cast vs forged slides

[Boriqua]

I have been getting that nasty itch for a new 1911. Fugin things are addictive and I am jonesing.

Anyway I see that some slides are cast and some are forged. Now if you had ever asked me before some research I would have always said forged is better .. but I may have absorbed that opinion through hearsay

So .. I would think a Cast slide would have better tolerances before clean up since the process of pouring it in a mold would make for a better impression than would hammering metal into a shape. In one (forging) you are moving metal around and in the other (casting) you are starting with the metal part in its final configuration.



But I would think that the pounding process in forging would compress the metal in such a way that the grain would be much tighter hence have more tensile strength which I would think would be good for a piece of steel that is subjected to repeated explosions.

Also how malleable is cast .. in another post 1911 described how to get a tighter frame to slide fit with a small hammer. Could this be done with cast or am I thinking it is much more brittle than it actually is.

So magic mojo and unfounded opinion aside can anyone tell me why forged is better than cast in this application and whether they have ever experienced or know someone who has that has had a failure because a part was cast.

Lastly ... I read a lot of negativity about MIM parts.. what are they and why the negative opinions

Alex

[Larry D.]

MIM=Metal Injection Molding. Thet have a nasty habit of breaking from what I hear.

As far as casts vs forgings, they're hard, which makes them brittle.
Castings are a great cost savings venture since they require much less machining to produce a finished product. Think how much an engine block (which can crack) would cost if it was machined from a solid forged block of steel. I'm not 100% sure an engine block could be machined.

[1911shooter]

MIM parts are a cost savings that helps with the speed and cost of getting a pistol to market, Kimber, Springfield, every 1911 maker uses them, mainly for thumb safeties, and triggers, they require almost no fitting and very little if any hand work,,

They are made from powdered metal that is heated and squeezed into shape.
I hear people say they break and others who say they make a gun not run right, but I have a ton of 1911's with them and havent had any problems thus far.

The biggest problem with casting's is that you are limited as to what a gunsmith can do and the amount of metal you can remove from certain areas, I have a few cast frame guns that are just as good as forged frames.

[bigfelipe]

These days the technology is usually comparable enough that it doesn't matter. A quality casting is on par with a quality forging. Cheap steel and QC issues can cause either one issues. Ideally I'd say you want a milled receiver from a solid forged billet that has then been tempered.

[Kappy]

How's my CZ made?

[Larry D.]

Recycled Zil brake drums and a hot rock......

Dunno actually.

[Kappy]

Originally Posted by Larry D.

Recycled Zil brake drums and a hot rock......

Dunno actually.

That would be AWESOME! The lines I can come up with... my gun's a rock star... it will rock your world... I brake for CZ's...

[1911shooter]

Originally Posted by Kappy

How's my CZ made?

CZ is one of the best forging companies in the world.
Slides and frames are made from soilid forged steel, Last I knew they were from barstock, and milled and machined.

[Kappy]

If it got run over by a tank... chances of survival?

[1911shooter]

Originally Posted by Kappy

If it got run over by a tank... chances of survival?

It would fare better then some but I would want to have to shoot it, afterwards unless I absolutely had to.