Removing extra metal from a slide.

[stickslinger]

Why can't a competant gunsmith round off the top edges of my Kahr PM9 and give it a similar thickness and top edge profile as a 1911?

I realize there's got to be enough metal to withstand the pressure, but it seems there's less metal in a 1911 slide than this blocky PM9. Oh how nice it would melt into my pocket if it were'nt for the square top of that slide.

I imagine that the hardest part would be finding a smith willing to accept the liability. But if you could, why not? Is it engineering or aesthetics that make it the shape it is?

[Handy]

A 1911 is rounded on the inside of the slide, due to the round barrel. The inside of a Kahr slide is squared off, matching the barrel. If you round off the outside you will come very close to those inside corners.

[45 Fu]

It is the guts that determine the outside, to a large extent, of a pistol. Another thing to consider is that if you start removing weight from the slide there might not be enough there to be sure the pistol functions properly. You may or may not be able to find a recoil spring that can balance things out. Autos are very touchy about what goes where to ensure relible function. Take too much weight from the slide and it may travel too fast to reliably feed.

My advice - get baggier pants. It's cheaper to replace the pants than the pistol.