EGW - Carbide Reverse Plug Reamer

Carbide cutter works well. It was carbide tipped, not solid carbide. Getting alignment with the slide in the drill press or mill is critical. I broke the pilot stem (replaceable) on my first one. This is a replacement. EGW who makes the cutter has a replacement stem and pilot. Luckily. Now I have two tools! The cutter is a slightly small for some reverse plugs, but correct for most. Measure before machining.

A must for installing a collar-type reverse plug on a 1911 slide when using bull barrels. This tool is used to counterbore the recoil spring plug tunnel. You first need to use a 1/2" flat end mill to remove the step/stop if it has one. Most newer manufacturers do not have this step. Match grade slides, such as STI and SVI, are already counterbored. Use the slowest spindle speed and use plenty of cutting oil. Measure 0.375 inch from the bottom of the cutter and apply tape to act as a stop guide, or make your own steel stop. Final counterbore diameter is 0.528 inch.

I wanted to save a little more. Since I only had 3 slides to do I went tool steel big mistake!. It did not work well on a very hard Kimber slide. It got dull before it finished the first job. It did not want track straight. I may have ruined the slide with it. It was as not sharp enough to ream by hand. This one is going back for a carbide replacement