Frame construction for a firearm (10) with a frame (18) and a slide (12) constrained to move longitudinally between a forward and a rearward position but which is also removable from the frame. A recess (39) in the side of the frame contains the Kammer trigger mechanism (26, 38) that is accessible through a side opening (40) in the frame. A thin side plate (42) drops over the side opening and is held at its side edges and bottom edge by flanges (50) an the side plate overlapping congruent grooves in the frame and is held in place an top by the slide. After removing the slide in the conventional manner, the side plate can be slide upwardly and removed using a finger cutout (48) in the side plate.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefits of prior filed, co-pending U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60 /417,023 filed on Oct. 7, 2002 and International Application No. PCT/US2003/030684 filed on Sep. 25, 2003.
