Bushing and Barrel Play?

[Moose63845]

Ok I've got my new used Colt MK IV and it's a completely different beast than my Kimber Gold Match. One thing I noticed was that the barrel bushing slides forward and back when there is no recoil spring, and the spring that came with the gun pushes the bushing forward so there is a small gap visable, and it lines up almost exactly with the muzzle of the barrel. The other thing is the National Match barrel that it came with has a small gap where it locks up with the ejection port. The barrel hood where it makes that small square at the rear and matches up with the square in the Ejection port, has a small gap. I don't have a good pic of it, but the area I'm talking about is where the light is shining in this pic.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f317/Moose63845/Guns/Colt/BarrelHood.jpg
Is this going to be a problem? I was hoping to shoot it tomorrow but I'm not sure how safe it will be and I don't have time to take it out to a gunsmith. Do I need to replace barrel and bushing or what?

[1911Tuner]

Howdy Moose,

Pretty typical of a factory barrel/bushing fit. You can correct it by ordering an MGW drop-in bushing, which may need light finish lapping...or you can contact George Smith of EGW and have him custom-make a bushing based on your slide bore ID and barrel OD. You can request finger-tight, or wrench required.

The gap at the rear of the barrel hood is also typical, though whether it's a problem depends on how much gap there is. .008 to .010 inch is a non-issue as far as any damage or undue wear. .012 to .015 inch and you're getting into the neighborhood of slap-seat, wich will accelerate lug wear and setback. If it's .020 inch or more, you should refit another barrel.

All this assumes that the headspace is within acceptable tolerances...which requires gauging to determine. You can use a fired case of known (measured) length and a small feeler gauge set to get very close to the truth.

[Moose63845]

Thanks Tuner, I kind of thought it was normal but wasn't sure. I'll probably get another Barrel and the EGW bushing when I get the money. Any suggestions on Barrels? Should I get another Colt NM like the last owner did, or something nicer?