How tight a fit should a 1911 have?  Should there be any movement with the slide?

Thanks

Quoted: How tight a fit should a 1911 have?  Should there be any movement with the slide? Thanks

Depends on the maker of the firearm. I had a lesbaer that I thought was damn near air tight cuz the tolerances were that close.

What make is the gun?

Slide length?

Is this new, used, old, etc?

Round count thru it, est.?

It depends on how well you want it be shoot in terms of accuracy and reliability. The 1911 can be both phenomenally accurate and extremely reliable if built correctly.  Charles.  

But extremely tight doesn't mean its reliable though, correct?

Because my Springfield Full-Size Loaded model has a slight amount of play with the slide, not anything I am worried about.

If the slide/frame fit is too tight the gun will probably not run properly without frequent cleaning. It sounds like your 1911 is OK if you are happy with its accuracy and reliability.  Charles.  

Slide to frame fit is not what makes a .45 accurate.  Barrel lock up is the key.  When you examine a 1911, press down on the barrel hood when the gun is in battery.  There should be NO movement.   Disassemble the gun, the bushing should be tight in the slide (you should need a wrench) and the muzzle should fit snug in the bushing.   Then its trigger and sights.  I have a custom stainless that you can wobble the slide on the frame but it is superbly accurate. Fitting the top and bottom barrel lugs, hood,  link, and barrel/bushing  is what makes them shoot.  

Quoted: Slide to frame fit is not what makes a .45 accurate.  Barrel lock up is the key.  When you examine a 1911, press down on the barrel hood when the gun is in battery.  There should be NO movement.   Disassemble the gun, the bushing should be tight in the slide (you should need a wrench) My NIB SA GI .45 never needed a wrench, ive seen multiple outa the box .45s not need one and the muzzle should fit snug in the bushing.   Then its trigger and sights.  I have a custom stainless that you can wobble the slide on the frame but it is superbly accurate. Fitting the top and bottom barrel lugs, hood,  link, and barrel/bushing  is what makes them shoot.

Your NIB SA GI is not a custom gun.  As such, it will not shoot a 2 inch group at 50 yards like a hand built bullseye gun.  THATS why you don't need a wrench.  I'm not saying if you don't need a wrench its not accurate.  But, most good custom guns need a wrench.  

What type of test should I perform on my 1911 to determine its reliability?

Just shoot the shit out if it. See if it has failed to feed, or ejection problem.

Quoted: Your NIB SA GI is not a custom gun.  As such, it will not shoot a 2 inch group at 50 yards like a hand built bullseye gun.  THATS why you don't need a wrench.  I'm not saying if you don't need a wrench its not accurate.  But, most good custom guns need a wrench.

Ah, I see..

A tight 1911 is not necessarily an unreliable one. Nor is a loose one necessarily a reliable one.

“A tight 1911 is not necessarily an unreliable one. Nor is a loose one necessarily a reliable one.”

While it is possible for a loose 1911 to shoot accurately, you need to define ‘accurate’.
It will not shoot well enough to be used for higher level Bullseye.  You need less than 2 inches at 50 yards for that.  Over a 6 inch slide, that works out to about 0.007 of total allowed error in pointing.  While that may seam like a lot, there are multiple interfaces with varying impacts on the total runout.
Bushing to slide does not need to move during normal operation and is a good spot to go very tight.
Bushing to barrel needs to move, so at least some clearance is required here.
Barrel hood to slide needs to move also, so clearance is required.
The barrel foot to slide stop pin needs clearance, but the slight wedging action at lockup makes the residual clearance in battery very small.  It just needs to be a repeatable acion.
There is some tolerance between the slide stop pin and the frame that while small, is not zero.
In a 1911 the sites are on the slide, so if barrel to slide position is well controlled site alignment is a given.
The alignment between the slide stop pin and the barrel feet is also influenced by the slide to frame fit.  If the barrel feet are cut in the frame the impact of the slide can be reduced, but the vertical position still has an impact on alignment.

There are a few more tolerance locations, but this gets the big ones.

Tightly fitted devices are always more vulnerable to foreign bodies.  More clearance means the bodies can be expelled by normal operation.

While a loose gun is not necessarily more reliable, it is less likely to suffer from foreign body jams.

Quoted: What type of test should I perform on my 1911 to determine its reliability?

The short answer here is to shoot it.  Try different ammo for reliability and accuracy.  Use the ammo that functions 100% and is accurate.  Reliability often, not always, is related to ammo and magazine.  Nothing screws the pooch with a 1911 llike a shitty mag.  If you are not happay once you work out ammo and mag, then its time too see the pistolsmith.