Fitting 1911 barrel

LMT10mm · Jan 7, 2015

hi guys,

Needing some input on possibly fitting a 1911 barrel. I recently got a threaded 1911 barrel from Sig that was "suppose" to be a drop in for my sig tacops 1911. Upon receiving the barrel for Christmas, I field stripped my 1911, dropped the barrel in and found it to be extremely tight. When fully assembled with the factory threaded barrel, the pistol will not rack back, unless the barrel is gently pressed down. Operation of the pistol is flawless with the factory barrel installed. I don't want to force anything, so I have the factory barrel reinstalled in the pistol.
The barrel was a gift, and ordered from the sig website. I have verified that the barrel is indeed for a sig 1911. I had to install the link once I removed the barrel from the package. From my eye, it appears that the fit of the threaded barrel is almost spot on to the factory barrel and looks like it should work. The threaded barrel is a little snug in the bushing, so I'm wondering if a bushing replacement is needed as well?
Has anyone experiened any issues with sig or any other threaded barrels when working with 1911"s? My background is with mostly striker and SA/DA, so I'm curiois to any input. Can anyone give me some insight on what truely is fitting a 1911 barrel? If it needs to be done, can anyone reccomend a good gunsmith around the Hillsboro area? I really want the threaded barrel to work out because I have a tirant 45 can that would love to mount to this host!Thanks for any info and I appreciate everyone's time...

coop44 · Jan 7, 2015

could be your link is a tad too tall. or your lower lugs on the barrel need to be fitted.

swap out the link from the other barrel, or if that is what you did (not clear) it may not work with the new barrel.
Does the slide come forward to the same location when the pistol is in battery? if the slide hangs over the back of the frame, the lower lugs of the barrel need to be fitted properly.
How tight is the bushing? Does it have to be forced onto the barrel? or is it merely a zero play situation?

no matter how good the eye, it still can be a bit off and you wouldn't notice it. Unless you have the skills and an intimate knowledge of 1911 design and function, don't attempt gunsmithing one on your own seek professional help. I am up here in WA and I honestly don't know who to send you to.

cookie · Jan 10, 2015

There are You Tube videos about fitting 1911 parts. Drop in means only a little fitting may be needed.

DieselScout · Jan 10, 2015

I had a similar problem with a Storm Lake threaded barrel. Upon the recommendation from a 1911 builder on another forum I used a Sharpie and blacked out the barrel, then cycled is best I could. I found the spot on the barrel it was hitting and went after it with sand paper. I was able to get mine fitted with about an hour of sanding and checking my work. I went slowly and took my time. Now In have a nice tight fitting and accurate barrel. And I didn't alter the bushing so my original barrel fits just as nice as it did from the factory.