Kilo66

I have heard it said more than once that decades ago the late Ikey Starkes...and perhaps a very few other gunsmiths...had developed a method of fitting the slide/frame/barrel of a Government Model so that it locked up securely enough to make the gun "ring" like a bell when going fully into battery, regularly producing consistent 2.5" groups at 25 yards, while still preserving the phenomenal reliability for which loose-fitting GI 1911s were justly famous. Supposedly, at least according to the stories I've heard, this involved component fitting such that parts mating only provided a rock solid fit the last 1/4 inch or so of forward slide travel; during the rest of the firing cycle dirt, grit, and assorted field crud weren't an issue due to what was described as a "goose loose" parts fit. Does anybody else have recollections of this best-of-both-worlds technique? Better still, does anyone have any specifics?

YosemiteSam

yes, it was called peening the rails. self explanitory if your a metalsmith/gunsmith
with the advent of modern hi precision milling, that kind of went the wayside