Posted: 9/11/2026 9:13:41 PM EDT
[Last Edit: bco175][Edited]
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This has nothing to do with Kart or their barrel. I screwed up the barrel, it was my first time fitting one. It is the exact fit barrel, 45 acp, going into a gov length Springfield. I have the fitting kit from Kart, read the instructions, etc. The extractor was removed from the slide for this whole process. I have the EGW hood measuring tool, cut the hood to that length. The barrel locked up, but no way in hell the gun would unlock. Kept filing on the hood til I was able to get the barrel to unlock with a sharp snap. Now I have a 0.010" gap between the breech face and hood when the slide is off the gun. With the gun fully assembled, I have light contact between the hood and breech face. I have at least .003" clearance on each side of the hood. By doing this i also shortened the chamber to .890, minimum spec is .898. Used clymer headspace gauges to check, then measured with calipers, obviously it failed. I did get a lockup of about 0.045", which I have read is good, so I understand that part of the process. The gun cycles smoothly by hand, but i don't want to shoot it with the short chamber, even though 230 HSTs pass the plunk test, my reloads and some other random stuff I had on hand failed the plunk test. I then get the bright idea to look at my nighthawks and wilson, to see how those hoods are fitted. They are all in contact or max .002 gap with the breech with slide off the gun. I was getting the smallest contact marks on the barrel lug pads, which made me think the hood was too long and preventing the barrel from rising. To top it all off, I couldn't see the slide stop/lower lug contact for the life of me. I tried dykem and black sharpie, I just wasn't seeing the marks. I know the slide stop pin is on the lugs, because I can't push the hood down one bit when the gun is in battery. If i let the pin hang and push on the muzzle, the slide stop swings freely, so i think the barrel is contacting the VIS properly. But I think the slide stop pin is sitting on only one leg , from what i can deduce from my contact marking attempts. Men, I am lost on this thing. Do I rent a chamber reamer, cut the chamber to spec, then see how it shoots? Or buy a new barrel? I would appreciate any advice. I will go to any length or expense to learn how to do this with a good result. Thanks! |
| Probably just needs a finish reamer. Can give it a few turns by hand with barrel in a vise. I have done a few barrels with 9x23mm finish reams and they turn out good. Just spin the reamer with a finger before pulling it out. I use a tap wrench to hold reamer and use plenty of cutting oil. Few turns and clean off the ream so you don't get any chips in the way. |
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Originally Posted By Joedirt199: Probably just needs a finish reamer. Can give it a few turns by hand with barrel in a vise. I have done a few barrels with 9x23mm finish reams and they turn out good. Just spin the reamer with a finger before pulling it out. I use a tap wrench to hold reamer and use plenty of cutting oil. Few turns and clean off the ream so you don't get any chips in the way. Yes, finish reamer will do it. You can rent them pretty reasonably. .010” is more gap than I like to see, I strive for .002-003 But it’ll work just fine with .010. The sides of the hood and the corners can fool you into thinking you need to take more off the hood. The bushing can also bind and limit the upward travel so it “looks” like you have full upper lug engagement. That is why the Kart fitting bushing is rather loose, and will give you a true engagement measurement. If it’s a bull barrel it may be doing the same thing behind the muzzle area. The link may be a little too long for the slide stop to wipe ink off the lugs. You can always try a shorter link. |
https://www.guntechtips.com
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Thanks for the advice. I have access to a guy that laser welds, so I will have him rebuild the rear face of the hood and I will refit that part. I tried using a candle to mark my contact points. This works fantastic. I was then able to get a good read on the slide stop/lug contact and equalize it by adjustments to the fitting pads on top. I think i can save the barrel. While im at the welders shop, I am going to have him completely weld up the original factory barrel so I can try fitting that from scratch for practice. I realized today that I have no clearance between the top of the hood and the slide when racking the slide, so I need to learn how to adjust that |
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Originally Posted By bco175: Thanks for the advice. I have access to a guy that laser welds, so I will have him rebuild the rear face of the hood and I will refit that part. I tried using a candle to mark my contact points. This works fantastic. I was then able to get a good read on the slide stop/lug contact and equalize it by adjustments to the fitting pads on top. I think i can save the barrel. While im at the welders shop, I am going to have him completely weld up the original factory barrel so I can try fitting that from scratch for practice. I realized today that I have no clearance between the top of the hood and the slide when racking the slide, so I need to learn how to adjust that Your link is too long, most likely. Left like that, either the barrel or slide lugs will be damaged after enough shooting. The Schuemann document does a fair job of explaining how to time a barrel. Don't worry about not having the test kit they used to sell, it isn't strictly necessary. I use a dowel in a vise that will fit into the barrel so that you can force upward pressure. https://m1911.org/testkit.htm |
https://www.guntechtips.com
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I am fitting a threaded one in my NHC Falcon and its been....shall we say...difficult. Mainly because I am learning as I go. I got it all fit except the lower lug feet, something is off but I cannot figure it out. Barrel locks up tight...maybe too tight. So i feel ya, frustrating |
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Originally Posted By wvfarrier: I am fitting a threaded one in my NHC Falcon and its been....shall we say...difficult. Mainly because I am learning as I go. I got it all fit except the lower lug feet, something is off but I cannot figure it out. Barrel locks up tight...maybe too tight. So i feel ya, frustrating If the barrel has to be popped out of battery with firm pressure while off the slide, you still have fitting to do. The end or sides of the hood are contacting somewhere. Use light and feeler gauges to determine where you need to remove metal. It’s easy to get fooled at this point and make a mistake. I usually put a small bevel on the corners of the hood to avoid getting the barrel stuck in the corners of the breechface. If the breechface wasn’t cut with the sharpest tool, the corners may be slightly rounded. Use your barrel feet centering tool to ensure the barrel isn’t rotating as it moves into contact with the breechface. Make sure all your cuts on the hood are straight and square. Put a light bevel on the top edge of the hood to prevent it digging into the breechface. Use candle smoke or ink to see where metal needs to be removed from the hood as you test fit. Don’t use your “final” bushing to test fit at this point, it could be binding and giving you a false impression. Use a bushing loose enough that you know it isn’t getting in the way of full lockup at the breech. Also test for barrel springing. |
https://www.guntechtips.com
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I have fitted 3 of the Xact fit barrels and they all fitted very easy and with minimal amounts of filing. All the chambers headspaced good after fitting. It's nice you have access to a laser welder. Wish I knew someone around here that did that. I have a slide I need some laser welding done on. |
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Originally Posted By Jeeps-And-Guns: I have fitted 3 of the Xact fit barrels and they all fitted very easy and with minimal amounts of filing. All the chambers headspaced good after fitting. It's nice you have access to a laser welder. Wish I knew someone around here that did that. I have a slide I need some laser welding done on. Contact Jim at JMF Precision Welding, Dacula, Ga. He has done work for me a couple times on 1911s, very reasonable pricing too. The guy is really good, a couple big name smiths send their stuff to him also. He has an 07 FFL if you need to send a frame. |