1911 Crs

[Bret4207]

Ok boys, help me out here, I'm stumped. I'm trying to fit an Ed Brown barrel to my 1911. It's just short of going all the way into battery, the slide not quite full forward, the safety not quite wanting to click into plce, the trigger way heavy. I've looked through my books, including the Kuhnhausen manual, and I'm just not getting where to go next. I was never a whiz with the 1911 anyway, so I'm looking for a good site on what to look for in fitting the barrel. Any favorites?

[BD]

Bret,
It's been a few years but Kuhnhausen II has it covered pretty well IIRC. The basics are: length of barrel hood which will hit breachface of slide if too long, holding slide slightly back out of battery; Depth, corners and width of upper barrel lugs which will prevent the barrel going all the way up and forward if too deep, or too wide, (same effect is caused by link too long); and the radius/face of lower barrel lugs which can cause the barrel to be held back and or up by the slide stop if not correct. Dykem blue, (or soot from a twist of burning masking tape), will help indicate just where the tolerance needs to be relieved. I would first check the barrel, link and lower lugs without the slide to make sure the barrel can bed down properly with a good 1/32" of offset in front of the feed ramp before I removed any metal. The 1911 forum has a pretty good selection of smiths paying attention to questions like this one, and they have a lot more experience at this than I do.
Go slowly.
BD

[Lee W]

BD has it right.
if it seems tight ( binding) when almost in battery, it's the lugs.
if it cycles freely, it's the hood length.

[Bret4207]

I was thinking it was the hood, but I didn't dare start doing anything till I got some more info. I keep seeing "it moves about .100 before it starts to drop and unlock". I keep thinking they mean .010. Any one know?

[Lee W]

I cannot find it in print now..I do know it is .100.
The slide moves .100 back before the barrel starts moving down.

[exblaster]

check to see if the link moves freely in the barrel. I had this problem on a new gun last fall.
Ezblaster

[JMax]

First with the slide forward, push down on the hood with the slide in battery. If it moves install a slightly longer link & repeat. 2, Remove the barrel, make a black marker and mark the sides and back of the hood, install the barrel and rack the slide several times. Remove the bbl and look for wear marker, especially the back of the hood. 3, mark the lower lugs and repeat 2 and examine if the link & slide stop fully engage the lower lugs. If not then you get to cut the lugs. I just finished fitting a Briley 9mm match barrel yesterday and all were required, now I have a very tight 9mm, 38 super/45 1911. Remember the old guide from gunsmithing school, always work on the cheapest part first. Fortunately if you go too far, have it welded up and start over as that is how we did it in the old days.

[nicholst55]

Look here:

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/GunTech/NewsletterArchive.aspx?p=0&t=1&i=530

and here:

http://www.thehighroad.org/forumdisplay.php?f=16

You should find the answers to your questions at one or both places.