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Front strap of Rail Gun too thin to checker

3K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  AZ Husker 
#1 ·
Not sure if there is any validity to this, but I read on another sub forum that the front strap of the rail gun was too thin to do either 20 or 25 LPI checkering??

Any insight would be appreciated.
 
#2 ·
Every Colt front strap can vary in thickness. Measure yours. I wouldn't checker it if it is less than .055-.060 but saying all of them are too thin wouldn't be accurate.

I've machine checkered maybe 100 Colt front straps and only came across a couple that were too thin to checker and all of those were much older production. New guns like a rail gun should be GTG.

 
#4 ·
As a general rule Colt pistols have thinner slides and frames than much of the competition, which makes them feel really good in the hand but which also means there's less raw material to grind/file away when you're building a custom gun. I still remember an older Springfield I once had with a thick, squarish front strap that made the grip feel like I was holding a 2x4.
 
#6 ·
Yes, front strap thickness can vary on Colt's depending upon who did the machine work. The one pictured by Evolution is the thick version. The other version has a bevel on the inside bottom. Those are typically the thinner version. Those are the reason for the "panel cut" checkering style. On those, I would recommend staying with 25 or 30lpi. Don't think you need 20 just because you're a man's man. Well machined checkering like Evolution pictured is plenty grippy...even at 30lpi. Most people have felt a Kimber or Baer and think that 30 isn't very sharp. It's just that their checkering isn't very sharp. Well done 30lpi checkering is pretty sticky.
 
#7 · (Edited)
The Colt front straps with their "enhanced" magwell are only really thin at the bottom. The rest of the strap should be fine. A solution for that is to do Pete Single style overruns that terminate before the bottom or do a double border checkering pattern.
 
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