Bluemooncricket Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 I recently acquired a new Springfield R.O. and am disappointed with its accuracy. I could do no better than 5" at 15 yards with factory 115 and 124 gr. loads. My 124 gr. reloads performed just as poorly. Frustrated and confused I returned home and started trying to figure out what might be wrong. After looking closely at the barrel I noticed the freebore seemed quite long and the rifling looked kind of shallow and smooth. So I decided to try and determine a suitable OAL for this barrel. Well using a spent case and a MG 124 JHP bullet I was unable to contact the lands. So I dropped the bullet in and took a look. Sure enough, the base of the bullet was a couple of thousandths bellow the chamber. Seems like someone got excited with the throat reamer!!! Would this be a likely cause of my accuracy issue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walnutty Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 I owned an SA Loaded Target in 9mm and it was a very good shooter even with lead bullets. However, I installed a custom fit EGW bushing. Yes, the SA does have a generous freebore, and this is what allows you to use almost any bullet length and configuration. How is your bushing fit? If loose, I recommend going to EGW and pick out a bushing that fits closest to your barrel OD, and slide ID. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemooncricket Posted July 25, 2014 Author Share Posted July 25, 2014 The bushing is snug, not Les Baer tight, but I can't feel any movement when in battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckstur Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 I had (have) the same issue and made a chamber cast to validate it. I then made a fixture to hold and shoot the barrel and learned that my accuracy problems were not in the barrel proper. If I could figure out how to attach a photo I would show you a 1" group at 50 yards with coated lead bullets in mixed brass. Look at the slide stop pin and I'll bet you will find no marks from the lower lug indicating the barrel is riding the link into battery. I am almost ready to mount the full up pistol in a fixture to finish the testing. Then the fix is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemooncricket Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 (edited) I had (have) the same issue and made a chamber cast to validate it. I then made a fixture to hold and shoot the barrel and learned that my accuracy problems were not in the barrel proper. If I could figure out how to attach a photo I would show you a 1" group at 50 yards with coated lead bullets in mixed brass. Look at the slide stop pin and I'll bet you will find no marks from the lower lug indicating the barrel is riding the link into battery. I am almost ready to mount the full up pistol in a fixture to finish the testing. Then the fix is?If my problem could be remedied with a slide stop swap I would be a very happy camper!! If you would keep us posted on your progress that would be great! Also, would you mind sharing the load you used to achieve the 1" grouping? Edited July 29, 2014 by Bluemooncricket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckstur Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Sorry blue moon, but the lack of slide stop marks are just an indicator of a poor barrel fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemooncricket Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 Sorry blue moon, but the lack of slide stop marks are just an indicator of a poor barrel fit.I didn't have any Dykem but used a black sharpie to mark the lower barrel lugs. After racking the slide a few times I could see where the slide stop pin was contacting the barrel lugs. It seemed to contact at the edges of the lugs like maybe they're not 100% square, but I'm not convinced this is my problem. The search continues..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckstur Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Blue The critical parameter is where they contact. Even a poorly fitted barrel will contact the slide stop on the verticle face of the lug. A "good" one will contact on the top or 45 degree point. C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemooncricket Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 Blue The critical parameter is where they contact. Even a poorly fitted barrel will contact the slide stop on the verticle face of the lug. A "good" one will contact on the top or 45 degree point. C The slide stop pin is making contact with the top of the lug( the part parallel with the bore). However, it appears to be just the edges and not the entire top of the lug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ltdmstr Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Are you talking freebore or chamber depth? Freebore has little to no effect on accuracy. Chamber depth can be an issue, but typically is not a big deal. If the best you can do is 5" at 15 yards, it's probably a combination of the standing lugs and bushing fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe D Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 A couple of thousands below the hood will not cause any serious accuracy issues. I found no reason to change the bushing in my RO as it was plenty snug. Remember we are not talking about a gun that will be used in Bullseye. Are you able to shoot good groups with another gun? Have you shot your gun from a rest? Not talking about a Ransom Rest. Just a good supported position from a bench. I like the long throat in the RO. My 9mm Kimber had the same throat depth. I choose to ream out the throat on a 9mm RIA I owned to allow the use of longer bullets = 38 Super mags. It is doubtful any of the above mentioned issues would cause the awful accuracy you described. Just look at some of the old Colts. They clanked and rattled, but would certainly group much better than 5" at 15 yds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemooncricket Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 (edited) I believe the chamber is just fine. The case head is less than .002 below the tip of the barrel hood. I received some 147 gr blue bullets yesterday and came up with a max oal of 1.299 for them. Obviously I won't be loading that long but it demonstrates the freebore length of that barrel. I've never had a barrel with that much freebore before so I was concerned that it may have been reamed too deeply at the factory. However, Joe D has stated tha his barrel is of similar manufacture and he has achieved very good accuracy. I can routinely produce 3" groups at 15 yds with my m&p pro with factory loads as well as my own reloads. I was hoping to do much better than that with the 1911's better trigger and mechanical accuracy potential. Perhaps I just haven't found the load this gun prefers yet. More load testing is in order. Thanks so much for everyone's input. Edited July 31, 2014 by Bluemooncricket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelie Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 (edited) If it does not shoot pretty well with good factory ammunition, I doubt you will find a handload that works better. There is something wrong with the gun and ammo won't fix it. The ultimate answer is to send the gun to a good 1911 gunsmith and have him either weld and re-fit the existing barrel or better, have him fit a new barrel and bushing. If that is financially feasible for you, it will be worth the money and time. Another alternative (an maybe the best) is to call Springfield and talk to them about it. There is no reason for it to shoot so poorly. If its new and does not work correctly, they should fix it for you. Edited August 1, 2014 by wheelie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemooncricket Posted August 1, 2014 Author Share Posted August 1, 2014 If it does not shoot pretty well with good factory ammunition, I doubt you will find a handload that works better. There is something wrong with the gun and ammo won't fix it. The ultimate answer is to send the gun to a good 1911 gunsmith and have him either weld and re-fit the existing barrel or better, have him fit a new barrel and bushing. If that is financially feasible for you, it will be worth the money and time. Another alternative (an maybe the best) is to call Springfield and talk to them about it. There is no reason for it to shoot so poorly. If its new and does not work correctly, they should fix it for you. I think I'll give Sprinfield a call and get their take on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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