Calling all ham hands: Idiot scratch preventer

Bongo Lewi

Bongo Lewi

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Racer88 said:
Must be a 1911 thing? Since I don't have one, I have no idea. :)
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Yes it is a 1911 thing, and those that have 1911s 3ither have were will need to heed advice like BL posted. Fortunately I was educated on the hazards for suffering the idiot scratch long ago and none of my 1911s have one as a result. 🤠
 
NavyVette said:
So, explain what it is and why it's needed? Only when build a 1911? When cleaning? What's the dealio? :)
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When people don't completely understand how to re-install the slide-stop lever, they end up scratching the frame, particularly if they use some sort of tool to assist getting the slide-stop lever back in place. The card is thin enough that can help protect the side of the frame where witness marks, a.k.a. "idiot scratches" tend to appear.
 
Ive found couple in pawn shops etc with the scratch going full circle on slide. The Colt Officer I rebuilt had it so deep that even after sanding, parkerizing and coating it can be seen at a angle in good light. Almost as deep as ponys tail that it goes into.
 
The idiot mark is a right of passage for every 1911 owner. I believe the Army celled them assembly marks. While I never served, many vets have told me that’s how the Army taught them.

One can also do the “Log man modification” to their slide stop. It involves filing your slide stop so you don’t have to do the up and in routine. I haven’t done this to mine but many many people swear by it. After putting my stamp on my first 1911 some thirty years ago, I learned to do it right.
 
Notshawn54 said:
The idiot mark is a right of passage for every 1911 owner. I believe the Army celled them assembly marks. While I never served, many vets have told me that’s how the Army taught them.

One can also do the “Log man modification” to their slide stop. It involves filing your slide stop so you don’t have to do the up and in routine. I haven’t done this to mine but many many people swear by it. After putting my stamp on my first 1911 some thirty years ago, I learned to do it right.
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Interesting. I'm on a 1911 run ATM. I'm working on 5 currently. I've got a ton of extra parts. I might just try that. I'm assuming your referring to filing down the 2 sides that form that little groove on the end? So you just basically file the end round?
 
Viking2721 said:
Interesting. I'm on a 1911 run ATM. I'm working on 5 currently. I've got a ton of extra parts. I might just try that. I'm assuming your referring to filing down the 2 sides that form that little groove on the end? So you just basically file the end round?
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More like a notch. I think the second picture kind of explains how and why it works.
 

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Notshawn54 said:
More like a notch. I think the second picture kind of explains how and why it works.
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Ahhhhhhh.....yep I see what your saying. I do have a couple Xtra of those laying around. I'll give that a shot.
 
Never had that problem with my 1911 commander clone. They must have modified the part to not scratch the frame as shown above….
 
Just a quick comment....

Take a close look at the photo of the "unmodified" vs "log man modified" slide stops. The "unmodified" slide stop shown is not really unmodified... it has already been altered to provide a ramp to compress the detent. Though it has been done rather poorly.. or should I say it has been butchered (it is too low and will shove the slide stop up into the U shaped notch in the slide and scratch it instead of the frame.)

So the example could not have the "log man" added to it, you have to start with a true raw slide stop to do the modification. (Hey, slide stops are cheap, so you can get a few to practice on before you get the geometry right.)

The concept is pretty easy.... the end of the detent is the bowling ball. The groove you make in the slide stop is the gutter on the edge of the alley. If you want to roll a zero every time, put the ball in the gutter and push it into the frame.

I like the playing card for it's cute-factor. But if you have the skill to cut out the card that accurately, then you have the skill to file the groove in the slide stop that guides the slide stop in without scratching the frame or slide ;)
 
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By the way... if you see a 1911 that has a bunch of circular scratches, where the owner has been spinning the slide stop around while putting it in... Well, that indicates a problem with the fit of the barrel link and the frame.

Ok, the owner may be dumb or inexperienced, but you should ask yourself why the owner was spinning the slide stop around while trying to put it in. The answer is probably that the holes are too tight or the barrel link is too short to allow the holes to line up. The owner is twisting the slide stop to force the three holes into alignment for an interference fit. Fix that issue and the owner will not feel the need to keep twisting the slide stop in a circle to get it through the two holes in the frame and the hole in the barrel link. It should take no effort at all to insert the slide stop. It should only take a squeeze of your thumb to push the side stop into the frame, align the barrel link, and snap into place on the detent.
 
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