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Tightest bushing to barrel fit

8K views 46 replies 35 participants last post by  roaniecowpony 
#1 ·
I'm fortunate enough that I have some 1911s from some of top custon/semi-custom manufacturers like Brown, Nighthawk, etc. I've got a couple of Baers and, let me tell you, they have a very tight bushing to barrel fit, enough that I dislike having to field strip them to clean. But the tightest bushing to barrel fit I've ever seen on a 1911 is ---- wait for it ----

An STI Spartan in 9mm made by Armscor to STI specs and using STI fire control parts.

They've been out of production for a few years now. The darn thing is so tight I have to use a rubber mallet to tap the bushing on and off. I had not shot it in awhile, but took it to the range the other day. Then I remembered why I had not taken it for so long.

So, do any of you have a 1911 which has a bushing so tight that you find your hand passing over it and picking something else out of the safe to shoot?



 
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#4 ·
I think my tightest bushing to barrel gun is a Les Baer. But I know my tightest bushing to slide gun is an STI double stack that I fit a new EGW bushing to. It takes a rubber mullet to gently tap the bushing in the last 1/4” or so and there is no way to turn it without a bushing wrench.
 
#6 ·
You may be able to improve the bushing to slide fit by applying oil to the bushing and slide, and using a bushing wrench to rotate the bushing back and forth a few dozen times, with the barrel absent. This mainly just burnishes down any high spots.

Note that the bushing will always be tight when trying to rotate it from its normal position while the barrel is linked up into battery. This is normal, as the bushing is only relieved for linkup in the vertical plane. This interference between the bushing and barrel should be left as is.

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#7 ·
Tight barrel bushing.....

It is a relatively simple fix to make the barrel bushing less tight.....if you don't know how, then have a gunsmith fix it. It doesn't make sense to not shoot a gun due to a tight barrel bushing.

When you have your barrel and bushing removed from the slide, place the bushing on the end of the barrel. You should have just enough of a close fit so if you pick up the barrel by the bushing, it will actually lift the barrel (without oil on the barrel) and then slide off if the bushing is given a slight shake. If the barrel is too loose, when you pick up the barrel by the bushing, if the barrel completely slides off, it is not an optimal fit and too loose. It may still work fine, but may not produce optimal accuracy with a loose fitting barrel bushing.....

If you have determined the barrel bushing is a proper fit with the barrel, then the outer dimensions of the bushing may be slightly too large for the slide opening. If the bushing fits easily into the muzzle end of the slide, but is hard to rotate to lock the bushing into the slide, then the "nub" that rotates into the slide recess for the bushing is too large and requires further fitting......:) Using layout die or even a black Sharpie pen and marking the "nub" and surrounding area will show the rub marks if you try to rotate the bushing to lock it into the slide.....
 
#8 ·
You should try a Briley barrel with a spherical bushing. Not only is it tight, but the titanium ring must be precisely aligned or the barrel will not go though it. Took me 20 min to get it on the first time. But it is a hell of a sweet shooting pistol.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Briley


My EDC, a SW1911PC, has a Briley-style bushing; sweet shooting indeed.
 
#9 ·
Doesn’t anyone push the slide down 1/4 to 1/2 inch then turn the bushing for disassembly of gun. Those couple thousands of an inch really help.I know on my Baer P. II it sure makes it easier.


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#10 ·
Why do people need "uber" tight bushings when most can't cut X's at 7 yards?

Asking for a friend....... :)'s
 
#13 · (Edited)
I have a custom Commander built by King's Gunworks sometime around the 1970s. I got it from my older brother cheap one time when he needed cash. It has a S&W revolver sight as a rear sight, and all the parts are stamped with the crown in an oval trademark of King's. It is the most accurate centerfire handgun I own - beating my Python, several S&W revolvers, etc. I won Class A in our action pistol matches for several years in a row with it.

The bushing is very tight, as are other parts, too. You will not remove the bushing without the bushing wrench.
 

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#14 ·
Unless it's a bullseye match gun meant for one-hole accuracy at 50 yards there's no reason to have the bushing so tight that it can't be turned with the fingers. Just my opinion.
 
#16 ·
^This.^

A 1961 Colt National Match .38 Mid Range Wadcutter pistol resides here. Thing's more accurate than I am, even without the tight barrel bushing, so it was determined to install another bushing. Accuracy remains very precise. The tight one is kept for "special."

Life's too short to make it hard on yourself unnecessarily with tight barrel bushing silliness. Not enjoying owning and choosing to shoot the pistol is silliness.
 
