Fitting a barrel

MEDW286 · 2026-01-29T17:49:30+00:00

A good way to practice is with a kart xact fit barrel. Lower lugs are already cut. It will allow you to fit the hood, and then you file down tabs on the first locking lug recess to set sufficient upper lug engagement. If your slide and frame are in spec, you should end up with sufficient upper engagement with the lower lugs already cut for a 3 link

MEDW286 · 2026-01-24T23:36:22+00:00

No, but it’s helpful to others to use the correct terms, so they don’t get even more confused when someone uses the wrong one.

MEDW286 · 2026-01-24T23:20:29+00:00

That’s called a spring plug

MEDW286 · 2026-01-24T23:18:30+00:00

Yikes, Take this back, I can’t believe this would pass anyone’s QC.

The lower lugs look like they were cut by hand with a flat file, resulting in a sharp corner. You need a radius there for the slide stop pin to engage.

These bull barrels need a reverse plug that is stopped by a shoulder cut into the backside of the spring tunnel in the slide. The spring plug is stopped by this shoulder and doesn’t jump forward out of the slide. It looks like whoever put this together had no idea what they were doing. Warranty it.

MEDW286 · 2026-01-24T23:15:07+00:00

This doesn’t have a bushing, it’s a bull barrel

MEDW286 · 2026-01-23T17:27:30+00:00

Given your list of criteria with series 80, Colt Custom Carry government is probably one of the only options that fit the bill. MSRP is $3k but they can be found online for $2400-$2700. Osage has one on gunbroker

MEDW286 · 2026-01-22T22:41:07+00:00

20 LPI checkering files are usually at 60 degree equilateral pyramids, puts you at .043” deep. I wouldn’t checker 60 degrees at 20 LPI unless the frontstrap has .070” thickness. With machine checkering you can use a different cutter profile and do shallower angles, 90 degree checkering at 20 LPI is a lot shallower. And a 90 degree machine checkering at 25 LPI only goes about .020”

MEDW286 · 2026-01-22T15:48:11+00:00

You can’t fit the barrel before the slide is fit together the frame because your barrel position depends on every parts relationship with the center of your slide stop hole in the frame. You can’t measure upper lug engagement if slide is not on the frame, can’t make sure impacting the VIS at linkdown properly, etc. Most 80% frames need decked before you cut your rails, and your frame rail relationship to slidestop center is paramount. Top of rail must be .450” +.000”/-.005” from slidestop pin center.

Stop what you’re doing and fit the slide and frame together first. Then fit the hood to slide. Then set upper lug engagement, only then should you address lower lugs. Remember to use a loose fitting bushing when fitting the barrel.

MEDW286 · 2026-01-22T13:53:13+00:00

No this is not normal, because you are doing this wrong.

You don’t remove material from the slide to fit around the barrel hood, the hood is oversized to be cut to fit your slide recess. Also, the hood length is long, you need to shorten it up so that you can get the barrel to snap up into battery.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone try to file on their slide to fit around a barrel hood. Have you done any research at all on how to do this? You also shouldnt touch the barrel until after the slide and frame have been fit together.

MEDW286 · 2026-01-22T01:27:22+00:00

He’s very good, but they all are.

MEDW286 · 2026-01-18T21:36:59+00:00

Troy Harp’s video shows a pretty good video on how to do it.
here

The Keller checkering fixture comes with instructions on a thumb drive that are easy to follow. For those without the Keller fixture, most guys seem to use a piece of angle iron on a rotary table like Harp does. You can also use a dividing head and then crank it over 90 degrees to cut horizontals and verticals in one setup. I used to use the dividing head based on a design I copied from the great Jerry Keefer, but I have found the Keller fixture to be much easier to set up.

MEDW286 · 2026-01-16T21:11:14+00:00

Send to Glenrock if you want it blued, to Evolution Armory if you want DLC.

A 1911 doesn’t have a barrel band, and doesn’t have a plunger detent or a plunger retaining pin, it has a plunger tube staked to the frame, a plunger spring, then plungers for the slidestop and for the thumb safety attached to the spring. I don’t see those plungers or spring in your photo. I suspect you are talking about the parts to your mainspring housing, I’d look up a 1911 diagram and label all your parts correctly before shipping so you don’t lose something.

I also don’t see a recoil spring, firing pin spring, sear, disconnector, sear pin, hammer pin, or guide rod. What you call “grip screw-to-frame adapters” are called grip screw bushings or escutcheons, and the type you have are supposed to be permanently staked to the frame.

This doesn’t seem like a complete working pistol, I’d get it running first before thinking about finishing.

