Examine that 1911 bushing before you buy!

[RDCL]

A week ago I bought a brand new SA "GI" .45. When I bought the gun I looked it over and everything seemed just right. Fell in love with this .45!
The following day ...I was looking her over in better light at home and noticed something odd about the barrel bushing. It did NOT sit up against the front of the slide as it should. There was a gap at about credit card distance between slide front and bushing flange. With the gun assembled and the bushing under tension...it did sit nice and tight however. So, I took the gun apart just to see how loose the bushing was. Without spring tension the bushing could be easily "wiggled" front to back. Hmmm. Not normal. Not good.
Won't be going to the range after all to try her out.
So I call the store. They tell me to bring it in to be looked at. I go there and they are very friendly folks. The Smith tells me that he's pretty sure the bushing is "out of spec". He said he'd have to call Springfield Armory to see how they want to handle the issue. I did'nt bother asking....but I guess that means he needs to find out if they want the gun sent in to them....OR have him fix it. He said He'd be sure to call me next week to let me know whats going on. He said that either way the gun would be made right for me.

I'm a bit pissed at myself for not noticing this bushing gap when I looked at the gun in the first place. I probably would have passed and looked elsewhere...OR ask them to order me a different gun.

I don't know how common it is to get a brand new 1911 with a gapped bushing......but it just figures! Been wanting to get a SA "GI" for a long time. Finally get one and it needs work done

Any other 1911 owners out there have seen or had this problem? I should have ask today.....but I'm wondering if it IS just a bad bushing why could'nt he have just popped in a new one right then & there?

Russ

 

[Full Metal Jacket]

don't worry, my friend. i have dealt with springfield armory a couple times.

they will send you out another bushing, no questions asked. in fact you should call them yourself so they can just send it directly to your home.

they have fantastic service.

 

[Oro]

but I'm wondering if it IS just a bad bushing why could'nt he have just popped in a new one right then & there?

Because he's not authorized to make warranty decisions for SA. It's also going to be necessary to figure out what exactly is so far out of spec - the barrel, the bushing, or both. A typical gap is about .003", sometimes a bit more. If it really is "credit card sized" then that implies something very wrong (that's about .030").

Keep in mind this is precisely why you bought new from a dealer - they and SA will sort it out for you. It may be a little irritating, but it will all be good in the end. In fact, you may be better off, as now the gun is going to get some personal attention it did not on the assembly line.

 

[combatantr2]

there was just a colt 1911 that was out of spec thread, right? and now an SA thats out of spec as well? not good for american made firearms. tsk tsk tsk...

 

[RDCL]

It's also going to be necessary to figure out what is so far out of spec - the barrel, the bushing, or both

the barrel has nothing to do with it.....it is either the slide or bushing. Yes, the gap is enough.....just enough to insert the edge of a credit card. I've seen and handled many 1911's in my life. I've never seen a "gapped" bushing before mine.

I guess my gun slipped past QC. Dammit.

 

[RDCL]

In fact, you may be better off, as now the gun is going to get some personal attention it did not on the assembly line.

Well, I sure hope you're right about that. I know the gap-issue will be fixed....BUT....something else is nagging me to death. Now, some may think I''m being overly paranoid.....but I can't help worrying about getting it back with scratches on it. All I know is that I gave the store a NEW gun to be worked on....and I expect to get a NEW gun back, wether they or Springfield does the work.

I've heard some real horror stories out there....guys getting warranty work done and getting back a gun with scratches on it!

To me that'd be simply un-acceptable


Russ

 

[Full Metal Jacket]

^^^LMAO

don't worry, springer isn't one of the manufacturers that send your gun back worse off.

you're thinking of kimber......

 

[Old Fuff]

I know that this is going to come as an awful shock to some of you, so take this sitting down.

You know those old time, USGI .45's that were reliable weapons instead of big-boy toys...?

They all had loose fits between the slide and bushing.

Tis' true, it was intentional, and part of the reason those guns were so reliable.

When the slide started forward to chamber another cartridge the barrel could float a little and this allowed the incoming cartridge to have a little wiggle room as it was feeding into the chamber.

Of course if you want you can send it back and tell them to convert it into a toy if you wish...

 

[RDCL]

They all had loose fits between the slide and budhing

....but not to the extent that mine is. I could hold my gun up to a window and look at it in profile and actually see light in between the bushing & slide right above the plunger. Not correct.

I've looked at pics of countless USGI guns and have seen lots in person......the bushing is always sitting up against the slide with LITTLE if any gap.....not tight perhaps.....but certainly not forced outward the distance mine is.

Russ

 

[Full Metal Jacket]

I know that this is going to come as an awful shock to some of you, so take this sitting down.

You know those old time, USGI .45's that were reliable weapons instead of big-boy toys...?

They all had loose fits between the slide and bushing

i hear ya. my uncle has an original series 70 colt 1911 with quite a generous amount of play between the slide/frame. that's the way john browning designed to maximize reliability.

however, nowadays, everyone expects their 1911 to come so tight they can hardly rack the slide. my uncle isn't able to pull back the slide on some of my 1911's they're so tight lol.

different times i guess

 

[az_imuth]

Having a gap between the bushing and slide isn't that unusual at all. I would have at least put a couple boxes of ammo through it before sending it in for work. I'd hate to get it back with a nice fitted bushing only to discover that it has a more serious problem than a slight gap.

