1911s

[erik_26]

What is better, a bull barrel or the traditional barrel bushing?

Would you change your answer in relation to accuracy?

Would you change your answer in relation to reliability?


I have both, 1911s with a bull barrel and others with the traditional barrel bushing.

I haven't noticed enough of an accuracy difference to claim one is superior over the other. I definitely haven't notice any reliability issues, then again I don't think any of my 1911 have more that 2K through them.

[DArBad]

I don't know if it is " better " but I've always liked the bushing style of barrel for the 1911s and so that is what I have and will continue to have.

[jinx5000]

For full sized government models - barrel and bushing.

For commander and officer models - bull barrel.

I have both and don't really have a preference for either, as long as the fit between barrel/bushing or barrel/slide is tight i'm happy.

[erik_26]

For full sized government models - barrel and bushing.

For commander and officer models - bull barrel.

I have both and don't really have a preference for either, as long as the fit between barrel/bushing or barrel/slide is tight i'm happy.

It is interesting that you say bushing for full sized. The reason being, I just bought a TRP Operator with the full rail. This will be my first full sized 1911 with a bull barrel.

My commander and officer sized 1911 all have a bull barrel.

My other full size 1911 have the bushing.

I am really curious how a bull barrel on a full sized 1911 will be now.

[ExpendableYouth]

I don't know if it's in my head but I just don't think can fit a bull barrel as tightly as a bushing. I realize there is a discussion how much a really tight bushing makes, but my Professional holds tighter groups then my Specialist did or my Colt does.

[caliberetta]

Commander/Mid-Size and Officer/Compact 1911's are not always Bull Barrel, some have Barrel/Bushing. Whether one type is better than the other depends a lot on personal preference, design and build quality.

[erik_26]

I don't know if it's in my head but I just don't think can fit a bull barrel as tightly as a bushing. I realize there is a discussion how much a really tight bushing makes, but my Professional holds tighter groups then my Specialist did or my Colt does.

Interestingly enough though, on rifles, tighter is not better. Allowing a free floating barrel provides better accuracy and the most consistency.

Sure, 11 to 19 more inches of a barrel is quite a bit different. Obviously there is no slide either on say a Rem 700 or equivalent bolt action. But, I would think the most important part of a hand gun would be the lockup.

Wouldn't the lockup have the most effect on accuracy? I don't think a barrel bushing would improve lock up?

[Robert1234]

Interestingly enough though, on rifles, tighter is not better. Allowing a free floating barrel provides better accuracy and the most consistency.

Sure, 11 to 19 more inches of a barrel is quite a bit different. Obviously there is no slide either on say a Rem 700 or equivalent bolt action. But, I would think the most important part of a hand gun would be the lockup.

Wouldn't the lockup have the most effect on accuracy? I don't think a barrel bushing would improve lock up?

Rifle barrels aren't locked up at the front but they are at the rear. Pistol (1911) lockup at the rear is not as consistent without the lockup in front.

Rifles don't need to allow for the reciprocating slide. So the can be solidly mounted at the breech end.

[ExpendableYouth]

From my understanding a tighter bushing helps lockup the barrel more consistently then a loose bushing. I would agree that you can have a really tight bushing and it would do nothing if you had a loose slide to frame fitment, or barrel lockup.

[hunterb]

Bull barrels are supposedly more accurate.....I'm nowhere good enough to tell.

[Robert1234]

From my understanding a tighter bushing helps lockup the barrel more consistently then a loose bushing. I would agree that you can have a really tight bushing and it would do nothing if you had a loose slide to frame fitment, or barrel lockup.

Slide to frame fit not too big an issue. If your barrel to bushing, bushing to slide and rear lugs (lower) to slide stop lockup are righteous, in battery your slide to frame fit should feel tight.

[jinx5000]

It is interesting that you say bushing for full sized. The reason being, I just bought a TRP Operator with the full rail. This will be my first full sized 1911 with a bull barrel.

My commander and officer sized 1911 all have a bull barrel.

My other full size 1911 have the bushing.

I am really curious how a bull barrel on a full sized 1911 will be now.

I am just commenting on my guns and how they're setup.

STI Trojan 5" - bushing
STI Guardian 4" - Bull
SA EMP 3" - Bull

All three have been flawless.

The key thing to look for in either setup is a nice tight fit so there's little to no movement in the barre/slide. One of the reasons I love STI is they custom fit each barrel/slide and barrel/bushing for all their 1911's.

However, when going with a with a bushing setup, I much prefer a FLGR than a two piece.

[JTROKS]

For 45 Super, 10mm, 38 Super and 40 S&W I prefer bull barrels. For 45 ACP and 9mm a bushing barrel.

Folks claim bull barrels are more accurate due to less flexing and longer lock time.

[erik_26]

I am just commenting on my guns and how they're setup.

STI Trojan 5" - bushing
STI Guardian 4" - Bull
SA EMP 3" - Bull

All three have bene flawless.

The key thing to look for in either setup is a nice tight fit so there's little to no movement in the barre/slide. One of the reasons I love STI is they custom fit each barrel/slide and barrel/bushing for all their 1911's.

However, when going with a with a bushing setup, I much prefer a FLGR than a two piece.

Yeah, my Kimber Custom II has a bushing, my Colt Defender is a bull and my EMP is a bull.

All three of them shoot very well and pretty tight groups from 7-15 yards. I haven't had a chance to push any of them out further for a group test. But, I have shot my Kimber at 50+ yards and had no problems hitting the metal target. That was the objective, hit the target, not try for tight groups.

I am seriously looking at adding a higher end 1911 to my collection. My newest addition, the TRP Operator, is a solid mid-range choice. But I am also looking at maybe a Professional (really long wait) or a Les Baer (leading my choices so far).

Granted, I am not realistically going to be competitive shooting out to 50 yards. While I may primarily be shooting 7-15 yards most frequently, I really have a lust for the best in my price range ($2500-ish). I know a professional is more and I could afford that if that is what I really want. I am afraid my appetite wont stop there.

The TRP Operator has a bull barrel. I am really curious to see how I truly like it. So far on my other 1911 with the bull barrel I am happy.

I will have to rope a buddy of mine with a Les Baer out so that we can spend an afternoon doing a true side by side comparison. Followed up with a later afternoon cleaning with beer (not a bad way to spend a day).

[tanks]

Just about all action competitive shooters (non IDPA) prefer bull barrels due to heavier weight (reduced recoil, reduced muzzle flip) and better fit to slide. The other advantage to a bull barrel is that you reduce the number of parts, by not having a bushing