Tightening slide/barrel fit with no bushing?

[fluffi]

I have an eaa witness in 45 .this pistol has no bushing to tighten the barrel to the slide. my question is has anyone here ever tried slide peening to increase lock up? i got the idea from the savvy survivor website.basically,you just take a punch to the bottom of the hole in the slide under the barrel and peen a little steel into it against the barrel to tighten the fit.any advice or experience would help to ease my anxiety about disfiguring my gun(hopefully).
if the point of aim is raised a little that would be a bonus as the pistol prints low as it is.thanks,fluffi.

 

[Drail]

It will tighten the fit for a short time but will quickly wear back down and become loose again. I wouldn't waste the effort to do that. I have a Ciener .22 conversion slide (no bushing) that became very sloppy after years of use and I drilled and tapped the slide at 45 degrees below the bbl. and placed two recessed allen set screws with polished tips pushing up on the barrel. It took all of the slop out and made it a tack driver. Loc titing the screws should keep them set where I adjusted them. In time they will wear grooves in the barrel but I can adjust them and the bbl. is thick enough it shouldn't be a problem. I wanted to use ball bearing plunger type screws but couldn't find any. Another method is to silver solder a shim cut from a feeler gauge onto the bottom of the bbl/slide opening and carefully dress it down to take out the slack.

 

[schmeky]

fluffi,

You might be able to install a 1911 barrel bushing. I did this on my CZ-97, and the result was amazing. My "accurized" 97 is the most accurate 45 I have ever owned, and I've had a bunch of 45's.

This is a pic of mine when it was in the final fitting stage. I have about 3,000 rounds through it now and the accuracy is just phenomenal.

 

[Mylhouse]

schmeky,

What, if any, alterations did you have to make to the slide or bushing to make that work?

 

[schmeky]

Mylhouse,

Had the slide bored and slotted for the 1911 bushing. Then I bought an oversized bushing and fitted as needed. I wound up with .001" clearance between the bushing ID and barrel OD. The bushing to slide fit is very tight, and I have to slowly work the bushing out, but I can accomplish this w/o a wrench, but just barely.

I have fired 25 yard groups of 5 shots as small as 9/16" of an inch.

Just nutty accurate. Here's one of my very first groups after final bushing fitting:

 

[fluffi]

Thanks

thanks guys, i will try the allen screw idea because i want to doit my self.i dont have the skills to bore a bushing .Drail,were you able to raise your point of impact with the screws?

 

[Mylhouse]

Thanks, schmeky, that is fascinating! I think you might have a future side gig as a CZ gunsmith! You gotta love out-of-the-box thinking and actually acting on it. Props.

 

[Magnumite]

A friend of mine has an EAA Witness. It is very accurate as it is. Not 9/16" at 25 yards, but enviable.

Nice shooting gun, schmeky