GaryK
Member
What makes a match barrel match? Is it the fit? Closer tolerences? I have seen and shot some pretty accurate guns with factory barrels and have always wondered what was different about match barrels.
1911 Match Barrel?
- Thread starter GaryK
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rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Mainly the fit to the slide, slide-stop pin, and barrel bushing.
Unfitted Match barrels are made over-size in critical areas so they can be hand fitted to the slide, slide-stop pin, and barrel bushing. Some even require final chamber reaming to set the headspace perfectly.
Drop-in Match barrels are looser in the critical areas, but much tighter then a GI barrel. While not as accurate as a hand-fitted barrel, they are about twice as accurate as a GI barrel. And about half as accurate as a fitted Match barrel.
Years ago, we would weld up the barrel and hood on a GI barrel, then re-fit them to a slide with an over-size Micro or King bushing, and those old GI barrels would shoot as good as you could shoot them.
Modern Match Grade replacement barrels do away with the welding, and can be fitted precisely to any quality slide.
rcmodel
Unfitted Match barrels are made over-size in critical areas so they can be hand fitted to the slide, slide-stop pin, and barrel bushing. Some even require final chamber reaming to set the headspace perfectly.
Drop-in Match barrels are looser in the critical areas, but much tighter then a GI barrel. While not as accurate as a hand-fitted barrel, they are about twice as accurate as a GI barrel. And about half as accurate as a fitted Match barrel.
Years ago, we would weld up the barrel and hood on a GI barrel, then re-fit them to a slide with an over-size Micro or King bushing, and those old GI barrels would shoot as good as you could shoot them.
Modern Match Grade replacement barrels do away with the welding, and can be fitted precisely to any quality slide.
rcmodel
Winger Ed.
Member
Besides just being built to the tighter side of specs:
I've seen it written for years that a match barrel headspaces on the case mouth
rather than the body taper of the case, so they prefer a taper crimped case.
I don't know how true that is, but my Gold Cup gets real finicky with roll crimped ammo.
.
I've seen it written for years that a match barrel headspaces on the case mouth
rather than the body taper of the case, so they prefer a taper crimped case.
I don't know how true that is, but my Gold Cup gets real finicky with roll crimped ammo.
.
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rcmodel
Member in memoriam
In theory, all 1911's, and for that matter, all straight wall pistol cases, (like .25, .32 & .380 ACP, 9mm, .40 S&W, 10mm, etc.) headspace on the end of the chamber.
Some more then others!
Some are so loose they headspace off the extractor hook!
None of them should be roll crimped.
In fact, most brands of reloading dies will not do a roll-crimp except in revolver calibers.
rcmodel
Some more then others!
Some are so loose they headspace off the extractor hook!
None of them should be roll crimped.
In fact, most brands of reloading dies will not do a roll-crimp except in revolver calibers.
rcmodel
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