two piece 1911 barrel?

R

RHarris

New member
I've read in an article that Springfield's 1911 barrels are "two piece". Kimber advertises in their brocure that their barrels are not "two piece".

Could someone explain what a two piece barrel is all about? What parts are the "pieces". It seems there would be a disadvantage. Is there any advantage? Is it just a simpler manufacturing process? Also, could someone explain what "air guaged" means?
 
Actually, some people think that it DOES matter...most custom gunsmiths, for instance...Clark's in Louisiana, for instance, will NOT give their "accuracy guarantee" with a Springfield Armory .45 IF you insist on LEAVING IN the factory two-piece barrel. While it IS TRUE that lots of rounds have been sent downrange thru two-piece barrels, SOME gunsmiths AND manufacturers are of the opinion that the two-piece units are a problem waiting to happen...and when it happens, it is USUALLY a separation of the two pieces!!! The two-piece barrels that I'm most familiar with are those on the SA .45's...the rifled "barrel" section is press-fit into the chamber section, and then silver soldered--or is it brazed?--into place...one of the mods on my list of "things to do" to MY SA .45 is to eventually replace the barrel...for peace-of-mind, if nothing else....mikey357
 
Don't believe SA is using the 2 piece barrel now on new
guns,may be wrong but I know mine does not have it.
Air gauged is a method of testing barrel with air pressure
to check if diametrically correct from end to end.I know
Shilen barrels and others used this as a big selling point
at one time.
 
Browning hi-powers have had two piece barrels for a very long time. I have never heard of a two piece barrel coming apart, but I suppose it could happen, Murphy's law and all that. It seems that all of the match barrels are one piece, so while one piece is probably better, two piece barrels are probably okay for most shooting applications. I have a two piece barrel on a Springfield .45 and a Belgian made Browning P-35, and they both work fine.
 
Ive never seen a two part barrel come apart.
Ive never even heard of s two part barrel coming apart.

The reason you dont get an accuracy guaranty with the factory barrel isn't because the barrel is two parts - but because a stock barrel isnt made to the exactling tollerance that a "Match" barrel is.
 
The new 2001 SA do not seem to have the two-piece barrel anymore. I have only looked at the loaded govt size and that have the new (for 2001?) loaded chamber indicator and the barrels are definately not two-piece.
In any case I haven't actually heard of any reliability problems due to a two-piece barrel, so it's probably not a big deal except in match pistols.
 
I had a two piece Springfield Armory barrel split at the lower lug. I don't know how many rounds it had since I bought the gun used. I sent the barrel back to SA and they sent me a new one. The outer piece behind the top lugs is a sleeve silver sodered onto the a$$ end of the barrel.
 
A 2 piece barrel could technically split as suggested above, but the instances of that happening is not enough to be statistically significant. Kinda like the whole Kimber QC problem thing.
 
I received this answer today from Springfield regarding two piece barrels:

Q: Does the 2001 Stainless PX9151L have a two piece barrel?

A: All pistols have a two piece barrel. We have always made them this way. They are a sleeve fit, not a butt fit. We have never had problems with this.
 
I don't think they make 'em like that anymore

I just picked up a NIB Springfield Mil-Spec (#PB9108) from the local shop today, and it has a one-piece stainless match barrel and stainless bushing. However, it does not have the integrated safety lock or chamber-loaded indicator. The serial number begins with NM (for "National Match" I reckon). It's VERY tight in every respect, and overall a very high quality pistola...not at all what I expected from the base model. The trigger pull might be the best I've ever felt on any 1911. Can't wait to shoot it.
 
I just can't see where my Springfield's barrel might be joined. Either they hide it very well, or I don't know what to look for.:) At any rate, if SA says they're using two-piece barrels, I'll take their word for it, and not really care. My full size is more accurate than I am, or will be anytime soon.

[Yes, I am following you.]
 
LOL! At meself.

How's this for distorted.
One reason I didn't buy a SA was the 2 piece barrel. They may be all well and fine, but it just doesn't set well in my mind. I didn't want to have to replace a factory barrel right out of the box. So what did I do? Went and bought another Kimber. Now all I have to do is replace the factory magazine and slide stop. DOH!
 
Explanation

In all the responses, no one really answered the questions or explained the two-piece barrel.

The barrel of a pistol like the 1911 type or Browning High Power type can be made from a single forging, and the barrels were made that way for years. In recent years, many makers have gone to the cheaper two piece barrel. This allows the back end (the part with the lugs) to be made in one piece then a piece of high quality steel tubing to be rifled, turned down and inserted into a hole drilled in the back end. When properly done and the tube silver soldered or induction brazed, the seam is nearly impossible to detect. But some makers cast the back part, and it is not as strong as a forged component. The barrels do not "come apart", but sometimes the breech splits under pressure even though the inner barrel tube remains intact.

This is simply one more instance where manufacturers try to cut costs to remain competitive, and in so doing make a product that is generally adequate instead of superior.

Air gauging refers to a method of measuring the interior dimensions of a barrel to insure it meets specifications and is uniform. The term itself means nothing in relation to quality. Saying simply that a barrel has been air-gauged is like saying that a frame or slide has been measured. It is implied that the air gauging found the barrel dimensions correct, but that is not necessarily the case. I can air gauge a barrel, find it is way out of spec, and still advertise it as having been air gauged.

Jim
 
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