Regarding 1911 barrel bushings

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P71pilot

New member
I have a Springfield Armory loaded model made in 2014. I absolutely love this handgun and will never sell it. I am slowly setting the pistol up exactly the way I want it, and have a question regarding the barrel bushing.

How tight should the bushing be? And does the tightness effect reliability in any way?

I ask because I hear all over about people using bushing wrenches or a snug fit. My stock bushing fits fairly loosely. Not loose as in play or slop but it is not anywher e near snug or tight upon inserting, or turning. I do not have accuracy issues with the gun, but I would like a black bushing because I want to black the whole gun out, and I will probably replace the bushing in the near future solely for aesthetic reasons.

I have heard the egw angle bored bushing is a good one to use. I will probably do the fitting myself as I am confident in my ability to carefully file and fit parts. I have done a few small smithing jobs on my AK and have also installed and fitted a trigger to this 1911. So when I go to fit a new bushing, would I be better off a tad bit tight or nice and free like the stock bushing on my Springfield?

I also plan on replacing the 2 piece tool-required guide rod with a GI plug and cap, and also replacing the ambi safety with a right side only Gi style safety that is less sharp and large.

Any tips or input on the barrel bushing are appreciated, as well as recommended GI style recoil systems and GI style safeties.

I am very young compared to most on here and am devoted to learning and mastering my pistol. I plan to keep it for life so the more I learn on the parts and how to fit them the better off I am.

I have a drill press, bench grinder and vise, and every hand tool you could imagine other than gunsmith specific tools.
 
The snugness of the barrel bushing should have no effect on reliability. It does have some effect on accuracy. I have seen figures of 5% is based on the slide/bushing/barrel fit but that's an educated guess. If you are building a bullseye gun, that 5% may make a difference. For the vast majority of us, it's not a huge deal.

I do not like mine loose. I like them to be snug enough that it takes some effort to turn with my fingers but doesn't necessarily need a bushing wrench (after field stripping a few times).

BTW, when you get the GI style guide rod and spring, you can use the "alternate" method of field stripping where you take out the slide stop first and then very carefully take the slide off the frame and capture the recoil spring and guide rod with your hand. You can then push the barrel through the bushing a half inch or inch before turning the bushing. The barrel is slightly narrower there and you'll maintain a tighter barrel/bushing fit.
 
I kind of had a feeling that the bushing shouldn't effect reliability so long as it isn't overly tight or overly loose. My main concern is reliability by the way. I will not be shooting at quarters at 25yds but maybe whitetail hearts at that distance and God forbid a human attacker at grappling distances if I ever have to defend myself.

And no, I am not calling you fellers old, just compared to me, ya'll have seen a bit more moon cycles. I am 22 and have always thought I was born in the wrong time period. I think and act more like a 60yr old than a guy born in 93.

I would like kunhausens book but I am concerned about cost. I am young and work very hard for my money but don't make that much compared to some people driving brand new cars and owning Wilson combats' and Ed brown pistols.

Although that book would be a very nice investment
 
P71pilot said:
I have a drill press, bench grinder and vise, and every hand tool you could imagine other than gunsmith specific tools.
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Which means you don't have the tools you need to fit a barrel bushing.

There's probably nothing wrong with yours but, if you must replace it, call EGW and order one of their angle bored bushings. It allows for a snug fit without causing barrel springing.

I would like kunhausens book but I am concerned about cost. I am young and work very hard for my money but don't make that much compared to some people driving brand new cars and owning Wilson combats' and Ed brown pistols.
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In a nutshell, if you can't afford Kuhnhausen's books (both of them), you don't need to be spending wasting money on replacing a perfectly good barrel bushing.
 
The tightness of the barrel bushing must not affect accuracy all that much.
Mine turns easily by hand, no tool needed.
And the gun is capable of enough accuracy to hit clay birds at 50 yards.
 
I think EGW aims for .001". Normally when you fit one of theirs to your pistol, no filing/sanding is required. They can be very tight. I remove the slide, grease up the bushing and lug, and working the bushing in both directions several times with a wrench. There are PDFs of both Kuhnhausen manuals floating around the internet.
 
Kuhnhausen's manuals discuss barrel bushing fit as between .002 and .009../ but I think .002 to .004 is about right based on what some gunsmiths tell me.

A good fit is important ...but too tight is bad ( and too tight is probably worse than too loose).

If budget is such a big concern, I'd suggest you focus on shooting the gun you have, as is, without making a bunch of modifications to the barrel ...then down the road ( when you get to be our age ..;) ...) you may want to invest in some gunsmith training...the Kunhausen manuals or the Wilson Combat gunsmithing DVD's.

