From our former home, just in case, for the benefit of those who are new. Edited from the original.
Need I mention to safely UNLOAD the gun before proceeding?
Field strip your gun and clean it. Be sure to clean between the slide rails, just above the hole where the slide stop pin fits through. Make sure it is dry, and free of oil. Alcohol and Q-tips should work fine.
If your kit needs any fitting, you will need some electrical tape, and a SMALL, fine file. Make sure it has a clean edge. That means it only has teeth on the broad portion of the blade, and not the thin edge which will scraping along the underside of the barrel. Teeth which are too coarse will not allow for the proper 'little-bit-at-a-time' removal of metal. The use of a vise w/protected jaws would also be helpful.
Separate the kit's small skeletonized 'slide', recoil spring and guide from the kit's solid 'upper'. Clean them, especially the large blocky lug under the chamber of the .22's barrel, then reassemble. The upper portion containing the barrel remains fixed on the frame. The smaller slide is the part which moves normally. Before proceeding, you should now try to fit the kit into place. It 'may' just slide right on. That bottom lug of the barrel has to slide between the frame rails enough for slide stop pin hole to align with those on each side of the frame. A slight nudge of the top-end to the rear, using only hand pressure, may be enough. If not, then read on.
Look at the bottom lug of the .22 barrel, on its left side. To the left of the slide stop's pin hole, you will note a small rectangular shaped facet at the leading edge of the lug itself. That little 'shelf' is raised up from the surface of that side of the lug. It is ONE of the TWO areas that may possibly need to be filed to fit. The other is the two stubby little slide rails at the muzzle end of the kit. On mine, the little shelf stuck out too far to allow for the lug to slide far enough into the frame. The two front rail-stubs of the kit's upper were not even close to engaging the forward edge of the frame's rails.
Tape a piece of black electrical tape to the large flat portion of the lug's left side, over the hole. You should also tape the portion of the barrel above the lug. This will protect from any 'slips' with the file. Ideally, you should place the unit upside down in the vise for stability, but you can use care 'free-handed'.
Begin making passes across that little shelf, making sure to keep the file parallel with the side of the lug itself. IOW, don't create a 'curve' out of a flat. One or two passes at a time, in each direction, is all you should do. Let the file do the work, don't bear down on it. After each series of passes, swab off the metal dust with the alcohol and Q-tip. Be sure to get it out of the pin hole, too. Then, reassemble the upper and try to slide it onto the frame. Lather, rinse, and repeat as necessary.
The lug should slide in far enough to allow the front rail 'stubs' to engage the front leading edge of the frame rails. It may appear that the rail stubs need some dressing also; but, be careful. The idea is not for the whole unit to slide on effortlessly, like the centerfire slide does. Remember, the upper remains fixed to the frame. If the fit is nice and tight, it will keep the barrel in the same place for better accuracy. Don't be afraid to nudge the muzzle(barehanded) in order to seat it the rest of the way into place on the frame. As long as the hole in the lug lines up with those in the frame, you are OK. With my kit, the stubs did not need to be dressed at all, just that little facet on the lug. Gentle thumb pressure seats it into place on the frame.
Remember, you must retract the skinny slide just like usual, and align the witness marks in order to insert the slide stop pin. After you install the stop, you want to check all the functions. Does the safety work with the hammer cocked? Can you maually lock the .22 slide open? Does it lock open on an empty .22 magazine? If everything checks out, take it apart once again for cleaning. Make sure you get all that fine metal dust off of everything!
Please feel free to add your own experiences below.
Take Care!
