Jack Suber Posted May 3, 2004 Share Posted May 3, 2004 If you were having a light Limited gun built (STI frame/lightened classic slide), what type of barrel would you choose and why? I have been using an Edge with the full length frame and full slide. This weekend at the Area 6 I played with a lot of light guns and love them! So, I am going that way. Some of the guns I picked up had bushing barrels and other had bull barrels. I never asked why the shooter chose one or the other so I thought I would ask here. I really could not tell that much difference in the weights between guns with bull barrels and those with bushing (maybe a side-effect from pushing my heavy gun around for so long). Any feedback would be appreciated. I am planning to use a full length dust cover frame. Thanks and take care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry White Posted May 3, 2004 Share Posted May 3, 2004 Jack, I shoot a Benny Hill 6in fat free with a fluted bull barrel and I like it. Benny has built a bunch of these lately with bushing barrels for the lighter wt. My 6in is a 1/2 oz lighter than my 5in with a short wide frame, classic slide& bull barrel. The 6in bushing guns are a oz or so lighter. Haveing shot both I can't really tell the difference. Accuracy is about the same. If I was going to build a another one or rebarrel the one I have I think I would use whatever was on the shelf when I needed it. I'm going to need a barrel for the 5in soon and am toying with the idea of cutting some wt. off the slide and putting a bushing barrel in it. Lite seems to be good in everthing but beer. Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loves2Shoot Posted May 3, 2004 Share Posted May 3, 2004 You are going light with a full dust cover? Are you going to get it really milled out or something? I like the bull barrels because they displace heat better so when I practice I don't have to worry about the heat in the .40. It also gives me a sense of safety in case something weid happend. Bigger is better right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted May 3, 2004 Share Posted May 3, 2004 Bull, if for no other reason than I don't like fiddling with bushings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehli Posted May 3, 2004 Share Posted May 3, 2004 Bull, if for no other reason than I don't like fiddling with bushings. Ditto. Get it fluted if you want to knock off some weight. www.experimentalmachining.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtm Posted May 3, 2004 Share Posted May 3, 2004 I must ghost something Ghostdog typed a while ago. I find bushing guns in general to be a bit more accurate. I think the barrel is better supported durring unlocking. Also I find the bushing guns to have slightly less felt recoil as there is less weight impacting the frame at unlock. If you want heavy, add it in non moving weight. KURTM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck D Posted May 3, 2004 Share Posted May 3, 2004 My SV started out as a bushing gun. I wanted to add a bit of weight up front so we eliminated the bushing and threaded on a tool steel sleeve (this was before I was aware that tungsten sleeves were available). The gun is a little heavier but not much. The new SV I plan on building this coming fall/winter will have a bushing instead of a sleeve. I seem to like bushing guns a bit more. I've owned both and in my opinion...can't really tell the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny hill Posted May 3, 2004 Share Posted May 3, 2004 Jack, you can have your edge shortened & the slide scalloped so it will be like a standard set-up. Shoot it & if you want more weight off, simpley turn the barrel down & add a bushing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Suber Posted May 4, 2004 Author Share Posted May 4, 2004 Benny, Since its a new slide, can't I start with a bushing and have a bull barrel installed afterwards if I don't like the bushing? I am having a classic slide installed, lightening, and the frame cut and lightened. Recoil doesn't bother me as long as I can control the gun. I prefer a quicker snap to a slower moving sight picture. Thanks for the feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loves2Shoot Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 Then you have to buy two barrels If you follow Benny's advise you only have to have one fitted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry White Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 Benny builds a lot of guns with a .40 bull barrel for limited and a .38s bushing barrel foe IDPA, same slide diffrent barrel and mags. Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear1142 Posted May 6, 2004 Share Posted May 6, 2004 Jack, I prefer the bull barrels as I like to get as much weight on the gun that doesn't move or reciprocate. Erik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted May 6, 2004 Share Posted May 6, 2004 Nobody has mentioned the raison d'etre of bull barrels... they are supposed to make the gun shoot softer by delaying and/or slowing the unlocking. Sort of like having a compensator. That's why there are tungsten bull barrel sleeves. At least that's the way I understand it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted May 6, 2004 Share Posted May 6, 2004 Hmm.. more of a raisin'sec IMO. There might be a touch of extra delay unlocking due to the extra mass of slide+heavy barrel needing to get moving before the link gets in on the act, but after that, who cares if the bullet is 1/4" out the muzzle or 4 inches? Recoil energy would be less if we could actually unlock before the bullet leaves and sneak some gas out the back end of the barrel, but that's not happening. I think it's extra stationary mass up front and associated extra inertia that's the big reason for softer-shooting on a heavy-barreled 1911. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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