6inch barrel in 5 inch gun

[jstagn]

Do you find the gun heavy on transitions at 46+ oz. ?

[MikeRush]

Do you find the gun heavy on transitions at 46+ oz. ?

I certainly would if it weighed that much! Mine is 38 oz total, with the barrel installed. It transitions nicely. I'd like to get a bit more weight out. My last gun was 34 or 35 oz depending on what guide rod I had in and I loved it.

I may cut back the dust cover more as well. I will lighten the barrel first though.

[ah1356]

Mine is also roughly 38oz with the tungsten GR installed. The custom barrel lockup length is a great idea - that did not even occur to me when I was playing around with this design.

Definitely try 165's. That's all I shoot, and they feel much better than 180's (same powder, same OAL, same PF).

[MikeRush]

That makes perfect sense. Mine hits the same weight but with a briley aluminum guide rod compared to your tungsten.

To address an earlier comment, while installing barrel/comp mounted sights in a shorter slide certainly isn't "new", the ability to do so freely in Ltd without the production requirements is.

It won't shoot the match for you, but I strongly believe in believing in your equipment.

I never saw an actual barrel with sleeve weight in the tungsten thread (not going back to ask either) but I can see how a very heavy barrel slowing down the initial impulse to the slide makes the gun feel soft!

Id imagine the extended tracker barrels are similar weight/balance. Its not objectionable, just different.

Will report back after playing with springs, bullet weight, and maybe barrel weight! I want just a bit more slide speed out of it.

[MikeRush]

1 month update:

Just got the gun back from Glenn at LSI after two rounds of lightening. The first was to add scallops to the barrel, and put a taper from the chamber towards the muzzle. That helped, but still didn't quite give me the feel I was looking for.

I sent it back to him to do it how he had recommended it in the first place- he took the barrel down to bushing diameter and cut the slide for a Briley spherical bushing.

Getting more weight out of the barrel was just the ticket! I tried it with 180s and 165s today and it was amazing! I like the 165s the best. Still need to chrono but those loads made 169 out of a slow 5" so I am pretty sure I am safely in major.

It is amazing- in a dark indoor range from the first shot to the last I could watch the front sight lift and return. It is soft, flat, and the slide velocity is great. It weights 37 oz all dressed out with everything installed. It is so easy to make follow up shots when you can watch the sight return to the target- catch it on the way down so to speak- I am loving it. Now if I can just get the driver tuned up by Nationals...

Id definitely do a bushing. Glenn has it figured out between the U Trac and this one. If I already had a tracker, I would probably get some flutes done to get more weight out of the barrel. The barrel, sight block, and bushing add up to 6.8 oz, so it is a bit heavier than my 5" bull, but some of that weight is mitigated by having the slide cut back- its really cut back to just over commander length- a 4.3" barrel would be flush with the barrel.

Starting with a 5" slide, 6" bushing barrel and 1" of Ti for the front sight would probably be the simplest way to do it. Only change I am considering is possibly cutting back the dust cover all the way to short dust cover length, or maybe having some pockets done on the inside of the dust cover area to see if I could get another oz out. I could have some cuts done in the slide but I really like not having holes through my slide to let in dust and debris. It may not be right for everyone but this sure is right for me!

[CCC1911]

1 month update:

Just got the gun back from Glenn at LSI after two rounds of lightening. The first was to add scallops to the barrel, and put a taper from the chamber towards the muzzle. That helped, but still didn't quite give me the feel I was looking for.

I sent it back to him to do it how he had recommended it in the first place- he took the barrel down to bushing diameter and cut the slide for a Briley spherical bushing.

Getting more weight out of the barrel was just the ticket! I tried it with 180s and 165s today and it was amazing! I like the 165s the best. Still need to chrono but those loads made 169 out of a slow 5" so I am pretty sure I am safely in major.

It is amazing- in a dark indoor range from the first shot to the last I could watch the front sight lift and return. It is soft, flat, and the slide velocity is great. It weights 37 oz all dressed out with everything installed. It is so easy to make follow up shots when you can watch the sight return to the target- catch it on the way down so to speak- I am loving it. Now if I can just get the driver tuned up by Nationals...

