How you check a tight frame lock up?

[SureThing]

I have read that accuracy comes from a tight barrel to slide lock up...how does one check how tight their barrel to slide lock up is.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Neither quite tell the whole story, but you can take the slide off, install the barrel back in the slide as if it were in battery and wiggle it around in the slide. Or - this time with the pistol assembled - you can push down on the part of the barrel exposed through the ejection port and see if it moves relative to the slide.

Also, while the barrel/slide lockup plays a role in accuracy, accuracy as a whole is a function of consistency of the moving parts returning to the same place each time.

 

[stork]

tight

Surething,

The Lone Haranger is right on call. A tight shooting 1911 (under 3" @ 50 YDs) requires quite a few things all in balance and working in harmony with each other. (not sure but there just may be a song in there, must contact the Nuge).

1.The bushing to barrel fit MUST be exact, no movement when the bushing is at the end of the barrel.

2.Then the bushing MUST fit tight to the slide (if you can turn it with your fingers, it's not tight enough).

3. Combination of 1 & 2 means there is no movement when you try to move the front of the barrel when it is in battery.

4.The barrel link and lugs MUST be fitted to the slide stop pin. When the barrel is forward in battery it must be snug and evenly distributed on both lugs on the slide stop. In a properly fitted barrel and slide stop when you press down on the rear of the barrel there will be no movement.

5. The slide stop must fit snug into the frame.

6.The barrel hood must be evenly fitted (equidistant on both sides) with the proper amount of clearance to the face of the slide.

7.The barrel must be properly crowned and chambered.

8.The extractor must be tuned to grab the edge of the rim of the brass, but not hit the bottom of the extractor groove.

9.The ejector needs to be tuned, often replaced with a long one.

1-9 all need to be done AFTER you have tightened up the frame to slide fit.

The above steps do not need to be done to have a plinker. But if you want to have a match grade 1911, they all must be done in addition to a few others.

FWIW

Stork