# loose breech on 1911



## gerryd (Jan 1, 2019)

ON the 1911 what is the maxium of loose breech a pistol can have before it must be fixed


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## VAMarine (Dec 25, 2008)

If you have to ask you should probably have it looked at.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## win231 (Aug 5, 2015)

If you bench-rest it at 15-20 yards & it groups under 4", it's fine.


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## Marturo (Jan 13, 2019)

Thanks to Log man. At. https://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=233516

This man knows what you need to know. See the above URL as well.

You must understand what happens when you fire a gun and then things make more sense. When the gun is fired the barrel is immediately pulled forward by the bullet and expanding gases, likewise the slide is trying to go to the rear as the case head is pushing on the breech face with equal force.

When there is excessive clearance between the barrel hood and breech face, the barrel slams forward from the drag of the bullet and the slide is pulling to the rear. That much movement is going to increase wear and accuracy will suffer as it is best for the movement to be limited as much as possible.

Leave the recoil spring in and put progressively thicker feeler gauges between the breech face and hood with the slide open and see if it will close, when it won't you'll know what the gap is, and exactly how loose the breech fit is.

Factory barrels are really extreme drop-ins so welding will tighten up the hood, but won't do anything for the lower lug unless you weld it also. And still it will be a questionable barrel in regards to bore and chamber. A new Kart will give more return, with less work.


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