OT - Question for the M1911 gurus...

[RSY]

OK...slide serrations.

Used to be vertical, now almost always slanted. What gives?

Is there a genuine practical reason the slanted serrations have been almost universally adopted, or is it all just jazzed-up aesthetics??? Personally, I miss the vertical serrations.

Thanks for any info on this one.

Scott

[20cows]

"Stylish!"

[AJMD429]

No 'guru' here (my favorite 1911's are my beat-up old AMT, and an early Para-14 with a slide looks like it was painted by a kid), but

a) I do like the serrations - if your hands are slippery or you're in a hurry, they help grip and rack the slide.

b) I like the vertical ones better - they just LOOK more 'professional' although I know that is a lame reason. The 'angled' ones look too much like they're trying to be 'tactical'.

c) If a real 1911 Guru gives me a good reason to like the angly ones, I might be capable of rehabilitation...

[lever-4-life]

The same reason why almost all new 1911 have foward serrations, Its something new and tacticool and will sell more guns.

[Hobie]

Merchandising. I like vertical. The "snakeskin" just seems silly to me.

[RSY]

As I noted above, I truly prefer the verticals myself. That said, though, I do find I can get a relatively (slightly) better grip with the slanted ones. Reason being, as I pull back, the flesh/glove material runs along the serration and the grip deepens. On verticals, if I don't get a good grab right away, it just slips completely off. Of course, this has never really posed a true problem, even in all the CQB training I did as a MCSF Marine.

Scott

[RKrodle]

It's all about aerodynamics. The slanted serrations allow the wind generated by the slide movement to flow easier around the slide. This in effect allows for faster cycle times, also with the serrations slanted as such (///////) toward the front of the pistol as the side moves to the rear the airflow up and over the serrations controls muzzle flip. Ok, I'll go away now .

[AJMD429]

It's all about aerodynamics. The slanted serrations allow the wind generated by the slide movement to flow easier around the slide. This in effect allows for faster cycle times, also with the serrations slanted as such (///////) toward the front of the pistol as the side moves to the rear the airflow up and over the serrations controls muzzle flip. Ok, I'll go away now .

Didn't you used to work at a gun shop in Terre Haute...?

[Streetstar]

The GI style guns still have traditional serrations, this one is only a few months old

[Slick]

Is there a genuine practical reason the slanted serrations have been almost universally adopted, or is it all just jazzed-up aesthetics??? Personally, I miss the vertical

They are angled "upwards" - because your grip on the slide is angled upward...

Les chance to slip.........

[RSY]

Is there a genuine practical reason the slanted serrations have been almost universally adopted, or is it all just jazzed-up aesthetics??? Personally, I miss the vertical

They are angled "upwards" - because your grip on the slide is angled upward...

Les chance to slip.........

That makes some sense. But, I don't use a pinch-and-pull to work the slide. I use an overhand grip/push-through technique. I think it's actually rare these days for folks to use the thumb-index finger method. Could be wrong, of course.

Scott

[J Miller]

The angled serrations are just a gimmick to sell more guns.
I dislike them as much as I dislike the beaver tail grip safeties and the Commander hammers on a full size 1911.
Give me a real 1911a1 or a Colt Government model and I'm happy. These new guns with all the gadgets and widgets on them are a corruption of a timeless perfected design.

JMNSHO

Joe

PS: I don't have a 1911 of any kind right now, but I do know how to make them sing a sweet tune.

[RSY]

The angled serrations are just a gimmick to sell more guns.
I dislike them as much as I dislike the beaver tail grip safeties and the Commander hammers on a full size 1911.

Amen, brother. Preach it!

Scott

[Slick]

That makes some sense. But, I don't use a pinch-and-pull to work the slide. I use an overhand grip/push-through technique.

I actually rack the slide the same way you do, although it might not always be "convenient" to cycle in that metod. I figure that someone wanted to "jazz things up a bit" and still retain function - or even enhance it per say.

Consider now that you see 1911's with "wavy" serrations and also serrations near the muzzle. While not any kind of "must have", I do think those sort of updates help keep the gun fresh with new features. And no, I'm not saying the 1911 needed any major overhaul, but it's nice to see that folks are still thinking of better ways to build the mousetrap...

To be honest, the serrations that work best for me are the "cut two, skip one" style that they used on the Ballaster Molina a long, long time ago.

[piller]

I don't know the answer, but I prefer the vertical grooves. I can grip them and I think they look more Military. As someone who was in the Army, I got used to the Military style. I'd bet the gents on here who were in the Marines would feel the same way most of the time.