Id definitely do a bushing. Glenn has it figured out between the U Trac and this one. If I already had a tracker, I would probably get some flutes done to get more weight out of the barrel. The barrel, sight block, and bushing add up to 6.8 oz, so it is a bit heavier than my 5" bull, but some of that weight is mitigated by having the slide cut back- its really cut back to just over commander length- a 4.3" barrel would be flush with the barrel.

Starting with a 5" slide, 6" bushing barrel and 1" of Ti for the front sight would probably be the simplest way to do it. Only change I am considering is possibly cutting back the dust cover all the way to short dust cover length, or maybe having some pockets done on the inside of the dust cover area to see if I could get another oz out. I could have some cuts done in the slide but I really like not having holes through my slide to let in dust and debris. It may not be right for everyone but this sure is right for me!

Sounds awesome. Any chance you'd be willing to post pics of the lightening work that was done? Or any more pics of the pistol at all...

I'm waiting for my turn (for a LSI short block). I'm glad you're happy with your pistol.

[MikeRush]

Sure thing- this is just a terrible cell phone picture (I have to get to work), I'll get some footage of the gun in action this weekend- here you can see the reduced OD, and the Briley spherical bushing peeking out the front of the slide.

Also, Glenn added the go fast ball cuts to the front sight block which will reduce stage times by 2.5%.

I think I am going to go ahead and cut back the dust cover to SDC length, and then I will need to do something with the "Unique" slide profile, either ball stirrup cuts or I might just do a 45 deg cut.

Even with the 3/4ish length dust cover the gun will balance on the magwell with the slide locked back. I may end up with the dust cover cut back and then go in and hog out some of the remaining dust cover internally. I could always go to a steel or tungsten guide rod if I wanted to.

[CCC1911]

Thank you

Also, Glenn added the go fast ball cuts to the front sight block which will reduce stage times by 2.5%.

I think I am going to go ahead and cut back the dust cover to SDC length, and then I will need to do something with the "Unique" slide profile, either ball stirrup cuts or I might just do a 45 deg cut.

I may have to give Glenn another call, he didn't offer me the 'go fast' cuts. I would like the 2.5% reduction... ;-)

It would look good if you could continue your ball cut on the sight mount onto the slide, to tie the two together visually (when in battery). You may even gain another 1 or 2% reduction if your go fast cuts were larger...

[MikeRush]

Thank you

Also, Glenn added the go fast ball cuts to the front sight block which will reduce stage times by 2.5%.

I think I am going to go ahead and cut back the dust cover to SDC length, and then I will need to do something with the "Unique" slide profile, either ball stirrup cuts or I might just do a 45 deg cut.

I may have to give Glenn another call, he didn't offer me the 'go fast' cuts. I would like the 2.5% reduction... ;-)

It would look good if you could continue your ball cut on the sight mount onto the slide, to tie the two together visually (when in battery). You may even gain another 1 or 2% reduction if your go fast cuts were larger...

It would probably look great! Only reason I am hesitant is I may have a 5.4" barrel done for it at some point to fit the IPSC box and that may make it harder to match up.

Agreed on the go fast cuts. More = more better at least within the standard parameters. I was thinking maybe a similar ball cut on the side of the fat dust cover to shed some more weight and tie it visually. This bushing, tracker 6" balances as far back in the hand as my old 5" bull short dust cover did. That plus the sight radius and reduced powder charge needed for major make it very easy to shoot.

[MikeRush]

Here is a better picture- I still need for the lighting to be right. It is still in the white and needs to be blasted and chromed, but that will have to wait until after nationals. I love this gun- I will be shooting it at a psuedo steel challenge style match tonight.

[kneelingatlas]

I love this gun- I will be shooting it at a psuedo steel challenge style match tonight.

Do it justice and win tonight! It'll be good mental practice for Nat's: all you have to do is make your objective to hit every piece of steel and I guarantee you will win.

[EngineerEli]

Here is a better picture- I still need for the lighting to be right. It is still in the white and needs to be blasted and chromed, but that will have to wait until after nationals. I love this gun- I will be shooting it at a psuedo steel challenge style match tonight.

