1911 commander with a new gunsmith fit barrel barrel

[mulespurs]

I posted a thread some time back about if I should splurge on a new barrel for my $400 ATI commander.

This is what I learned. Should have read the product description more carefully.

I saw Kart barrel and thought all good, didn't read the gunsmith fit part, my bad. I did see the barrel did not have a link or pin so at least I ordered them .

Didn't order a bushing, so that was the next thing. I watched a few video's and started filing away. Got the hood fit pretty good, then started fitting the lugs.

I went for reinforcements at a local gunsmith who helped immensely in fitting the lugs and also finishing the chamber.

Then when I get my barrel bushing, find out that commander bushings are shorter the 5" standard so I was in another dilema.

Not to worry,my gunsmith says, I just happened to have my well worn Kimber CDP in 5" along that has over 15,000 rounds on it. We just hard fit it in that old worn Kimber and help it out.

Ok cool. So I head home with a tuned up Kimber and a Commander with a new barrel and sloppy factory bushing.

Ok, I says to myself, what can I do till I get

a bushing from the bushing store?

I put a couple of wraps of teflon tape on the bushing assembled and shot a little.

Did it help? Quite a bit I would say.

My informal testing results are

we went from minute of milk jug at 25 steps to
minute of beer can at 25 steps.

Good enough for me

 

[HiBC]

As you have a Smith,I suggest you let him fit the bushing.

It can be one of those "simple little jobs"

It helps if you have done a few.

I'm glad you had good results!

A Kart barrel is my first choice!

 

[RickB]

Measure the barrel OD and slide ID, provide those numbers to EGW, and they will make a precisely-dimensioned bushing requiring little or no fitting.

 

[Japle]

I’ve built dozens of custom 1911s in the last 40+ years and figured I had a good handle on it.
Then, I decided to fit a ramped 9mm barrel and new slide to my STI 2011. All the parts were, “Gunsmith fitting required”, but that didn’t bother me.
It should have.
Smiths who do this for a living have all kinds of jigs and fixtures. I have files and – good thing – a lot of patience.
Not only did I have to fit the hood and the lugs, I had to finish-ream the chamber.
$100 for the reamer.
I finally got it to where, when I eased the slide forward, it would stop just short of going into battery. Then, a sharp snap of the wrist would pop the slide closed. That was what I wanted. A couple of hundred rounds finished wearing it in and from then on it was super tight and accurate and 100% reliable.
I’ve been shooting it in the weekly pistol league for a few years and doing well.