I have one Wilson Combat full sized 1911 in 9mm...that is 10 yrs old now ...and has just gone over 110,000 rds thru it ( I shoot it a lot )...the gun just went back to Wilson because I broke the plunger tube on the left side that holds the slide lock and thumb safety plunger.../ they fixed it of course, checked the gun, test fired it ...and its still shooting easily to its 1" accuracy guarantee at 25 yds ( not in my hands ) ....and Wilson tells me they have a lot of their 1911's that they let employees shoot on off hours, etc...that are well over half a million rounds with no accuracy issues.

That same gun is now my primary carry gun ( I retired its counterpart - a full sized Wilson CQB model in .45 acp )-- because arthritis in my hands is taking its toll -- and I can easily handle shooting 6 - 8 boxes of 9mm a week...but just not the .45acp anymore. My point is ...just because its 10 yrs old now ..and has 110,000 rds thru it ....it still runs 100% and its accurate.../ so no reason to mess with the barrel fit issues.

So while the barrel bushing should be fit "properly"...barrel lockup is probably more important.../ if your gun is shooting 1" groups out to 10 yds or so, I wouldn't fool with it.
 
I was in a bit of a hurry earlier and should have expounded on the basics of selecting a 1911 bushing with accuracy in mind.

1. Evaluate your barrel. This means checking it with micrometers to determine its actual diameter and whether or not it is clearanced for a match bushing. 'Match' barrels will typically have a nice, concentric muzzle diameter of 0.580", reducing to at or near about 0.575" approximately 3/4" behind the muzzle.

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff327/ewgewgewg/IMG_9275.jpg

This serves a dual purpose. Quality match bushings use 0.580" as their reference diameter and are available diameters from 0.580" (hard fit) to 0.581 to 0.583 (drop in) diameter. The clearance diameter is to prevent binding or 'springing' when used with a match bushing.

Another concern is the quality of the barrel itself. At one time Springfield was using a two-piece barrel on pistols up through the Loaded series and with rare exceptions, they do not give stellar accuracy. You may want to look at a drop-in match barrel-busing combo such as those offered by Wilson or Brown. FWIW I have never been sorry for spending a little extra for Ed Brown components.

Additionally, look at the skirt diameter of any bushing you consider purchasing. IIRC the standard diameter at the front of the slide is 0.700" if you go larger than 0.798 on the skirt diameter, expect to have to fit that dimension to your slide. It can be done with basic shop tools but is best done by lathe turning.

Good luck on your project.
 
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The bushing should not fit tight,ordnance specs call for a .001"difference between barrel OD and bushing ID.The bushing bearing itself is only .250" wide
at the front and the rest is wider to allow barrel swing.
If your pistol is working fine chances are you won't notice any difference by replacing bushings.Changing over to a standard length guide rod is a good idea
and it wont hurt anything and again if if your pistol runs ok why replace the reaction spring? but if you must,14 or 15Lb will do.
 
I am 22
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I have a backache older than that. :D

Don't let us old farts razz you to bad. Having younger folks interested in shooting is great. I have lost count of how many people in my daughters' generation I have introduced to shooting, the overwhelming majority of them of the fairer sex.
 
He's younger than some of my grandkids too ( geez....:p..).....

But that doesn't mean we won't try and help....
 
A Springfield loaded is a nice gun, why are you changing the bushing? If needed plenty of drop in types. Good luck and let us know results.
 
I think the one piece guide rod was a mistake that every manufacturer realizes now. Its not a weakness in design at all. I don't know if its required in Officer length 3.5" or less. But that's my next to do ,is test and examine these. Right after I get my Singer 1911.
 
1969Colt1911 said:
I think the one piece guide rod was a mistake that every manufacturer realizes now. Its not a weakness in design at all. I don't know if its required in Officer length 3.5" or less.
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Not required even in a 5-inch Government model.

There may be some argument for the added weight helping to control muzzle rise -- if you spend big bux for the tungsten FLGR. But the usual argument is that the FLGR prevents recoil spring kinking.

Really? Take a good look at where the recoil spring resides in a 1911. It's surrounded by the receiver on two sides and the bottom, and restrained by the underside of the barrel on the top. By the time the slide is halfway retracted, most of the spring has been compressed into the round recoil spring plug and can't go anywhere. There's no way the recoil spring in a 1911 can get so far off axis that it could possibly kink.

The real function of the full-length guide rod is to transfer money from pistol owners to manufacturers of full-length guide rods.
 
I like the full length guide rods...and when I order a gun, I make it part of the spec.

Its irrelevent to me that it takes a bushing wrench to take the gun apart...so I don't see that as a big deal either.

To me, the GI rod is a pain in the butt - when I take the gun apart.
 
The bushing should not fit tight.
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Muzzle dia. is .580" - .002", and bushing ID is .581" + .002", so even .005" is within spec.
Slide bore is .699" + .003", and bushing OD is .6985 - .0025", so you could have another .006" between the bushing and slide.

If you can measure your muzzle OD and slide bore ID accurately, EGW will make a custom bushing for you.
I used their "drop-in" angle bore on a Mil-Spec, and there was a bit of barrel spring (bushing ID too tight).
 
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