1911 Bushing Replacement Compensators

[The Wiry Irishman]

I've seen a few of these pop up when I was looking for other 1911 parts, and I had a few questions.

How effective are they? It seems like they couldn't fit on that tight and you'd lose some gas in several places. All the really expensive comps from custom smiths and high-end 1911 manufacturers seem to be either threaded or have and integral cone that extends back on the barrel, making the profile similar to a bushingless bull barrel.

Will adding one affect accuracy? A wobbly bushing fit can affect accuracy, which leads me to believe swapping out a match-grade bushing for one of these things could have a negative effect on barrel/bushing fit.

 

[WinchesterAA]

TBH, I have an awesome compensator on my series 70.. Doesn't make much difference. 45ACP is a smooth round to handle without a compensator, and adding one that isn't even installed properly surely won't be that much of a benefit.

 

[The Wiry Irishman]

The idea of a comp on a 1911 intrigues me because I'm really into bullseye shooting, and although .45 is very smooth and easy to handle, it pulls me off target pretty significantly shooting offhand, even with soft loads like Federal Gold Medal Match. Its not an issue on slow fire, and I've got plenty of time to recover on timed (2 strings of 5 rounds in 20 seconds each, for those of you who aren't familiar) but it gives me problems on rapid. (2 strings of 5 rounds, 10 seconds each) Reducing felt recoil wouldn't be my goal, reducing muzzle movement would be.

That being said, I've don't have any plans to get one, I'm just curious about whether the easy-on easy-off ones work at all.

Also, that's a beautiful pistol you have there.

 

[WinchesterAA]

I like it, but I'll tell you in no uncertain terms..

That pistol compared to a gold cup is no different in recoil.

There's a slight difference with higher velocity ammo, but it doesn't justify it. Practice is what ya need to get good control over quick shooting. The compensator just looks pretty and adds very little aside from weight and an obstacle for concealment.

The .45 is perfectly controllable, though, once you get it down. Don't worry with a compensator on a .45 unless you are going for milisecond reductions in followup shot times.


ETA - 5 rounds in 10 seconds is slow.. Compensator aint gunna make that any easier I promise ya.

Buy ammo instead man, that'll do more for you =)

Also buy a .22 conversion kit. 500rds for 15$ is way better than 100rds for 30$ with todays pricings.

 

[XavierBreath]

Wiry, your suppositions in your first post mirror what I have seen. Every one of them.

 

[rcmodel]

Barrel-bushing comps are a Mall-Ninja wet-dream.
But that's about all they are good for.

Any of them are looser then a goose in both slide & barrel fit, and will destroy any accuracy you are getting from a match bushing.

To top it off, the .45 ACP doesn't generate enough high-pressure muzzle blast to make them actually do anything!

rcmodel

 

[The Wiry Irishman]

Practice is what ya need to get good control over quick shooting.

Definately, and that's my plan. I've seen plenty of people remove the center from their targets offhand with full-power ammunition.

I've been shooting bullseye once a week with a .22 for a few years now, and ever since my first centerfire bullseye competition (where my centerfire score was 200 points lower than my rimfire) I've been getting 100 rounds a week of practice with my 1911. I think its really just a matter of getting used to the 1911's grip offhand (I usually shoot bullseye with a Pardini SP) getting used to the far different trigger, and controlling recoil one-handed. I shoot great with the 1911 with two hands, just haven't had enough practice with one.