Sorry if I missed it bu how does the bushing work with the front sight block? Could you post a pic of the slide closed? is there a recess in the sight block for the bushing?

Also, what have your thoughts been on the aluminum guide rod. You mentioned removing it a few posts ago, if you do I'd be interested in taking it off your hands. I have been wanting to try one in my 5.4 sight tracker, its still just a bit more nose heavy than I like...

-Eli

[MikeRush]

Yeah, will get you another picture when I get home. The sight block has been opened up at the rear to allow the bushing to clear. It essentially looks the same as before with the action closed.

I love the aluminum guide rods, they are a very inexpensive and easily reversible way to get some weight out. Briley sells them. I bought mine from Sean at Power Factor Shooting. I would buy the undrilled version as the drilled hole is useless for all the guns I have tried it in. I even use one in my SS because the Al full length rod and plug are lighter than the GI short setup.

I'd only remove it if chopping back the dust cover and hogging what is left of it out with an end mill made it light enough that it was unstable or harsh. I doubt that will happen, but I always could get some weight back in if I felt it necessary. I'd absolutely recommend giving it a try, and a strong consideration to barrel fluting. Mine was never very heavy but had a very "lopey" feel in recoil. Going to the bushing changed that. It cycles nice now with very little sensation of the slides travel.

[EngineerEli]

Out of curiosity what recoil spring are you using? Progressive or standard? Weight?

[MikeRush]

Out of curiosity what recoil spring are you using? Progressive or standard? Weight?

Right now a Wolff 12 lb spring. I normally use an ISMI 12.5 on 40s. When the barrel was still heavy I had talked to Glenn about trying a much lighter spring and he advised against it. I know there are GMs out there using very light recoil springs in conventional edge type guns but I've been told that impact can impact (pun intended) frame and component life.

From my testing so far I don't feel a need to change how it cycles- any further weight reduction will be to reduce overall gun weight. Of the 2011s I have shot the 34-36 oz ones have felt the best to me.

[EngineerEli]

I'm having issues with the muzzle dipping a bit right now in recoil and a lot of my second shots are going low. I'm trying to figure out if it is a weight/balance, grip, or recoil spring issue. When I got my gun back from SVI they put a 12# progressive in it, and I am running that with an aluminum recoil buffer.

[MikeRush]

I'm having issues with the muzzle dipping a bit right now in recoil and a lot of my second shots are going low. I'm trying to figure out if it is a weight/balance, grip, or recoil spring issue. When I got my gun back from SVI they put a 12# progressive in it, and I am running that with an aluminum recoil buffer.

What does the slide weigh and what does the barrel weigh? I'd try an AL guide rod and a 12.5 non progressive spring first on the hardware side.

In my experience the longer guns are a bit more sensitive to grip pressure. I think all our guns have a bit of oscillation at the muzzle upon the slide closing and it can take some time for it to stabilize. Nictaylor has a nice video on spring selection that illustrates this. The extra length changes the balance point and makes any movement at the muzzle more apparent.

I'd try consciously increasing your support hand grip pressure in practice and seeing if that helps. One thing that I love about this gun is I can follow the front sight down and break the second shot as soon as the muzzle returns to the target. Visually the recoil cycle experience reminds me of a nice k frame 38. Moves up a bit and then right back down to the notch.

[MikeRush]

Here is a better picture- I still need for the lighting to be right. It is still in the white and needs to be blasted and chromed, but that will have to wait until after nationals. I love this gun- I will be shooting it at a psuedo steel challenge style match tonight.

Sorry if I missed it bu how does the bushing work with the front sight block? Could you post a pic of the slide closed? is there a recess in the sight block for the bushing?

Also, what have your thoughts been on the aluminum guide rod. You mentioned removing it a few posts ago, if you do I'd be interested in taking it off your hands. I have been wanting to try one in my 5.4 sight tracker, its still just a bit more nose heavy than I like...

-Eli

As requested-

Shot it today in a match- the gun felt great, I did not. Not enough sleep this week. I'm going to go cut back the dust cover and do some more blending of the safeties.