Springfield 9mm 1911

[JD45]

A friend of mine, who used to shoot USPSA and is starting back in IDPA, has a factory Springfield 9mm 1911 that shoots big groups with everything.

He is trying to decide if he needs to send it to a good gunsmith for a new barrel and fitting job.

The gun has been back to the factory. They were no help. He has shot at least a thousand rounds through it.

Three other decent shooters, including me, have shot this gun from sandbags with all sorts of factory ammo, from 115grs. to 147. It groups the same for all of us; 6 inches plus at 25yds., with any ammo, from sandbags. I've shot a stock .45 that would shoot better at 50yds. than his gun will at 15yds.

When you push down on the barrel hood you can't feel any movement. I don't feel much movement at the muzzle either. Also, the slide is much tighter than the one on my gun.

I thought I remembered an old thread here about a 9mm 1911 that shot really bad and hoped ya'll might know what to do.

Should he rebarrel, sell it, or what?

[Joe4d]

give it a good cleaning with a copper removing solvent, better yet soak barrel overnight in Hoppes # 9, Now go over the obvious, sights tight ? weapon locking up fully ? lock and load then drop magazine, shoot a group without the magazine in dont single load rounds let em feed fromm magazine then remove. Check barrel muzzel for defects in the crown. If you cant find anything I would contact Springfield and demand the pistol gets fixed. If you dont go that route I would first try a new bushing, Mike the barrel and order correct size then fit it. Bushings are cheap and easy to fit. If that doesnt work sounds like barrel time.

[Merlin Orr]

Send the gun to a good gunsmith and let the Gunsmith decide if it needs a new barrel....

[Josh Biondi]

you can ask to Scott at www.Springerprecision.com He is a smart guy and very good gunsmith. He knows really well the Springfield.

[bountyhunter]

A friend of mine, who used to shoot USPSA and is starting back in IDPA, has a factory Springfield 9mm 1911 that shoots big groups with everything.

He is trying to decide if he needs to send it to a good gunsmith for a new barrel and fitting job.

The gun has been back to the factory. They were no help. He has shot at least a thousand rounds through it.

Three other decent shooters, including me, have shot this gun from sandbags with all sorts of factory ammo, from 115grs. to 147. It groups the same for all of us; 6 inches plus at 25yds., with any ammo, from sandbags. I've shot a stock .45 that would shoot better at 50yds. than his gun will at 15yds.

When you push down on the barrel hood you can't feel any movement. I don't feel much movement at the muzzle either. Also, the slide is much tighter than the one on my gun.

I thought I remembered an old thread here about a 9mm 1911 that shot really bad and hoped ya'll might know what to do.

Should he rebarrel, sell it, or what?

Sell it. I have a Browning HP that throws flyers just like you describe. I am a better than average gun fixer and have never been able to fix it. I have a second HP that is dead accurate.

I think maybe somebody could get your SA to shoot, but why pour money into a gun that's maybe worth $400 if you do all that?

I have an STI Trojan 9mm that is dead accurate with any ammo. Not sure where the myth of the "9mm won't shoot straight" got started, but it is BS.

1911's are NOT created equal. The good ones like STI are fitted together, the junk guns like SA are thrown together. You can not turn a pig into Angelina Jolie no matter how much lipstick you put on.

Edited May 22, 2007 by bountyhunter

[bompa]

I bought a SS Springfield 1911 in 9mm back in the mid 90's..Was a good looking well fitted

gun..Darn thing just wouldn't shoot groups,hell my Kel-Tek out shot it..Threw the barrel away and dropped in a Nowlin barrel and it was like night and day..It is still a sweet shooter

to this day..

I believe that that barrel was a two piece job and just wouldn't shoot for some reason.. I didn't spend a lot of time with it..

[sfinney]

I had a 5" 9mm SA Loaded, same problem...... paper plate groups at 25 yds. Put in "drop" in Nowlin 9mm, started shooting darn near 1 hole groups. Its not an uncommon problem in the SA 9mms for some reason.

Live with it, pay to get fixed, or sell it.

[halvey]

You can not turn a pig into Angelina Jolie no matter how much lipstick you put on.

