1911 Barrel Style Questionss

[Mylhouse]

I was wondering about the advantages/disadvantages of the standard barrel/barrel bushing configuration to the increasingly seen bushingless "bull" barrel design.

I also was wondering about the advantages/disadvantages of the ramped barrel to the standard set up.

Any insight is appreciated!

 

[G. Kennedy]

The possible advantage of the bushingless bull barrel is more weight up front to take up recoil and give you less muzzle flip. The disadvantage is it's a lot easier and cheaper to replace a bushing if you've got some barrel slop up front that needs to be tightened up. It's easier to field strip the original design...

As far as ramped barrels go it is totally unnecessary in a .45ACP 1911 if set up properly. I think it can be an advantage with the other calibers, especially if you are going to have a multi-caliber 1911 that way you don't have to worry about ramp angles. Ramped barrels can break links if the gun is not set up properly due to stress on the link when the gun is cycling. I have seen this happen on more than one factory "out of the box" Para at matches I have been to....

 

[HowardK]

The main advantage of a bull barrel is that the added weight over the muzzle area should help reduce muzzle rise. I'm not sure that you wouldn't get the same result with a tungsten guide rod. I've heard arguments that the bull barrel is inherently less accurate than a tightly fitted barrel bushing. Other smiths claim it's almost the same. A ramped barrel gives the cartridge extra support when you're using hot ammo. Again, some smiths claim that they are less reliable than non-ramped barrels and not worth the trouble of cutting the frame. Who knows?

 

[Mylhouse]

Thank you

So, let's assume you have as rock-solid of a fit with the bull barrel design as you would with a tight, match bushing and regular barrel. (Sorry if I'm killing the 1911 terminology) How long would you expect that tight fit to last (round count-near max loads), and if slop DID start to occur, what could you do to tighten it back up?