i'd x2 check on the 2-piece info...when did you ask CS this? my understanding is that springfield uses storm lake barrels and they machine their barrels from solid barstock.
+1 on the MIM...the MIM issue to me is overated. but i do empathize with the customization bug...the reason why people buy 1911s is because they are so customizable
I'm not sure exactly when I asked CS about the barrel...but it couldn't have been very long ago.
I found the post with the pics of the failed (separated) two piece barrel. The post was made in May, so it's only been a few months at most.
http://forums.1911forum.com/showthr...owthread.php?t=116333&highlight=broken+barrel
Anyway, you can read all about what people believe is better?, forging, whatever. I read in one post that some guy said he could tell by looking that one of his SA guns came with a one piece barrel and one came with a two piece barrel. I know I can't tell by looking at mine. If I hadn't seen the photos of the one that separated, I wouldn't know where the two pieces were even joined. I still can't see on mine that it isn't one piece. Assuming the person was correct who told me they are all two piece barrels, then I have to say the finish on mine is exceptional.....there is just no way I can tell with the naked eye that mine is not one piece. Also the guns are hand fitted. I don't have my gun apart in front of me now, and I'm too lazy (and it's too late at night) to take the thing apart. But the last few digits of the serial number are scratched into some of the internal pieces. The reason is so the pistol-smiths that do the final fitting know which slide, which barrel, etc. go together.
Having seen the pictures of the 2 piece barrel that came apart, the two pieces are the barrel itself, and a sleeve that's welded around the breech end where the link is attached. The actual rifled tube is one piece and from the pictures it seems that even the outer part with the locking ribs are part of the same one piece tube. The second part seems only to hold the link and cover the hood. I can't see how these two pieces if properly attached would make a difference in performance. So maybe, as you said, they do machine their barrels from solid barstock. Maybe they consider the actual tube to be the barrel, and the sleeve to be a different piece. I can even see some logic in that.
So if my gun is shooting one inch groups with a two piece barrel at 50 feet, I know I'm not running to spend a few hundred dollars on another barrel plus whatever the labor would be to fit it perfectly (maybe more than the cost of the barrel). No matter what, it's doubtful I would get any improvement in accuracy.
If I bought the gun and had it customized before I even shot it, I'd not have known that accuracy was something that was already as good as I could hope for no matter what. As I said in the first post...it was probably just luck. I read about guns that shoot two feet low out of the box at 10 yards. Without getting to know your gun, it seems kind of silly to me to make changes based on assumptions.
I agree...customizing a gun is part of the fun of a 1911...no doubt. But my point was not that it shouldn't be done....all I meant is that IMO, I'd want to get familiar with the gun before I started making changes. Get to know what I like and what I don't. In my case I got lucky with accuracy. I could have easily spent a lot of money on a new barrel and bushing and fitting and not have improved accuracy one bit. Its possible I could have spent $400 or so and actually lost accuracy. The things I knew for sure I wanted without needing to shoot the gun were a beaver-tail grip safety, ambi-safety, and better sights. So knowing that, the additional cost of the loaded seemed to make perfect sense as opposed to the mil-spec.
From here? Anything is possible. In a year from now the gun may be very different. But I'll know what I want to change. I certainly won't be spending money to get something that I may have thought I wanted and learned I didn't. I thought I wanted a wider thumb safety before I even got the gun home. As it turns out, I don't. I'd maybe like the thumb safety de-horned, but not wider. I wouldn't have known that without experiencing the gun.
I've had my XD for a lot longer I haven't done a thing to it (it's not that kind of gun .) But since it's the gun I live with, I'm now finally recognizing that the honeymoon is over, and I want some changes. (I'm sure she feels the same about me)
I actually knew what I wanted a while ago, but like in a real marriage, I figured I'd give the relationship some time. We'd adjust to each other. But now it's time to take up the pre-travel, the over-travel and the long reset. Maybe see if I can get rid of some of the creep (maybe she thinks I AM the creep)
I have a .22 Target Ruger I have more money into upgrades than the gun cost. I've had three and I've had them for a total of a lot of years. So that is another factor. It's easy to make changes on a gun you are familiar with. The XD is my first XD, so almost a year and no changes yet.. My "loaded" is only my second 1911, and I've made some minor changes, with more to come as I learn more about what I like about it and don't. SACOLT who started this thread said he's new to semi-autos. That fact was a big part of why I tried to encourage him to get to know the gun before making changes. I'd say he's got a great gun to build on. He's got the lowered and flared ejection port, and he's got usable sights. He may have a better barrel and bushing than the basic GI. And he's got a somewhat beveled magazine well. Certainly seems like an ideal 1911 to build up.
Peace,
D.
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