1911 Barrel Bushing Fit

[JohnH]

Well, the title says it all basically. I recently purchased a Taurus PT 1911 9mm. The gun groups decently but throws erratic flyers. I can move the barrel ever so slightly in the bushing when the slide is forward and locked. Just curious what I should see here.

[Sur-shot]

A picture is worth a thousand...... However a good example in the hand is better. Go to your local gun store and ask to look at a new Remington 1911. Pull the slide back about 1.5 inches and look at the end of the barrel, then close the slide to lockup and feel the fit. That should answer all of your questions about bushing to barrel fit. The new Remingtons, all I have seen, have an excellent, for a production gun, lockup.
Ed

[wv109323]

You could mic the OD of the barrel and the ID of the barrel bushing. This should tell you exactly how much play you have. Also remember the bushing to slide fit is just as important.
This play should show up as larger round groups and not as single flyers.

[country gent]

Another place to look at play is in the locking lugs, hood fit and the depth of engagement on them set by the barrel link. Solid lock up between the barrel and slide is controlled by these as well as the rails fit between frame and slide. How many rounds are thru the pistol now. I would recommend putting 300-400 thru the gun before any modifications as it may settle down a lot with this amount of shooting and break in

[22cf45]

All the above advise is good. One additional thing about bushing to slide fit, I want it to fit the slide very hard. Once it is all done, I never turn that bushing again unless it is an emergency. Everytime you turn it, you are making the fit a little looser.
Phil

[Walkingwolf]

I have an old(1947) Star Super A that groups under two inch groups off hand at ten yards. If you take the spring out there is play between the bushing and barrel, once the spring is in it is tighter than a nun. As the gun wears in the fit should actually get tighter, it sounds like the bushing has not broken in yet with the slide. If you take the slide off, and the bushing is tight in the slide with no barrel in place it needs to break in. This is the way the original 1911 was built, and probably intentionally. The bushing should act as a cam on both the barrel, and the slide, but they need to break in to each other. You can see this by taking your bushing out of the slide, as well as the barrel, cant the bushing on the barrel, there will be no play.

Your barrel may also need some break in with FMJ, I find a new barrel usually takes a couple hundred rounds, but it can take more.

[JohnH]

Thanks for all the input guys. After I posted, I remembered a Wilson stainless bushing I had buried in my junk. I out this on and went to the range today, the silly fliers are gone. When I swapped out the bushings, with the barrel out, the original bushing had at least 3 to 5 thousandths play on the barrel. The Wilson bushing slipped on freely but had no play. Shoots very nice well rounded groups now, 2-2 1/2" at 15 yards which is as good as I can hold.