My 1911 LEGP is finally here!  I left it at my FFL though because I don't want to pick up 2 handguns in one week.

As I was checking it out, I noticed that there is a line worn through the slide on the left side.  It is as if the top edge of the frame is rubbing against the slide, but it hasn't even been fired.  Is this a normal wear mark that will get worse as I fire it?  (new to 1911's)

I am assuming that it is abnormal.  If I send it in to Springfield for repairs what kind of hassle am I looking at?  Average wait time?  Should I take it out and fire it first to see if there is anything else wrong before I send it in or will that void any warranty on the finish?

Thanks

Where exactly is this line wearing "through the slide"? I can't quite picture where the frame would contact the slide to wear a line on it that would be visible on the left side. Seems to me any wear would be along the rails that you wouldn't see unless you removed the slide from the frame. Some wear in that area is normal.

I would contact Springfield customer service and ask if this is something they've seen before. 1-800-680-6866 or 1-309-944-5631 Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Central Time, Monday through Friday.

Get in touch with Tim, antiUSSA, and see if anyone else has noticed this on their LEGPs.

And you might want to post over at www.pistolsmith.com/. There are two 1911 forums over there, one for semi-custom guns and one for production guns. The pistolsmiths over there are a pretty sharp bunch. Good luck.

Here is a picture of another LEGP that I doctored to show where the mark is.  It is down to bare metal.  It does not extend as far as I have it drawn - the picture I used has the slide partially back.  In that condition the mark is mostly hidden by the frame.


corrections... "Through the slide" on my original post should have said "Through the finish on the slide"

I emailed Springfield a few days ago and haven't gotten a response yet.

Ah, I see what you mean now. I just double checked my Springfield Mil Spec and there is no wear visible on the slide in the area you're referring to. I think in your case the slide to frame fit is probably too tight. That usually happens on the rails but in your case it looks like the slide is rubbing on the dust cover part of the frame. In the factory, each slide is mated to a frame and they are hand fitted. The tolerance is tight on custom guns to increase accuracy and match performance.

Try this... remove the barrel, the recoil spring and the guide rod and put the slide by itself back on the frame. The slide should move freely through the whole length of its travel under its own weight. If it binds, the fit is too tight. I have heard of some custom 1911s that were so tight the slide had to be beat on with a rubber mallet. That's way too tight and reliability goes right out the window.

What concerns me most in your case is that it looks like it's binding on one side of the gun. It would likely loosen up during a break-in period, but if allowed to continue it could cause uneven wear on other parts and eventually affect accuracy. Of course it could be binding equally on the right side but under the frame rails where you wouldn't see it.

This can be fixed by lapping the slide to frame fit, and the wear you see on the slide can be reparkerized. Or they might have to "tweak" the dust cover in that area, probably by removing a little bit of metal from the inside where it rubs on the slide. I'm sure Springfield will make it right.

Funny...  I have the same problem. I never thought much about it until I saw this post.
I bought a 2000 Springfield 1911a1 Liteweight and it has a wear mark in the same place, appox. 1/2 inch long.

Let me know what happens.

Will do.  Since I haven't heard back about my email I will call Springfield tomorrow and see what they say.  I would rather shoot it before I send it in just in case something else is wrong so it could be a week or two before I send it.  I pick it up from the FFL on Sunday, and I will replace my doctored picture with a real one then.

Called Springfield.  They said shoot it, then send it in so I am off to the range next week.

Hey! Mine has the same mark! Only mine is rubbing thru the green-T Armory Kote finish!

I was looking at one at a local shop.  It was their display gun and while handling it I noticed it had already started rubbing the slide the wrong way in the same area as yours is.

I almost bought it, then I thought, do I really want a gun that I need to send in to the factory to get fixed?

Well I opted to not get it and went with a totally different model instead.  I will check it after firing it's initial 500 rounds, but it hadn't started to show any wear from being on display.  I get to pick it up on the 14th of March...