble with this system is thatsome individuals, especially those withsmall hands or short fingers, find that theycannot depress the slide stop withoutloosening their grip on the gun,rotating itsomewhat in the hand, and they are thenforced to reposition the gun in the handbefore firing can be resumed.This can be eliminated to a large extentby adding a rearward extension of theslide stop. somewhat after the fashion ofthe modified stop found on the NorweiganP1914 copy of the Colt M1911 GM pistol.Now, you can buy an extended slidestop for the Colt GM for about $20. Or,you can have any good pistolsmith modifyyour stop for nearly as much money. Personally,though, I prefer to do the jobmyself. It's not at all difficult, and a singleevening or weekend afternoon of sparetime will suffice for the job.The job involves simply soldering to theoriginal slide stop a small, rearward extension.No problems except that care mustbe taken to provide adequate clearancefor the detent device acting upon the slidestop, whether it be located separately onthe frame as in the Colt GM, or inside thestop as in the S&W and Star.Begin by laying out your propane torch,assorted files, a piece of scrap steel about'/sx1/4-inch and an inch or more long,silver solder and flux, and an abrasivecloth for polishing.Remove the slide stop and if it containsa spring-loaded detent plunger, removethese parts also. Heat from the solderingwould destroy the spring's and heat scalewould jam the parts in their holes. Take asafe-edge, narrow, pillar file and cut theAMERICAN HANDGUNNER MAYIJUNE 1977