Springfield GI barrel fit question. HELP!! hehe

[pistoldoctor]

Just picked up my SA GI 5". Looks like some barrel fit problems that we may discuss. I notice that the barrel hood doesn't touch the breach face at all. It actually has a very large gap between the breach face and the barrel hood. The only place the barrel touches is on on a tiny piece of metal near the ejection port.

In battery currently, you can shake the barrel fore and aft quite a bit. It comes to mind that the side of the barrel where it touches the slide prematurely, needs to be clearanced with a file, so the back of the barrel hood can then be able to touch the breach face. In doing so, will cause the barrel to shake fore and aft in battery a WHOLE BUNCH, and will not lessen the huge gap.

What are your thoughts on this barrel? Is a lot of fore and aft shake in battery acceptable? Is a gap between the breach face and the barrel hood acceptable? Is the barrel contacting only on the side of the slide near the ejection port acceptable?

Here is a picture of the problem:

http://host.jwcinc.net/1190199/drdanke/images/milspec1.jpg

Is any part of this acceptable for barrel fit? What is your opinion of all of this? Tuner! Help! Possibly the barrel is toast, but I'd like opinions of what is acceptable.

I am not looking for solutions as much as I would just like peoples opinion about how bad the fit actually is, and if it's dangerous or damaging?

Thanks,
Oh, and this is DrDanke, I registered a new account with a name I liked better.

[1911Tuner]

Typical for an ordnance-spec pistol to have some clearance between the hood and breechface, and also typical to have a little endshake...but there are limits as to how MUCH clearance and endshake. More than about .010 inch is excessive, though many pistos have more than that and seem to do okay with normal use...normal being pretty open-ended. Normal for me is off the scale for some people. On the other end of the spectrum...200 rounds a year would cover it...but I'll take a shot at it and say that normal for most folks would mean 100-500 rounds a month.

The looser/wider the horizontal clearances, the earlier the gun will beat the lugs out of spec, depending on the ammunition's average working pressure levels. All else being equal, lighter bullets at SAAMI standard pressures will be easier on the gun than heavier bullets. All else being equal, cast or sawged lead bullets are easier on the gun than jacketed bullets. All else being equal, pressures below SAAMI standard will be easier on the gun, and vice-versa...so it's all relative.