SA GI 1911 bad barrel?

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atblis

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My buddy was complaining about how he couldn't hit anything with his SA MilSpec. I shot it and couldn't hit crap either. So we field stripped and looked at the barrel. I am pretty sure the barrel is roasted. I have the sneaking suspicion the barrel left the factory a little softer than it should have.

What I am wondering is, is it reasonable to expect SA to replace the barrel (under warranty). He said he only has 5,000 rounds through it. That sounds like a high estimate because I know he's only had it about 1.5 years or so.
 
Bad?

Ordnance steel...barrel steel...actually isn't hardened very much. If it were, it would shatter like glass on firing. The wear characteristics are dictated more by the alloy than by the hardness, but wearing enough to cause accuracy problems as bad as the ones that you describe in 5,000 rounds is a bit off the scale, even with a steady diet of jacketed rounds. It's still harder than the cupro-nickel jacket.

Since Springfield doesn't make their own barrels, they don't have any way of knowing or controlling exactly what they're made of. Yours could be dead soft...about 25-28 Rc or it could be to spec at about 40-42.
 
Is it reasonable to expect a new barrel?

YES. They will likely think so as well. They will shoot it first, just to make sure, but new barrels aren't out of the question.

My Lightweight Loaded model was patterning at 15 yards, even after a few hundred rounds of break-in. The patterns were also generally off.

I called them, they gave me a return authorization number and their FedEx account number (so I didn't go out of pocket on shipping), and I sent it in. It took 1.5-2 months, but when it came back, it had a new barrel, new front sight, and a much tighter frame/slide fit. The thing is now more accurate than I am. I have no complaints about SA's customer service.
 
Call Deb at Springfield and she will make it right!!! She is great to deal with and makes sure you are taken care of properly.
 
I know of 2 mil specs that don't shoot well( about a 10" group at 25 yards, maybe I am exaggerating, maybe I am not). They both run well. One of them the back of the barrel can be moved with your finger when its in battery. Best of luck to those of you with tight ones, but unless you can see the actual pistol in front of you, spend a little more for one you can fondle before purchase. The barrel should be tight and immobile when in battery. Groups suffer terribly if it is not. It may not be the barrel, could be the fitting of the barrel.
 
I checked all that

THe barrel to bushing to slide feels tight. The lock up feels tight. The slide to frame (Doesn't affect accuracty that much IMO) is reasonably tight. The barrel just looks like crap.
 
Call them up, explain your situation, and make sure you get the FedEx account number. Pack the gun securely (no ammo in the package, even better to stick a chamber flag in), and take it to the FedEx service center (not a Kinkos, not an office supply store; go to where they dispatch the trucks from).

I am confident that they'll take care of you.
 
Interesting, let us know how it turns out. I'm not Miculek but when I shoot a reasonably quality service pistol poorly with decent ammo, I can tell something is wrong. Had a sigpro, used with extreme accuracy poorness issues, gunshop tried to tellme I couldn't shoot :rolleyes: Tried different ammo,different shooters, both grips.
 
My SA mil-spec stainless had a rough lede and leaded very badly with wheelweight cast bullets. Called SA; they agreed to pay shipping inbound. they replaced the barrel with no further ado and paid shipping back to me. End of episode.

Seemed fair to me.
 
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