1911 bushing tool

[Dave Haynes]

In the Army, the 45s were so worn out that we would take them apart and back together blindfolded. If you run into a hand fitted target 1911 like an F.Bob Chow, or many great gunsmiths, they are so tight that they are a chore to take apart. There will usually be a threaded spring guide that has to be removed and the barrel bushing is so tight it won't just slide off. If you are old like me, the tool will help.

 

[Riposte1]

Please tell me if the S&W 1911 comes with the tool to remove the barrel bushing in the box?

If it has to be bought separately what's the best option?

Cheers!

Sorry, I bought all but one of my S&W 1911s used. I bought an E-zeries new but I don't recall if it had a bushing tool. That said, I carry it from time to time and I will not carry a gun that you need a tool to take apart - even to detail srip it.

Kimbers and DW come with the tool (though I have no idea why all of mine come apart without needing a wrench).

Riposte

 

[seasoldier85]

 

[Rick H.]

It's not so much a matter of how strong the recoil spring is in needing a bushing wrench, it's more how tightly fitted the bushing is to the frame and/or barrel. When Colt's first started using collet style bushings they were very tight and the bushing wrench was almost mandatory for take down. The wrench on the top is from Cylinder and Slide and is quite substantial. The appendage on the wrench helps control the recoil spring and cap during removal. The bottom wrench is from an unknown source and is half the thickness of the C&S wrench. It works too, just not as user friendly.

Rick H.

 

[Yankeetom]

I agree, 99.9% . . . All my 1911s except for one don't need the bushing tool. The Les Baer, though, is tight! The bushing won't come out without a tool. Not sure if that's a good thing or not. It's a bit of a pain, but it sure is accurate. TANSTAAFL!

Tight is a good thing for bushing to slide & bushing to barrel

 

[Riposte1]

Tight is a good thing for bushing to slide & bushing to barrel

Oh - I don't know - I have several accurate 1911s, some of them rattle - this one is shockingly loose - that is a 5 shot group at 50 yards with 200 gr. H&G 68s and the load gets 1200 fps out of that long barrel about 1100 out of a 5". Basiclly the gun is junk - but it still shoots.



When I was instructing for the Army I passed the Army Rifle Qual (the older one that had 4 target exposures at 300 Meters) with a bone stock Remington Rand 1911a1.

Here is a 25 yard group with Winchester Ranger +P 230 JHP - I built this gun for a customer and buit it as a carry gun, the barrel bushing is not particularly tight. The rear lockup is not loose however.



I will admit the slide on this one doesn't rattle Yes I did have to move the rear sight after shooting this group .

Riposte

 

[loony888]

So with that Colt he took the slide off the frame, THEN removed the barrel bushing and barrel because the spring dropped right out from under....
The S&W strip down videos i've seen show the barrel bushing and spring retainer removed before the the slide was separated from the frame and reassembled after the slide was reinstalled on the frame....

Can S&W be stripped like the Colt in that video?

 

[arjay]

They’re very handy when you need one. I bought a few from Wilson

 

[SHODriver]

So with that Colt he took the slide off the frame, THEN removed the barrel bushing and barrel because the spring dropped right out from under....
The S&W strip down videos i've seen show the barrel bushing and spring retainer removed before the the slide was separated from the frame and reassembled after the slide was reinstalled on the frame....

Can S&W be stripped like the Colt in that video?

most likely. The only time that doesn't work well is if it's using a full length guide rod since the spring and rod will remain captured once the slide is removed from the gun. There are different ways to tear down a 1911. A lot of people who learned to pull the slide stop out on their other guns as the first step in disassembly will tend to do the same. On a 1911 with a bushing you can simply remove the spring tension by moving the barrel bushing and letting the tension off of the recoil spring which will allow you to take down the gun without fighting the recoil spring. My preferred method on a 'normal' 1911 is to cock the hammer and activate the frame safety because it will lock the slide in place, work the bushing by hand or with a wrench, release the spring tension, drop the safety, pull the slide back to the disassembly position, remove the slide stop, and then remove the slide from the frame. For assembly I definitely recommend doing it without the recoil spring under tension.