Compensators for 1911?

[jlh95811]

Anyone have any experience and/or can offer any advice?

I found this one of interest. Have not seen others. Need to weigh the options if any.

The selected compensator will be going on a Springfield Loaded 1911 Full Size in Polished Stainless Steel.

[kmca]

The only use I've found for the bushing replacement compensator is to make a 1911 the same length as my open gun so it fit the same holster.

[buffybuster]

The replacement bushing compensators are WORTHLESS for actually compensating for anything other than the extra weight on the end of the barrel.

For a compensator to work it needs to be attached to the barrel and the exit whole to be precisely reamed to just larger (about .030" over) than the bullet diameter. That way the compensator will actually trap the gases and "compensates". These need to be fitted and indexed properly by a COMPETENT gunsmith/machinist.

These replacement bushing types the exit hole has to be bigger than the barrel diameter which to too big to do anything. Don't waste your $$ on those if you want something that works.

[JTROKS]

Don't waste your money on those. If you just want to make your Springer 45acp a softer shooting gun and you have an accurate shooting bushing barrel think about adding weight to it by having it sleeved. It will look like a bull barrel and it will require the use of a reversed recoil spring plug. Also adding more weight such as a tungsten guide rod will help keep soften up the felt recoil.

[jlh95811]

Not so much a weight issue as a coolness factor. I want to custom it out and make it look very nice.

[nrakid88]

I think for this gun the only way to make that type of compensator work and still be able to assemble and disasemble it would to have a threaded barrel and a threaded compensator with a crush washer and use the original bushing. that way you can have the right diamater hole and still be able to field strip it. I'd love to experiment with making one some day, couldn't be too hard with the right machines, threads makes it an assault pistol in Cali,,, Oh well. But I too do dig that look. I saw it in the Punisher and have wanted a compensator like that ever since

[ojisan]

I advise against this, having spent time and money on one already.
1. Doesn't look as good as a real comp.
2. May not fit your slide or barrel tightly, so you loose accuracy.
3. It does actually catch some gas and there is some comp effect. How can you tell? When shooting lead loads, enough lead will build up inside the comp, and be carried back and deposited on your barrel, causing jamming because the barrel / comp clearances are now jammed with crud.

I might have one here somewhere you can have for free if I can find it.
Or maybe I used it as a fishing weight...

[buffybuster]

Not so much a weight issue as a coolness factor. I want to custom it out and make it look very nice.

Well, if it's only for the coolness factor....... then by all means have at it....... and anyone that sees it that knows something about these things will know what it is..... a useless addon for people who want to look "cool".

[kmca]

Just for the record, you don't need a threaded barrel to fit a comp. Plenty of guns have been fitted with a bushing and compensator. Now days, you might consider an STI TruBor barrel with reverse plug and full length guide rod.

[wilshire1412]

I have had experience with a couple of different 1911 types with comps installed. The fact is that in these days the use of a comp on a .45 is a bit anachronistic, meaning it simply is not done anymore. If you want the gun to look cool then just go ahead and get the bushing comp and put it on the pistol, just don't allow any cutting to be done on the slide or anywhere else that will prevent the reversal of your decision. If you want a real comp gun then you will need to find a gunsmith that will do the real conversion, it will not be cheap and it will be permanent at least for the slide and barrel you are using. I shot with a .45 comp gun for a while in the '80s and early '90s and they can be fun, but you really need to load your own ammo with light bullets and high velocity to make it work right. My suggestion is to either leave the comp idea alone or do the bushing comp if you want it for appearance.

[RedDawn]

The only benefit I see of the bushing compensator, aside from appearance, is that you don't need the 1911 wrench to turn and take out the bushing to field strip your 1911.

[jlb]

I put a similar one on my 1911...just a bushing type compensator...I had to modify it a bit to fit my gun and then when I shot it..it totally f**ked my gun up...had to send it back to the S&W so they could fix it, which they did with no questions for free and I had my gun back in 5 days

[RedDawn]

I put a similar one on my 1911...just a bushing type compensator...I had to modify it a bit to fit my gun and then when I shot it..it totally f**ked my gun up...had to send it back to the S&W so they could fix it, which they did with no questions for free and I had my gun back in 5 days

What was damaged?

[jlb]

they said the sear broke, the main spring was bent, and they replaced the hammer for me......

I think my barrel would hit the last part of the comp and it wouldn't allow the slide to completely cycle all the way back and the hammer would follow the slide back forward making my SA 1911 tri-burst

[RedDawn]

Sounds about right, if the hole for the compensator isn't large enough. That being said, if it is large enough to accommodate the upward angle of the barrel as the slide moves back, it's too large to do any good as a compensator