Abstract: A pistol comprises a frame having a grip defining a magazine well and frame rails with a slide connected to the frame to reciprocate with respect to the frame between a forward battery position and a rearward recoil position. The slide defines rail passages configured to engage the frame rails, and the rail passages include upward facing elongated ledge surfaces configured to engage the frame rails with a selected overlap amount. The ledge surfaces have a plurality of different regions along their lengths with the different regions having different overlaps. The ledge surfaces may have a greater overlap at end portions, and a lesser overlap amount at an intermediate portion, with the intermediate position being proximate the magazine well, and preferably a portion of at least one of the frame rail ends remains engaged with at least one of the frame rails during motions between battery and recoil positions.