1911 4 Inch Compacts

[Bud White]

Ok I had way to much time on my hands last night since i couldnt sleep and i got searching and notice that most of thses have bull barrels

My Smith i bought has a bushing and that was one of the reasons i bought it. Doesnt seem to be jsut one maker reasonably priced or outrageous seems most are going the bull barrel route..


What am i missing i dont like a bull barrel in a 1911 i figure lot cheeper to replace the bushing if it wears out than refit the slide ...


Or are my prejedious's unfound on the bull barrels?

Or maybe im to much of a traditionalist but dang i do own couple tactile tupperwares...

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[jdsumner]

I think the bennefits are/might be: increased wieght up front (recoil control)
less moving parts (eliminates bushing)
more consistent lockup
tends to increase reliability among shorter guns.

Like I stated, these are reasons I have seen listed. Some one else (real pistolsmith) may be able to add more relevant info.

Dan

[QKShooter]

Having no barrel bushing really helps the compact 1911s go back into battery much more reliably.
Remember that the supposed weak link on the Colt Officers Model was the little skimpy barrel bushing that really served no useful function.
Bushingless is a good idea for small .45s & the "barrel to slide" fit probably won't wear to the point of getting even a little loose in one average lifetime.
Usually with a "compact" a shooter will shoot it enough to get accomplished with it & then "brush up" with it every so often to stay keen.
They usually do not get 100s of thousands of rounds cranked through them like a primary comp gun. Even after a billion rounds of shooting that "snug fit" seems to last forever. Well, maybe not a billion.
That x~tra barrel metal adds a bit of needed weight where it really helps too.
I would not hesitate to buy any high quality firearm because it did not sport a barrel bushing.
Let's just say that you did SOMEHOW manage to wear out your "barrel to slide" fit.
A good gunsmith/machinist could simply "bush" your slide with a hardened steel threaded insert that is fit to your barrel diameter & the problem would be solved for many more years to come.
My advice is that if you see a firearm that you REALLY like & it does not have a bushing...don't let that stop you from buying it.

[Bud White]

Ok Dumb question but ive never looked into a bull barrelled Compact much how is take down different ? i mean doesnt look like theres a spring plug on the ed brown i was looking at in the mag today.

[KC135]

No advantage at all. Disadvantage..accuracy...lack of same, at least in my experience.

Barrel bushing was not the problem on Colt OM...it was the plug that caused the problem, with the locking tab that on a few guns broke off, launching the plug, and perhaps part of the recoil mechanism forward out of the slide.

In a class the other day, we had one student with accuracy problems. Bushingless SA.

Three instructors shot the gun...4" 7yd groups.

Sure, it is fixable...but never seen a bushing gun shoot that bad unless a huge amount of barrel spring was present.

Yes I know there are some of the short 1911s that work, but not enough for me to ever trust my life to one. To each his own.