1911 Threaded Barrel

[pdsmith505]

I find myself in possession of a .45 caliber suppressor with no host to put it on.

I also have a Kimber Custom TLE/RL II 1911.

Based on that, I'm trying to sort out what the best balance between cost and accuracy would be for a threaded barrel. Additionally, what kind of fitting would I have to do?

Hopefully I wasn't too vague!

 

[JTQ]

Based on that, I'm trying to sort out what the best balance between cost and accuracy would be for a threaded barrel. Additionally, what kind of fitting would I have to do?

If you need to ask (even if you didn't need to ask), you should probably have a gunsmith fit it for you. The 1911 is not a Glock or AR. There are so many makers producing 1911's and parts, that practically nothing drops right in.

 

[Olympus]

You want to add a threaded barrel to the Kimber that you already own, I get it. My father in law did the same thing when he got his 45 suppressor. He had his heart set on getting a threaded barrel for a Colt that he had, but my advice was to just buy a 1911 that was already set up from the factory for a suppressor. He tried a Storm Lake threaded barrel and realized that it wasn't just a drop-in part. He ended up spending a couple hundred dollars on the barrel and a couple hundred dollars on gunsmithing and ended up with a threaded barrel for his Colt, but the fit isn't perfect and it blows gunk back in your face when you shoot it. He eventually realized that he would have enjoyed his suppressor more if he would have bought a gun set up from the factory for a suppressor. My brother went the factory gun route for his 45 suppressor and bought a Remington R1 Enhanced that comes with a threaded barrel and factory suppressor-height sights.

If I had a 45 suppressor, that is the way I would go, with a 1911 that is already setup from the factory for a suppressor. Now if you're talking about a Glock, when there it's extremely easy to get a drop-in threaded barrel and DIY suppressor-height sights.

 

[MislMan]

Since Kimber makes a threaded barrel option pistol you might call them and ask about purchasing a barrel or find out which barrel maker they use.

 

[pdsmith505]

Not to be deterred by good, solid advice, I went ahead and bought a Semi-Fit Storm Lake barrel.

Reading varous guides on fitting 1911 barrels at home, I figure that following the tried and true method of "measure twice, cut once" (ok, maybe it is measure five or six times) I should be able to manage.

Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and be able to drop the barrel in without any fitting and minor slop.

 

[Olympus]

If you've got some knowledge or experience with machining then I would say it will be a breeze. Let us know how it turns out and post some pictures when you get it done!

 

[pdsmith505]

I've got a little experience as a metal taker-outer...

 

[Hamfisted]

If you end up with spent gases blowing back in your face consider a heavier weight recoil springs to slow the slide. On my suppressed 1911s I run a 22 or 24 lb Wolff recoil spring. The stock 45ACP 1911 recoil springs is about 16lbs .

-Mike

 

[pdsmith505]

Any issues cycling lighter loads either with or without the can once you put in the heavy spring?

 

[pdsmith505]

I intended to do a long writeup with lots of pictures describing the fitting process, but as it turns out the SL barrel dropped in tighter than the stock barrel.

Only thing that it might need is a couple thousandths off the hood length to cycle better, but I'm going to take it out and try it as is.

 

[Hamfisted]

I generally run 230g ball ammo all the time. No feed or cycling issues with or without the can.

-Mike

 

[pdsmith505]

Looks like it is locked up a little too tight. Almost cycles, but needs a little push from the thumb to finish going into battery. Goes into battery correctly when racking the slide.

I assume this means I need a little off the hood length.

 

[Olympus]

You might try asking this question in the gunsmithing section. When you add an aftermarket barrel and a suppressor, the troubleshooting variables increase more than just on a stock gun. Someone with some gunsmithing experience should be able to give you a better answer.