i've been thinking about what i want my next project to be.  i think that i want a 7.62x25 1911.  anybody done this yet, or know of a smith that can make a barrel for me?  everything else should be off the shelf parts, just need a barrel.

I'll go ahead and ask the obvious question:

Why?

Next:

OACL of the 7.62x25 is about .0120" too long, IIRC, and you'd have to use a slide meant for a .38 super.

Why?  LOL

no reason.  just because i have been thinking about it and want to see if it could be done.  yup i knew i'd have to use a 9mm slide.

I have seena couple up here, was told they came from VIet Nam..... were converted



not my cup of tea though, I prefer the CZ52 in that caliber

A slide meant for 9x23Winchester should work.  
9x19, 9x23 & 7.62x25 all have the same case head size.

The Chinese converted some of the 1911a1s we gave them in WWII to 7.62x25, along with some Thompson subguns (using an adapter to feed from PPS-43 mags IIRC).

The Spanish made Star & Llama "1911" clones were available in 7.62x25 also.

Yo, arowner, if you have to ask why someone wants to mess around with a cartridge yet unused in a piece, then you haven't played with enough guns, my friend. You clearly need to inhale some more powder smoke to get the right attitude...

Seriously, 7.62 Tok shoots ultra flat and can be bought cheap in large quantities -- other than the simple reason of "I wanna try it", what else do you need??

Mr. adventurejunky, I too am trying to do something with this round (albeit as a wildcat) in a 1911. You can find some guys who'll machine a barrel for you in just about any caliber, but the toughest part is getting the round to stack and feed in some kind of magazine. It's too long by a couple of mm, and I think it stacks too steeply to feed right. I don't think you can pull this off unless (1) you get the barrel set up with .312 dia and (2) you roll yer own cartridges with the Hornady 60 gr XTP in 7.62. Makes the big surplus ammo opportunity moot. (Of course, you'd be spitting out these pills at ~1650f/s, making the 5.7 guys envious, but that's another story...)

Mind you, I hope I'm wrong, and if anyone has done this successfully, I'd love to hear about it. This is a fun round, and I think it has great potential as long-range "range toy" (ring the gong at 200 yards from a precision piece) or for the javelina/coyote hunters in the southwest. I have a CZ that shoots it OK, but the Czech is limited in ergonomic friendliness and accuracy potential.

thanks for the info and support!  i'll have to research the barrel dia more.  i think .312 will be a little loose.  IIRC the soviets measured anywhere from .308-.312.  i think .310 is the more desirable.   i think i'll start accumulating parts for the project.