[JD45]

My friend would buy one in a heartbeat if a "drop-in" Nowlin barrel would fix things. Is there any fitting involved? I'm confident that I could help him fit the hood length or maybe lap-in a bushing. I just don't want to start filing lower lugs and worrying about link sizes.

[DougCarden]

I have seen 6 new 9x19 springfields on tables at gun shows.....all had the barrel hood over cut, the gun was sent out from the factory with the barrel poorly fit....Sounds like the same problem....most people I know had the barrel welded up or fit a new barrel and things really improved...FWIW

Good luck,

DougC

[sevenL4]

I have seen 6 new 9x19 springfields on tables at gun shows.....all had the barrel hood over cut, the gun was sent out from the factory with the barrel poorly fit....Sounds like the same problem....most people I know had the barrel welded up or fit a new barrel and things really improved...FWIW

Good luck,

DougC

Slug the barrel. You might need to change bullets. IIRC that was a large factor in the '9mm = no accuracy' myth.

[Trader]

My friend would buy one in a heartbeat if a "drop-in" Nowlin barrel would fix things. Is there any fitting involved? I'm confident that I could help him fit the hood length or maybe lap-in a bushing. I just don't want to start filing lower lugs and worrying about link sizes.

The last "drop in" Nowlin barrel I did needed fitting everywhere including

the lower lugs. It did give great results. If you want less fitting you should get a Kart

ez fit bbl IMO.

[sevenL4]

Slug the barrel to determine what diameter bullet you should be using. There seems to be a great deal of variation in 9mm barrels. Given consistent tight lockup, lots of accuracy problems can be solved by ammunition tailored to the gun.

[sfinney]

I've put in 2 or 3 "drop in" barrels over the years...... One was Nowlin, and went in a SA 9mm, and needed fitting in every dimension by a gunsmith. The other was the same part number Nowlin barrel and dropped into a 38 Super STI gun perfectly, no fittting required. So its kinda luck of the draw.

But I've never seen a properly fit Nowlin that did not group well. I've seen several 9mm SA barrels, fit properly, that did not group with either .355 or .356 bullets.

My advice, for what its worth on SA 9mm guns, would be rather than spend good money getting a suspect barrel refit, just spring for a good new one (Nowlin, Kart, Storm Lake, etc) and gte it fit up right by a gunsmith. (Or sell the gun and buy another (Trojan, Kimber?) that shoots good out of the box)

[JD45]

Thanks for the help. I'll tell my friend what everyone thinks.

[chunger]

I had the same problem. . . barrel hood welded and re-cut by a smith fixed it. . . shoots really straight now.

[Joe D]

First of all just pushing down on the barrel hood does not really tell you anything unless it is exceptionally loose. The first 9mm 1911 I had was an early model SA. It would barely keep a group on a pie plate at 25 yds. Did not matter what bullet weight.

The barrel did not even come close to locking up. I could have fitted another barrel, but there were enough other things that I did not like about the gun. One was the blocky front strap.

Fast forward 6 years - my Kimber 9mm groups well with every bullet weight. The difference in Kimber and SA is in the barrel lock up. Kimber does, SA does not even to this day.

You have two choices. Rebarrel the SA or buy a Kimber. Another plus the Kimber offers is you can fit a .40/10mm barrel to the same gun as they use the same breech face. Cheapest route is to fit another barrel to the SA.

[DougCarden]

Joe, the barrel hood on the guns I saw was cut too short, the barrel hood was not touching when the barrel was unlocking as it should. All the force would be on the barrel lugs, which will accelerate the wear on the barrel and slide. It had nothing to do with pushing down on the barrel, but watching the barrel unlock when retracting the slide. I agree with your options too..

DougC

[billdncn]

I too had a PI9134L (Loaded 9mm) that would not group. Sent it back to SA, and D. Williams installed a new bushing. It helped, but there were other things I didn't like about it. IMO a really loose fit gun. He said it was to specs. I no longer have it. It's a shame having to put time, and money into a new gun like that just to have it shoot well (i.e. new barrels, bushings, welding, re-fitting, tightening slides/frame, etc.)

I agree with the other's options. Least expensive I guess would be to have it welded, and re-fit.

I would look hard at the Trojan from STI

Edited June 2, 2007 by billdncn