 

[Ruggles]

I would have to agree, loose fitting it not that unusual and not a big deal. But if it bothers you then by all means send it back, thy will take care of you I would guess. Good luck.

 

[Yo Mama]

there was just a colt 1911 that was out of spec thread, right? and now an SA thats out of spec as well? not good for american made firearms. tsk tsk tsk...

Why bash American made combatantr2? You want to argue American made is poor quality because of a bushing? Come on dude, get real. Have you checked on Toyota's stock lately?

 

[Zach S]

there was just a colt 1911 that was out of spec thread, right? and now an SA thats out of spec as well? not good for american made firearms. tsk tsk tsk...

Considering that half the pistols you mentioned are Filipino, I fail to see you point...

Oops, Brazilian, my bad. Was thinking RIA for some reason...

 

[Full Metal Jacket]

Why bash American made combatantr2? You want to argue American made is poor quality because of a bushing? Come on dude, get real. Have you checked on Toyota's stock lately?

good point

 

[Shear_stress]

The Springfield GI model is made entirely in Brazil, anyway.

 

[RDCL]

At this point I do want to make it clear that my original post is in no way intended as a negative opinion to Springfield Armory. The same problem could have easily been discovered on a $1000.00+ Colt. Notice my thread title simply reads: "Examine that 1911"......NO specific manufactor. Just a heads-up to any shoppers out there to be sure and check something on 1911's that I happened to miss!

I fully intend on purchasing a 2nd Springfield "GI" 1911 when finances permit. Next time though I'll examine it more closely

Aggravating....sure....but there has hardly been a time when we buy a new car that does'nt need to go back to the dealer for one reason or another.

Russ

 

[xXxplosive]

I understand SA is getting sloppy with their Quality Control lately......hope this doesn't continue.

 

[bobelk99]

Quality

I understand SA is getting sloppy with their Quality Control lately......hope this doesn't continue.

I would be interested in learning the source of the info on declining quality control at SA.

 

[HammerheadSSN663]

made an impulse buy on a SA .45.

sold it a month later.

Made in Brazil. Ill fitted. rough edges. MIM parts.


total piece of garbage.

I'll never impulse buy again.

learned my lesson real good.

 

[JDGray]

My Loaded Fullsize had a similar bushing as your GI, and patterened like buckshot at 30' I fit an EGW angle bore bushing to it, and it shot like a dream after that. It functioned 100%, even with a tightly fitted bushing, so don't buy into the "it needs to be sloppy to work" excuse

But yeah, examine before you buy if you can. Mine was a promotional deal on GunBroker, and Sold for $629, so I was happy either way. SA is a great company, and I felt safe buying sight unseen.

 

[Yo Mama]

made an impulse buy on a SA .45.

sold it a month later.

Made in Brazil. Ill fitted. rough edges. MIM parts.


total piece of garbage.

I'll never impulse buy again.

learned my lesson real good

Ok...........................................so how did it shoot? I mean if you wrote you had all kinds of failures I'd buy, but all you did was complain about where the gun was made and how it felt.

MIM parts are discussed here ALOT. Depending on the SA you bought, it may or may not have been made in Brazil (another point discussed often). Rough edges? Dude buy a Nighthawk or something if you want elegant.

The lesson you should have learned was to hold onto the gun, and not lose a great firearm.

 

[ljnowell]

Why bash American made combatantr2? You want to argue American made is poor quality because of a bushing? Come on dude, get real. Have you checked on Toyota's stock lately?

When "American Made" is crap, its perfectly fine to bash it. I dont believe in blind support and forgiveness for poor work, juwst because its "American Made." What does Toyota have to do with anything?

 

[Old Fuff]

My Loaded Fullsize had a similar bushing as your GI, and patterened like buckshot at 30'

I have yet to meet a USGI pistol that couldn't stay inside 5 inches @ 25 yards if the shooter did his part...

A tight bushing isn't likely to affect reliability unless an excessive amount of foreign material gets inside of the slide - which is something that can happen in the kind of environments our military forces sometimes work in. Also if the bushing is really tight you may have to have a special wrench to remove it.

Browning was hired to design and perfect a military sidearm - one that would be reliable under the worst of conditions. Also two of the requirements were that it could be mass produced in large quantites with a minimum of hand fitting, and be disassembled in the field without special tools.

What Browning and Colt created was a weapon. What it has now become is a big-boy toy...

 

[Yo Mama]

When "American Made" is crap, its perfectly fine to bash it. I dont believe in blind support and forgiveness for poor work, juwst because its "American Made." What does Toyota have to do with anything?

ljnowell- You assert that it's crap based on a bushing? If this is the case I doubt there is a company that fits your standards.

Toyota is a foreign company that's crap. It's cars suddenly accelerated killing a bunch of people. It's not American made. Get how that fits now?