7" barrel for my 1911

[randyrat]

I couldn't help myself when my offer of $50 was taken. I still have to fit a link to it yet though.
I also am thinking about threading the end for a compensator if there is room for the slide to move far enough.
Now i can have a 1911 with a 7" barrel, comensator and a 20 rd mag hanging out the bottom of the grip. I can't wait to take it hunting, yes deer hunting... Of corse, i'll only shoot short range only.

[223tenx]

I bought a 7" barrel from Sarco one time about 20 years ago and it did strange things with recoil. Gave a twist that I didn't care for ( twisted up and right, if I remember correctly). I was shooting in an indoor range action club and it made double taps tough. A comp might cure the twist. I just gave up on it.

[82nd airborne]

I would be interested in seeing a picture of this when you're done. I hunt a little with a handgun as well, its as hard as bowhunting if youre not using a scoped revolver or encore.

[Gunfixer]

FWIW
I had one years ago, no comp, govt slide. Didnt think about the extra bbl sticking out of the end of the holster. Sat down by a tree and waited. Unbeknownst to me end of bbl stuck in dirt. Deer came out, slowly pulled out pistol, aimed, squeezed trigger... made a small mess
split muzzle end, blew out case and guts of mag.

[randyrat]

EEEEEWWWW Sorry to hear that.. I may look into a different holster

[HeavyMetal]

Years ago I did a 6 inch barrel and "comped" it. Learned some interesting things along the way.

If you add weight to the end of the barrel you creat a "Teeter Toter" effect using the barrel bushing as a fulcrum. In essance you lift the rear of the barrel, AKA feed ramp, off the frame and create feeding issues.

I added a full length spring guide that had the end of it turned just large enough to support the comp when the gun un locked to cycle. It's barely a drop of a couple thousandth's of an inch but the custom guide rod did the trick and it feeds flawlessly.

I will also suggest that you do not fall prey to the longer barrel link myth. Start with the stone stock barrel link length and shoot the gun before adjusting anything!

[randyrat]

Thanks for the heads up on experience with the long barrel. I may think again about the comp on the end of the barrel.

[mroliver77]

I want pics too! My one "Gotta have one day" is a 460 Rowland kit for my 1911. Advertised as .44mag ballistics out of the 1911 platform. It has a compensator profiled to match the slide. They do make one to fit my Commander too. Then it would not be much longer than standard 1911.
Jay

[Rickk]

I have the Rowland 460 kit for my Kimber. Sweet. Shoots 255 cast pretty well.

[AriM]

I bought a 7" barrel from Sarco one time about 20 years ago and it did strange things with recoil. Gave a twist that I didn't care for ( twisted up and right, if I remember correctly). I was shooting in an indoor range action club and it made double taps tough. A comp might cure the twist. I just gave up on it.


that sounds like more of an issue related to spring weights, and the lack of a proper (more or less) radius on the firing pin stop....

typically that kind of jump is symptomatic of those issues....at least in a 5 and 6 inch 1911

I wonder if the extra twist in the barrel was the issue though.....either way that could have been solved with a proper tuning of the mainspring/recoil spring and correct radius on the FP stop....also a tight fitting FP stop is critical to stop extractor clocking


ah look at me...I am making assumptions....you might have tried all that stuff already....I'll quit being a know-it-all

:brokenima

[AriM]

Years ago I did a 6 inch barrel and "comped" it. Learned some interesting things along the way.

If you add weight to the end of the barrel you creat a "Teeter Toter" effect using the barrel bushing as a fulcrum. In essance you lift the rear of the barrel, AKA feed ramp, off the frame and create feeding issues.

I added a full length spring guide that had the end of it turned just large enough to support the comp when the gun un locked to cycle. It's barely a drop of a couple thousandth's of an inch but the custom guide rod did the trick and it feeds flawlessly.

