Repost 1911 Bushing question

[ghettofab]

I was wondering what tolerance would be acceptable in the barrel/bushing area on a carry 1911 full-size. My barrel measures .576" at the muzzle, and the bushing's i.d is IIRC .581. Also, the bushing is canted in the slide and has a sloppy fit. The slide's I.D. is .700", and the locking groove is in pristine condition, so I won't have problems fitting a bushing, however, I don't have the confidence to increase the i.d. of a bushing or decrease the o.d. of a barrel, so I'd rather use a drop-in bushing with a little polish. In short, how much clearance should there be between the barrel and bushing? I'm not shooting matches, so I was thinking .002"-.003" would be about right. Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[1911Tuner]

Bushed

Going by your barrel and slide bore dimensions, MGW's (not EGW. Different company) drop-in bushing would be pretty close to ideal, and would require very little fitting to the slide bore...if any...and could be nicely accomplished with a fine lapping compound and a bushing wrench. A little 600-grit paper to get the bushing into the slide, followed by the lap for the final fit. maybe...20-30 minutes.

The bushing OD is nominally .699-700 inch, and the ID is closely held to .581-.582 inch...so you'd wind up with about the same barrel to bushing clearance, and about .001 bushing to slide, or less.

 

[ghettofab]

Thanks a lot Tuner. I can tell you know yer stuff, so I'll go with your suggestion. Also, what do you think about the briley spherical bushings?