I recently picked up this Sistema for a decent price. It is non matching, but looks nice anyways.

Here are the pics:




I also have a question. The frame to slide match is off a little. Is this a problem? How common is it?




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It shouldn't be a problem. It is sometimes seen when a replacement slide is used..

More cosmetic than anything else. I've seen that kind of slide frame fit before; you shouldn't have any problems with it. I think that those Sistema Colts are great pistols!

I stupidly traded off a Sistema that had the absolute best trigger I've ever had on a GI-style gun. I'm happy with the gun I traded for, but I should have come up with another way to buy it.

New production Colt USGI thumb safeties can be purchased from Midway

Nice gun

I just bought one last night myself.

Nice! Can I have it? I need another one.

The mismatch is harmless. Some manufacturers shaped the back of the frame to match the slide before finishing, so no other slide will match perfectly. You can do it yourself if you don't mind refinishing the gun. The "correct" solution is to replace the barrel.

The position of the slide in relation to the frame depends on a bunch of things, and errors and clearances can stack up. These are primarily:

1) shape of the underlug of the barrel where it contacts the slide stop pin
2) wear on the slide stop pin
-and-
3) depth of the chamber in the barrel
4) length of cartridge case
-or-
5) length of barrel hood (the tab that hangs off the back of the barrel)

#3, 4, and 5 deserve some further explanation.

A 1911 is *supposed to* lock up on the front of the cartridge, not the back of the barrel hood. When the slide is all the way forward, there's supposed to be a gap between the back of the hood and the breechface of the slide. The 1911 doesn't actually have a "headspace" dimension since the slide is always pushing the case mouth against the end of the chamber.

A slightly deep chamber or short brass can make the slide stop ahead of the back of the frame.

My guess is that Colt felt it was more important to make sure the cartridge was fully seated than to worry about a minor cosmetic issue. Also, the slight "give" of the brass cartridge as the slide slammed home acted as a buffer to keep from beating up the slide stop.

However, many other companies that built 1911s built their pistols to come to battery with solid contact between the barrel hood and the breechface, where there's a true headspace gap. The pistol then locks up solid, steel to steel, with the cartridge floating slightly in the chamber.

Many 1911 smiths felt this was the better method, and before aftermarket parts were available they'd weld and file extensions on the barrel hood to get that solid lockup. Aftermarket barrels often come with overlength hoods that have to be fitted. Hard lockup means the slide stops in the same place every time and avoids having to deal with customer complaints. Hard lockup is supposed to be more accurate, but I haven't seen proof of it.


Reader's Digest Condensed Version: "Don't worry, be happy."

I wish I had bought a couple of those back when AIM had them for really cheap.

No it's not.
It is a licensed copy built to Colt specs.

You said it. It is a Colt.

HA!

ETA:man, that quote got messed up