I will also suggest that you do not fall prey to the longer barrel link myth. Start with the stone stock barrel link length and shoot the gun before adjusting anything!



the only real reason for a longer link....is to band-aid a poorly fit barrel....OR to fit an "oversized" slide stop/catch.....usually the reason for this is poor slide to frame fit and poor lug engagement.....sometimes it is done on purpose though....when a slide has been lightened....to keep the barrel locked-up longer....

in a proper GI spec. 1911...there is no reason at all to fit a link, that does not fit within' the original specification....it's will eventually cause the bottom lugs to deform and/or shear....UNLESS the frame recoil pad is contoured to hit higher up on the lower lug....this involves cutting/removing material from the recoil pad of the frame....which would be silly on a frame that is in spec.

I have seen some really out of spec. 1911's recently though. All of these modifications, w/o a purpose, would lead to systematic failure of the firearm

it would have some serious reliability issues and possibly some accuracy issues

I recently bought an IMBEL made springfeild 1911.....it suffered from a lot of the issues I describe above....

the only thing I could do to fix it....was totally strip it down and rebuild it with new parts and modification beyond it's original design....it's a fantastic gun now, but it would fail to meet GI specifications

[Dframe]

For my carbine needs I bought a MechTech upper that just slides onto any government model lower. It wasn't too expensive and I mounted a holo-sight on it. Barrel is 16 inches I think.

[Capn Jack]

:holysheep Dframe,

Sure sounds like it would be easier to cut one (like yours) down than build one up...;)

Jack :coffeecom

[HeavyMetal]

The "Longer Link Myth" I reffered to is and was a bad idea, perpertrated by some gun mag writer, that was convinced by some "hack" gunsmith that all 1911's had poorly fitted sldes and barrels and must be "linked up" to shoot well!

Most of the time this knocked the "timing" off and the barrels would over hang the feed ramp, just enough, to catch boolets and cause failure to feed jams.

Shooting IPSC in the 70's at the SouthWest pistol matchs at the old Juniper Tree range in Saugas I saw a bunch of such balony.

I don't see as much of that these days as I did then but stupid ideas are often proposed by guys behind gun store counters and I thought fore warned is fore armed.

Re fitting an old barrel ( read worn) to and old slide ( as in bought a barrel then bought a slide) can and will require creative use of links to get the lock up right.

This also needs to be done by someone that understands both the need and the reason for a longer link.

Most I've seen added to a 1911 were done by someone with no clue and usually suggested by someone more "knowledgeable" who just happened to have the exact part that was requirred!

Bottom line: understand it before you change it!

[randyrat]

My camera broke now i have to steal my wife's for a few minutes. When i get some down time (LOL) i'll come up with a couple pics. The berral is actually 7+ inches long, man that thing sticks way out there past the slide.

There has been some good info here on this thread for guys like me that know very little about the workings of a 1911, let alone doing any kind of mechanical tinkering. Thank you
I just picked up a new link (standard size) so a range report is due soon.
With PICS

[randyrat]

I put the new standard link on the barrel and shot it, only had 3 rds to try..it ran like a champ and accurate. Pics commng some time soon.

[HeavyMetal]

Glad to hear it's gonna work for you!

Looking forward to pic's.

[randyrat]

Here's a pic of my new pistol with a 7 3/4" barrel and a 10 rd mag.

[HeavyMetal]

If you have a chrony run a few rounds over it and I think you'll be surprised at the boost in velocity that exta 2 inch's or so will give a load!

Then start thinking what you might do with one of Mihec's 200 grain HP molds and a stout charge of Bluedot!

[82nd airborne]

nice ive got a custom para, and they dont shoot too bad out of the box, i bet that one shoots pretty nice!

[randyrat]

It locks up nice and tight, came that way out of the box. I haven't had enough time to find any loads for it yet. I shot it just enough to get the feel of it.

I got lucky that 7 3/4" barrel locks up tight also. It will be interesting to chonograph different loads from both barrels and see what the extra length gives it.