The bushing barrel is easier to disassemble/field-strip for me.

 

And this is the gist of it. I have bull barrels and bushing barrels with no discernable difference in accuracy or reliability. The flatwire springs that I have installed on the shorter barrels make assembly and disassembly a little tougher but not impossible.

 

The 4” Wilson’s are all bull barrels. Only the Commanders and 5” guns have bushings. I only have one Commander length Wilson and like it very much. My 4” bull barrel guns are also excellent. Can’t say I prefer one over the other. Some say that the bull barrel guns are more accurate but my most accurate 1911 is a 5” with a bushing. Others have at time made comments worrying about the bull barrel to slide becoming loose and hindering accuracy but I have never heard of an actual case of that and certainly it has not happened to mine.

 

Bushings are harder to take apart and more likely to be damaged and worn out by incorrect handling, they also are less reliable and have more recoil. I always perfer a bull barrel when legal for competition due to the speed advantage and also for reliability.

My few bushing guns are not as reliable in the same size class as my bull barrel or flange/comp barrel guns and always have worse control. In my fullsize guns the bushings work fine but require extra care when taking them apart to avoid wear. It’s also just flat out more difficult to disassemble them sicne you have to do the bushing twist dance with the slide pulled back partially to preserve the fit. That or you have to control the spring as you remove the slide and carefully allow it to decompress it will fly off.

With a bull barrel gun you just slide the top end off. From there the Wilson “flgr” can be titled out with the spring easy to control and the barrel goes right out the front. No messing with a bushing.

From personal experience 15k rounds will not even begin to wear out a bull barrel.

 

Bushings are harder to take apart and more likely to be damaged and worn out by incorrect handling, they also are less reliable and have more recoil. I always perfer a bull barrel when legal for competition due to the speed advantage and also for reliability.

Bushings more difficult to take apart? it looks easier to me. On my Bull barrel guns I had to hold the slide back in order to push out the slide stop and that was always kind of a pain in the ass.

What do you mean by incorrect handling?

 

We had a thread recently in which there was a link posted to a video of Greg Martin at Wilson Combat showing disassembly/reassembly of a 4" 1911 - no tool needed; using that method, a bull barrel gun is at least as easy to disassemble/reassemble as a bushing gun.

As others have stated, I have seen no difference in accuracy between the two methods, and I have plenty of each type. All my 4" 1911's have the flatwire recoil spring and guide rod, including the Kimbers that I converted to it, and all function just as well as the standard GI set-up.

I don't know of anyone making a bushing-ed gun in 4" or less, but bushing-ed or bull makes no real difference to me either way. I suppose the bull barrel has the advantage in timed rapid fire if having weight added to the muzzle to reduce muzzle flip, but an offset to that is the slow-fire advantage of the 5" having a longer sight radius. Seems like a wash to me unless you have a specific purpose for the gun that those two pro/con attributes would lend and advantage to.

 

There's probably someone, somewhere, who has built a 4" barrel 1911 with a barrel bushing.

But I'm not aware of any current builders. Not saying they don't exist; only that I'm not aware of such.

4.25" is, of course, a different subject. The 4.25" barrel length seems a significant boundary line for traditional 1911 barrel bushings, so to speak. The 0.25" difference between Commander and 4.0" compact seems significant.

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As to reasons why, I think one would wish to consider both (1) the higher angle of barrel tilt and (2) the increased stresses on the bushing's legs when considering progressively shorter 1911 barrels.

There will always be someone who says it can work (with barrel bushing); that these two above concerns can be worked around.

But most 1911 builders appear to have decided otherwise (in regard to barrel lengths shorter than 4.25"). And I'm in agreement with them (no matter which design is easier to dis-assemble/re-assemble; the latter doesn't make much difference to me; I'm perfectly o.k. with dis-assembly/re-assembly of either design).

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Personally, I don't wish to push engineering factors. While I like barrel bushings in a 5" 1911 chambered for normal .45acp loads (or 38 Super or 9mm), I don't like to push the limitations of the tradition 1911 barrel bushing to more demanding circumstances.

 

There's probably someone, somewhere, who has built a 4" barrel 1911 with a barrel bushing...

I've got a 3.5" with an EGW "Officers Melt" bushing.

http://www.egwguns.com/1911-parts/officers-bushing-melt-ss/

Works great, but I was shocked when the slide came with a bushing slot.
I wouldn't argue it being superior, just pointing out they do exist.

 

I have both, they are equally accurate, but it's just easier for me to disassemble the bushing style. The Professional is my preference for EDC.

Edit: I have no idea why some of my photos load upside down sometimes. If you right click on the photo and open in a new tab, it opens correctly.

 

still loads upside down

 

^^^^

As one who is internet photo-posting "challenged", I can relate.:bawling:

I've kind of given up on that. Otherwise, I enjoy photography

 

I have both. All my 5 inch and 4 1/4 are bushing. My Pro, which is 4 inch is of course bull barrel. I cannot tell any accuracy or reliability difference.

 

I figured/guessed that one (or more) could be found somewhere. Someone will always take on a challenge!

And Thank You for sharing.

It's too late at night for deep thinking on my part, but I'll be curious to learn what I can about this design this weekend. Couldn't find it,
at least not straightaway on the Para website, although I did find the 3.5" bull barrel. Maybe discontinued? Just curious; part of the "wannabe" 1911 engineer in me.

Of course, EGW parts are pretty well regarded. Probably a very solid, machined-from-barstock part.

 

I figured/guessed that one (or more) could be found somewhere. Someone will always take on a challenge!

And Thank You for sharing.

It's too late at night for deep thinking on my part, but I'll be curious to learn what I can about this design this weekend. Couldn't find it,
at least not straightaway on the Para website, although I did find the 3.5" bull barrel. Maybe discontinued? Just curious; part of the "wannabe" 1911 engineer in me.