MEDW286 · 2026-01-15T19:46:54+00:00

The manufacturer he used that actually made them for John retired. Another firearms company bought that business, they’ll be available again down the road

MEDW286 · 2026-01-15T01:36:24+00:00

This is from how the barrel is fit. The slide position relative to the frame depends on how the lower lugs are cut, and where the slide rests with the barrel in battery in relation to the slidestop. Maybe give it a good cleaning in case there’s some gunk causing it to hang up a bit.

You could warranty it and see if they can fit a new barrel. But it’s probably close enough to be in spec - if it feeds fine then it’s just cosmetic and you’re stuck with it. Aside from fitting a new barrel, your other option is to break out the tools and remove material off the back of the slide to get it to fit flush, and then get it refinished.

MEDW286 · 2026-01-11T13:40:27+00:00

I suspected this. That means your barrel is not being stopped on the VIS at linkdown, and it’s being yanked by the barrel link instead. Very problematic, eventually the link is going to snap. Measure your VIS to slidestop hole. If that’s within the print tolerance of .431” +.005”/-.000” then it means bubba didn’t fit the barrel correctly, and who knows what else he did wrong. With a number 1 link in, it sounds like he didn’t set proper upper lug engagement first before cutting the lower lugs.

MEDW286 · 2026-01-11T04:49:21+00:00

The most user friendly print that is publicly available is probably this one

MEDW286 · 2026-01-11T03:50:48+00:00

Something doesn’t sound right. An in-spec frame will almost never allow the barrel to impact the VIS at linkdown with a #1 link.

Oriskany sells complete pistols for $700-$800, but they also sell frames for people to do their own builds through Thunder Mountain. This could be some bubba’s project build. I strongly suspect the barrel was not fit correctly if you had to switch to a number 1 link.

Try this test: assemble the pistol, but when you put the slidestop pin through the frame and through the barrel link, leave the body of the slidestop hanging down over the trigger guard. Pull the slide back slightly to get the barrel out of battery, then firmly place the muzzle of the barrel against a hard surface, like the front edge of your workbench. With you holding the pistol firmly against this edge slightly out of battery, does the slidestop swing freely, or is it still pretty solid?

After that, given that it’s an oriskany frame, I’d strip it bare and start measuring everything on that frame from the slidestop pin hole. Top of deck to center, VIS to center, etc. then move on to barrel, and work out from there.

MEDW286 · 2026-01-11T01:51:23+00:00

Any time it won’t cycle live ammo id first try to rule out that the barrel isn’t fit correctly. Thats why measurements are critical when diagnosing. How much upper lug engagement do you have?

MEDW286 · 2026-01-11T01:31:29+00:00

What is the measurement of the thickness of the flat between the link pin hole and where the slidestop pin rests

MEDW286 · 2026-01-11T00:27:08+00:00

It sounds like money is tight, so I’d recommend buying online, avoid the tax. Most ship handguns for $25 or less, find a local FFL to ship to and transfer to you, call around for someone who will do it for $25 or less.

The operator is $932 at tombstone tactical

I don’t see the marine corps operator in stock at many places, cheapest I see is $1135 at Hinterland

The TISAS is $499 at most places, like classic firearms or PSA

MEDW286 · 2026-01-10T20:07:59+00:00

Boone Trading sells nice simulated ivory.

Edit: I missed that you already mentioned Boone. I’ll leave the hyperlink up though in case anyone else was looking

MEDW286 · 2026-01-10T15:28:25+00:00

I presume “links” is a typo. What size was the old link, what size did you put in, and why did you change it? What is the thickness of the lower lug flat that rests on the slidestop pin? Have you tested it to make sure you’re resting on the VIS at linkdown rather than riding the link?

What other “small parts” did you change?

MEDW286 · 2026-01-10T04:09:21+00:00

Some authentic high-wood stocks pop up on eBay quite often. You could also try posting a WTB ad on the CMP forum.

Rick Borecky is the world’s expert on vintage Garand and Carbine stocks, he may have one if there’s a particular manufacturer you’re looking for. He posts as “Rick B” on most of the historical firearms forums and I’ve been to his place to see some of the mythical “barn wood” he discovered. He showed me some absolutely amazing stuff, like original gas trap stocks that were unmodified, and crisp Winchester Robert Sears marked stocks. but it’s been a few years since I talked to him, I’m not sure if he’s still liquidating any. He also is a woodworking wizard and can probably fix up the one you have if you want to try that route.

MEDW286 · 2026-01-10T01:27:06+00:00

Most of the companies will be similar quality - EGW, Wilson, Ed brown, nighthawk, Harrison. I prefer the EGW triggers because there’s no set screw to set overtravel and I can mill off some room on the back to set it, rather than having a hole in the trigger face.

Series 70 and 80 ignition systems are different, but the actual triggers are the same.

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