#21 ·
I'm dabbling with building some bullseye tight guns, just for the experience. Loosening a gun up is easy enough. I just want to see just how tight I can make one shoot. It's a hobby.
 
#22 ·
Why even disassemble a 1911 past pulling the slide assy??? Run a bore snake through it, hose the entire slide assy off with CLP.....do the same with the frame assy and stand em up in the corner to drain.

You take the wheels hood and fenders off your $40k truck and clean em all seperate??? Or do you drive the damn thing to Mike's and let em hose it all off at once,???

That's what I thought.....

Clean less......shoot more.....
 
#24 ·
Bore snakes are NOT known for getting barrels all that clean.

I shoot plenty of lead SWC rounds.
Once even a tiny amount of lead appears
in the barrel it rapidly accumulates.

Not an issue in a blaster gun, but I have multiple
Bullseye grade guns that I would like to keep that way.
 
#30 ·
The ones I use have bronze brushes, not stainless. They're great for a quick pass through the bore on a gun that hasn't been shot in awhile, or your carry gun that has a bunch of fluff in the bore. But for a proper cleaning after an extended shooting session you want to use a proper rod, patches and bore brush.
 
#31 · (Edited)
By the way, while on the subject of tightly-fitted guns I just bought a new Colt, and it's the first one I've ever owned that had a slide and frame fit that's as tight as a new Springfield or Kimber. The barrel is also fit very tight. The barrel bushing can still be rotated with the fingers, but that's it. Every other Colt I've ever bought would rattle when shaken. They were also 100% reliable right out of the box. Well, I shot this tight new pistol today, and it had pretty much every kind of malfunction you could think of. I've said for years that unless it's a bullseye match gun you want your 1911 to be slightly loose for reliability. A custom gunsmith or shop can build you a nice tight 1911 that still runs 100%, but in a production-line gun it's going to be a crapshoot. The parts need to be fit right, not just tight. All 1911s of mine that I consider reliable enough for defense use have loosey-goosey fitment of the parts. In fact I don't even have a barrel bushing wrench! I did have one 20 or so years ago, but it disappeared somewhere as I never used it.
 
#40 ·
All 1911s of mine that I consider reliable enough for defense use have loosey-goosey fitment of the parts.
Absolutely,, this in spades.
Something that you could rely on when you jump out of the landing craft and wade ashore, then crawl thru sand and mud to engagement,, and maybe get to clean the next day by swishing it around in a bucket of diesel fuel.
Pour on some engine oil,, good to go.
Ok, maybe I exaggerate a little, but tight guns for range toys, loose guns for serious work.
 
#32 ·
So if you have a gun that's that tight, I suggest you line up your slide stop notch with the slide stop and push out the slide stop.
Then while cupping your hand under the slide, slide the slide off.
This will keep the recoil spring from bowing out.
After the top end is off remove the recoil spring, rear guide, and front plug
Slide the barrel forward in the slide abit and then try to turn your bushing.
Then remove the barrel and bushing.

If the bushing still requires a wrench, check to see where the finish is rubbing off and give it acouple of file strokes.
It will still be snug but eaiser to remove.
On les Baers I have seen this done on the front and back of the bushing lug.
 
#33 ·
The bushing is tight because it has not been properly fitted.

You can finish the job and be free of the grief.
I would look at the lug on the bushing first. It's probably mis aligned with the cut out in the slide.

First off, the lug probably has sharp edges on it, file it. Rub marks will be on the sides of it as well. Lightly file the areas that show the rub marks until the issue is gone.

It was a lot easier to do before I retired. I would just set the bushing up in a surface grinder and side wheel the offending surfaces.

Bob
 
#34 ·
I hand fitted my new military USGI barrel into my NM barrel bushing. I ended up honing the mating parts with lapping compound. It has 100% lock up in full battery and no barrel spring in either direction. I have no problem disassembling it for cleaning. My bushing is properly fitted to the slide and barrel.
 
#35 · (Edited)
Believe it or not, my Magnum Research DE 1911G had the tighest fit of any of my pistols. Was the only bushing I couldnt move with my manly fingers. Thing was a tack driver...so wish I hadnt sold it since it was my very first 1911. Was convinced that it wasnt worth having a 1911 with no FSC...had no idea most Colts do not.
 
#39 ·
My used norinco 1911a1, the orginal barrel bushing was more loose in the slide fit than the fit on the barrel. I fitted the new nm barrel bushing so a bushing wrench is needed for that last 1/8 turn into lockup.
 
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