bar-sto barrel

[44 Man]

Just bought a nice stainless steel Combat Commander with a Bar-sto barrel and night sights.  I got it very reasonable and my first thought was to turn it over and make a few dollars I could put toward something else.  I shot it (mistake).  Wow.  Best shooting 1911 I have ever owned!  I put up a 1" targ dot, backed off a few feet and put the first three rounds in it, two handed, standing.  Got to thinking, maybe I should keep it, I might not find another that shoots this well.  So just as a test, I dropped a stainless Colt commander barrel into it and shot it again.  The group was slightly larger but still impressive.  The bushing (which I assume came with the bar-sto barrel) is very tight requiring a bushing wrench to move.  And it is a nice snug fit to both barrels.  So I'm thinking now that if I want to tighten up groups on a .45, that the bushing would be the first place to start rather than buying an expensive barrel.  This is assuming that the slide doesn't rattle a lot and the barrel locks up decent.  So, assuming that, I can sell this gun because I can tighten up the next with a little work, correct?  Have I learned something or am I just lucky?  44 Man

[Iowegan]

I think you learned something! Accuracy from a 1911 platform comes from 4 basic areas. The bushing-to-slide fit, the bushing-to-barrel fit, the hood-to-breach fit, and the barrel link. Once the top end is tight, groups will shrink. Most shooters judge a 1911 by how tight the slide fits the frame. Actually, this has almost nothing to do with accuracy. The lower frame is nothing more than a handle with a hammer and trigger.

I have a Colt stainless enhanced Commander that I bought new in '93. Out-of-the-box accuracy wasn't bad but I noticed the bushing had slack in both the slide and barrel. I decided to fit a match grade bushing and boy what a difference. This Commander will hold it's own against my Gold Cup.

These are great guns, despite the shorter barrel, they are just as accurate as their big brother Govt Models. Bar-Sto, Kart, and Nowlin make some very nice barrels but honestly, the factory Colt barrel is just about as good when a match grade bushing has been fitted.

[Mikey]

44 Man - the Iowegan is right about the fit of the different parts of the gun, with the barrel, bushing and fit.  

Would I sell that gun - not in your life.  I have a lightweight Colt Commander that was one of the first 2500 production guns.  I have owned that pistol for nearly 40 years.  She is still original except for a few frame parts to make it more comfortable to shoot.  She was with me for six years in overseas duty and saw a lot of action, and she still groups 2-3" at 25 yds.

I have had a number of Bar-Sto barrels and think they are premier quality.  I have had them in 38 Super, 9mm, 45 auto and my own 40 cal wildcat.  Excellent quality, fit and function right out of the package.

I know you like the 44 Special cartridge, and so do I but, that 45 Commander is the type of handgun you find yourself going to time after time.  If I had another one I would probably carry both just to avoid having to reload (lol).  Mikey.

[44 Man]

Mikey, I've always thought a double shoulder rig with two Lt. wt. Commanders would be a great way to go!  Yes, I would keep this if I could, but I really want to get my engraved Colt gov't out of layaway.  And for a keeper carry 1911, I'm going to keep watch for another Lt. wt. Commander for that roll.  I had one years ago and it was my favorite carry gun for a very long time, but gave it to my son when he got out of the military and just never replaced it.  He still has it.  This gun is a wonderful gun, but it just diverts me from what I would like to get at this time.  44 Man

[Mikey]

Say there 44 Man - if you have another barrel for that Commander I would sure be interested in taking that Bar-Sto barrel off your hands.  If you are interested, please pm me.  I also have a new colt Commander barrel in 45 I might be willing to part with in the process.  Mikey.

[unclenick]

I think I posted all this awhile back, but basically the bushing is not the most critical accuracy element.  Getting the barrel to lock up in the slide is.  That is responsible for about 70% of mechanical accuracy improvement.  The bushing by itself is usually considered about 15% of the acccuracy contribution to the job.  The slide-to-frame fit is another 10%, maybe, just because it improves consistency.  This all assumes the extractor is already correctly fit and not bumping cases, which is where that remaining 5% can come from.

That Bar-sto barrel, if it was purchased for fit-up, as mine was, will have had the barrel extension (hood) and link lugs and locking lugs filed and scraped and stoned to fit that particular gun.  I would keep them together.  The bushing came with the barrel already fit inside, but was custom fit to the slide since they come oversize from the factory.  Another reason to keep the set with the gun.

That the drop-in barrel shot well is a happy coincidence.  It apparently isn't too loose in that gun.  Don't count on that to work out all the time.  If the particular gun has a slightly lower fitting slide than average it will tend to do better with standard barrels than average.  This is because it has an inherently tighter fit.

By the way, my Bar-sto is on my Series 70 Goldcup with a Briley spherical section bushing.  There's another complication for you to consider.

Nick

[44 Man]

Just when you think you are beginning to understand something you get thrown a curve.  I picked up a satin nickle commander last week.  It needed a barrel so I just dropped in the stainless Colt barrel mentioned above.  Now you have to understand that this Colt has a 'field expedient' bushing.  That means it will turn out easily by hand.  In fact, I think if you removed the spring plug and shook the gun vigorisly enough, the bushing might just fall out of the slide.  Now with that in mind and taking into account the above comments, let me say that this Colt barrell shot as well in this old satin nickle commander as it did in the stainless one with the tight, fitted bushing!  The more you learn, the less you know!  44 Man

[jakes10mm]

I have been playing with a 1991 Government and Commander model.  Both give me good accuracy out-of-the-box, but they do have a little slack in the bushing area.  Put a EGW "pre-fit" bushing in the government model and cut the group size by nearly 50%.  The commander will get an EGW bushing next.  Both have excellent barrel lock-up and very good slide-frame fit.  I have learned....the hard way to neglect the slide-frame fit and focus on the upper end for accuracy.  It is paying off!

Keep the Commander!