In a couple of months, once again I will attend and compete at Camp Perry. (Hopefully, with better results.)

To this end, I am building a .45 with an "optics" type of top end, and I need to select a barrel.

Ordinarily, this would be kind of a no-brainer, since I live only 30 miles away from Olympic Arms, the folks who make their own broach-cut pistol barrels. But, I contacted one of their gunsmiths, who rather candidly told me that Oly Arms QA/QC program leaves a lot to be desired. I have, therefore, narrowed my choices of barrels to three possibilities:

1. Buy the Oly Arms anyway. They have the best prices for a broach cut barrel--and they are selling these pistol barrels by the gross. Was the gunsmith full of sour grapes? Or was he really trying to steer me down the right path?

2. A Bar-Sto barrel. Incidentally, this gunsmith said that he personally was acquainted with the founder of Bar-Sto, and that when the business was passed down to his son, the business went to poop. Well, I kinda figure that the US Marine Corps knows a few basic points of pistol marksmanship--and they use Bar-Sto exclusively.

3. A Storm Lake Machine barrel. This is the one the gunsmith recommended. Personally, I have never heard of these guys--other than the gunsmith's recommendation. This 'smith also wanted to build a top end for me from a Caspian Arms slide, a Storm Lake barrel, and charge me over $500.00 for the priviledge. This guy also told me that Bar-Sto was junk, and also that "any auto with a Series 80 firing pin safety system (1911 type) was an accident waiting to happen." I have a Colt Enhanced, and it has NEVER failed to fire when I fed it right and did my part. What do you all think? Recommendations, comments, and your collective wisdom would be appreciated.

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Happiness is a 200 yard bughole.

I shoot a little Bullseye and the most popular match barrel in my area is Kart. I build a few match grade 1911's for IPSC and Bullseye and prefer Kart also. Kart has furnished barrels for the US Army Marksmanship Team for years and years. Also some gun magazine (cant remember which one) tested several brands of match barrels in a special fixture built by Bob Day, famous pistolsmith and armorer for the US Airforce Marksmanship Team. This was a machine type fixture to eliminate all varibles except the barrel (not a Ransom Rest). Guess which brand won hands down? Kart. Guess what brand Bob Day built most of the Air Force Marksmanship Team guns with? Kart.

There is a magazine called Gun Tests I beleive, they are like consumers guide for guns. They tested a bunch of barrels a while back and Storm Lake received very high marks. I asked Brownells about them and they indicated they were getting good reports back on them too.

The last Bar-Sto I used was over 2 years back, that one was accurate. I can't say after that.

The biggest advise I can give is make sure your gunsmith is skilled at HARD FITTING 1911 type barrels and he doesn't fake it and install match grade DROP IN FIT design barrels. And find a gunsmith who likes the brand you decide on.

There is a bullseye forum on shooters.com that might help you find the right barrel/gunsmith combination.

Good Shooting
Craftsman

Incidentally, I am a pretty good hand at hard-fitting M1911 barrels; when I do that, the only drop-in part that I buy is usually the bushing, because I do not have a lathe to turn the OD. However, time is at a premium.

I found two drop in parts that really make assembling the 1911 a cinch--and the accuracy afterward is unbelieveable. These parts are the Dwyer Group-Gripper, and the Briley Spherical bushing.

The Group Gripper replaces the barrel link and spring guide with a part that forces the barrel into the locking lugs under strong pressure, and does it in the same way each time. This takes care of fitting the rear of the barrel. (Of course, the hood must still be cut to the proper specs for the individual pistol.)

The Briley bushing has a outer housing that replaces the regular bushing in the pistol. The part that accurizes the gun is the TiN plated inner ring, which pivots with the locking and unlocking of the pistol. The ring is sized .001 over the OD of the barrel.

The end result? At 25 yards, out of my Colt Enhanced GM, from the bench the pistol will consistently shoot 1 to 1.5 inch 5 round groups. My load is the 200 gr. LSWC (HG 68 design) cast from pure wheelweights and sized to .452, water quenched. Powder used is Hodgdon Clays, 4.5 grains and a Federal Large Pistol primer.

Again, thanks for the advice--I'm looking really seriously at the Kart or Storm Lake barrels right now.

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Happiness is a 200 yard bughole.

[This message has been edited by Powderman (edited 04-22-2001).]

Thanks!

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Happiness is a 200 yard bughole.

quote:

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Originally posted by Powderman:
A Bar-Sto barrel. -- ...when the business was passed down to his son, the business went to poop.

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I recently looked over a friends Beretta with a Bar-Sto bbl (fitted last year). Now, this gun shoots better than most auto's I've seen, so I was very surprised to see that the chamber was both off-center and at an angle to the bore... I've seen the same in a 9 mm 1911, but that thing too shot like a house on fire. Both guns had very nice crowns though and the bores were nicely finished.

I've fitted a few Bar-Sto's myself and sent one back for replacement for the very same reason, but the one I got after that was probably the best I've seen with accuracy second to nothing on this planet - the owner sent me a 7-shot one-hole group, witnessed and shot at 50 meters from a Ransom Rest.

-- Mats