Of course, EGW parts are pretty well regarded.

I believe it is actually a copy of the Colt Officers,. which also has this bushing. Perhaps it was designed by Clark, as the recoil spring plug is referred to as a "Clark" plug. Anyway, some Colt's with this recoil/bushing assembly can be found here;
https://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=987070

 

Personally prefer bull barrel for added weight and easy is disassembly. Also, less moving parts to fail (not by much, mind you, and it is an academic point... though bushings DO fail we all know it’s as rare as a blue moon). Also, I would add the flanged barrel if you could. Only 1/10” longer but huge didference in recoil mitigation and sight tracking.

I, like many, have both types. And pie too...love pie.

Recently acquired a 1911 with a BULL 4.25” .45 ACP barrel. Great shooter and nice to have that barrel in something other than a bushing.

 

Especially on a shorter slide gun, adding weight via a bull-barrel is a plus for your shooting. Take it the next step by getting the 4"EP which adds more weight right at the muzzle via the fanged barrel. And finally even a further step by getting the Wilson carry comp which has a comp which adds weight as well as compensation reducing the recoil. This is about shooting faster and having less recoil into your body. Each option above does this with affect more and more...Looks, disassembly, and all that other stuff is secondary imo.

 

Not just that, the locked weight of the slide and barrel with a 4 inch bull are closer to a full length. Helps with timing as well. Reliability is also much higher with bull barrel compact guns, my NHC T3 is a 4.25 bushing and aside from way more flip it can’t run more than 900ish before weird errors start happening. The bull barrel guns just keep working.

 

I believe solidly the choice of most manufacturers use of bull barrels in 4in and shorter guns is rooted in reliability. If bushings are breaking more often 4in and smaller guns, please provide some examples or posts supporting that claim.

 

If you really want to argue about it bushings can fail
I see no cons to the bull barrel

 

Cost and serviceability. You can’t fit a bull at home unless you have machine tools.

 

On a shorter slide I prefer bull barrel for reliability & better controlled pairs.

Pie is good too!

 

Have both, love both, get one (or more) of each, you'll be HAPPY!

 

Technically, I can disassemble either style very quickly. It’ s the reassembly of the non-bushing style that drives me nuts about half the time. The other half, the slide stop pops right in while I’m trying to contort my left hand to hold the slide in place.

 

Technically, I can disassemble either style very quickly. It’ s the reassembly of the non-bushing style that drives me nuts about have the time. The other half, the slide stop pops right in while I’m trying to contort my left hand to hold the slide in place.

Use your right hand to hold the slide in place, and it will be easy for your left hand to pop the slide stop in place. I use the power of both hands to position the slide, then hold in place with right hand, leaving left hand free to slip the slide stop pin into place.

 

Both types seem to me to be equally as easy to disassemble but in different ways.

 

Personally prefer the bushing with reverse crown but I have both. The bull barrel might look a bit cleaner. After a few go rounds, take down is nothing.

 

Just curious.

I might be the odd thinker here (wouldn't be a first time), but my preference is based on barrel length and sometimes caliber (e.g., 10mm power or greater).

Anyone else have a preference that goes one way for compact designs (and more potent chamberings), but then goes the other way for 5" barrels and traditional chamberings?

 

A bull barrel gun will unlock slightly slower and it feels slightly different from a stock bushing barrel. The recoil energy is still there but it is spread out over a longer period of time so it "feels" softer. I prefer bull barrels. The added weight helps keep the muzzle down a tiny bit.

 

Although I have zero issues and reliability with my bull barrel setup on my 45acp Colt Defender , it is still a pain in the a** to assemble and disassemble compared to my bushing 1911's .
I only deal with it because I need a compact gun for a backup and I prefer an auto over a revolver .

 

On a really short-barreled 45acp 1911, I would think that a recoil spring retaining plug (if part of the gun's design) would be under so much pressure (and require similar pressure to re-assemble), that it might be as big of a disassembly/re-assembly challenge as a similar gun with a bull barrel.

Never personally attempted such a comparison (never handled such a gun), but I have visions of a recoil spring retaining plug shooting across the room at considerable velocity. But then again, my thumb strength is no greater than average; so that may explain this "apocalyptic vision".:biglaugh: (Long ago, I remember my cat's reaction when a retaining plug went flying across the room ... the cat didn't want to re-enter that room afterwards).

I'd also think (?) that on such a short barreled gun, the retaining plug would need to be open-ended to allow for a sufficiently long guide rod. Not certain about this; just trying to logically think things through...with glass of wine in hand, not a 1911.

 

Back to the OP - if you want a WC in 4”, it will be a bull or flanged barrel (4.1”). If you want a bushing barrel it will be 4.25”. Find which one you like best by holding it, manipulating it, etc if possible (may not be a WC depending on availability but you will still get an idea about balance and feel). Then - order whichever one you want. Maybe it’s pretty. Maybe it’s in stock. Maybe it is any one of a hundred reasons. Make sure you LIKE IT.

Bushing or bull doesn’t really matter. Have meaningful practices with it using time-tested drills and enjoy the hell out of it. It won’t fail you. If it does, they’ll repair it for free. Quickly.

Bushings, bull barrels, slide length, recoil mitigation, all that jazz people posted is fine but doesn’t mean a hill of beans if you #1) don’t like the gun but you ordered one based on what someone else posted/thought and #2) you don’t have meaningful and frequent practice with it.

You will give yourself the greatest advantage not in worrying about its configuration, but in focusing on your PRACTICES. This is true with ANY gun you possess.

Now order and hit the range

 

I have really enjoyed this thread since I am currently planning a Wilson compact or a commander build. Just when I think you know everything about 1911's, I learn more. Lots of great information.