Loose Breach?

[stumpy]

I got lucky with a gun store and he steered me to spending more on the one Colt the shop had, a new Commander (parkerized), with the rubber pony grips, it was my first pistol, and pretty much will look only seriously at other colts. Anyway got another just like it, used approx. 6 months ago, with approx. 500 rounds through it, and the only mods I've done is to put Hogue grips on one of them, I like the look of at least one with the original grips.

I got a instructional AGI DVD, on the teardown, clean and reassemble of the 1911, on the Springfield, standard size he was cleaning, there was a troubleshooting section, he called Loose Breach test. In the test he had the slide and barrel separate from the frame, he also had the barrel bushing installed, and while holding the slide with one hand and the barrel at the barrel-link position, would move them against each other noting visually the amount of "play" between them via the locking lugs, he said his example did not pass this test.

I would play the DVD back and forth, there was not much movement I could detect, and I know mine have some play in them, I thought some play, was normal and almost good for reliability. Now I'm totally obsessed with locking lugs and barrels, cleaning, etc.
What do you all think. Thanks

[John]

I am not sure which test you describe, but here is a guess.

Put your barrel in your slide with the barrel bushing locked in place. Then move your barrel back and forth while keeping the upper lugs engaged with those in the slide. See how much movement you have there.

[sff70]

I have owned 1911s with no play whatsoever in ANY of the parts, and loose as a goose guns that sound like a baby rattle.

They all work.

JMB built the gun with a certain amount of play between most parts to facilitate maintenance and function.

Don't get carried away with this.

Example, I once owned an enhanced series 80 5" GM with bomarts and a tuned trigger, and a series 80 enhanced Gold Cup. The GM was significantly looser than the GC, but it would shoot better than the GC. Why? For some reason, all the parts returned to battery consistently.

[Hunter]

That almost sounds like a barrel spring test where you see if the barrel is springing when forced into the locking lugs.
I agree with sff70 I would not get too carried away unless function or safety is compromised.
Welcome to the forum and good job on the Colt they are excellent 1911s and my favorite.

[stumpy]

Thanks for the information, and yes, John that sounds exactly the inspection I saw on the DVD,
I also had went another step to the local range and gun shop and had someone there look at the lugs which have slight rounding near the apex of the slide, he said he thought it looked like normal ware, and that they were designed to run thousands of rounds through them.

If I had bought a Wilson Combat or something and saw that DVD, I'd really be sweating it out.

[John]

Hunter, the barrel spring test is done by pushing the barrel all the way up in the slide and see if it bounces back. The forward-backward test shows you how much space there is before the slide lugs engage the barrrel lugs. Ideally the lugs should be touching, i.e. no foreward-backward movement.

Stumpy, rounded lugs is not a good sign. Can you post some pictures?

[Hunter]

Yes sir I was thinking about that test (pg 46 of the Kuhnhausen manual Volume 1) of vertical play and then on page 50 they talk about the horizontal play.

[stumpy]

Yes, I just got at least one fair shot of those lugs, now if I can move those files around to get them on here, does anyone like KROIL as much as me?

[dakota1911]

If you are concerned with the gun find and take it to a gunsmith in your area.