Type one looks like you just take it apart to clean it , like my ruger P90

type two comes with a special wrench for the muzzle end.

if you have a good you tube or a web site that has a good explanation , I'd be interested in knowing why I'd purchase one style over the other

thanks

Could you give an example?

The front barrel bushing on some guns is loose enough to remove with your bare hands. Some guns require a bushing wrench.

There are also some 1911s that use a bushingless type design and they require tool IIRC correctly.

1911s that require a bushing wrench often have closer fitting parts and are better made and more accurate.

From an accuracy standpoint without getting into slide fitting the 1911 has 3 points to try and lock the barrel up as tight as say a fixed barrel. The lugs to slide fit, the barrel to bushing fit, and bushing to slide fit. The tighter these 3 points are in a 1911 the closer it would be to a ideal fixed barrel.

The P90 only has 2 points of concern for lock up the rear barrel lug slide fit and the barrel to slide fit at the front again from a ideal fixed barrel.

Mine has a barrel bushing. Frankly I can take it apart with just my hands. Not that bad.

Personally I'd stick to a barrel bushing model. Keep it original design.

Another reason a bushing wrench can be useful is when a full length guide rod is used. The recoil spring plug is open at the end and a bit difficult to depress in order to turn the barrel bushing during disassembly.

Taking off the barrel bushing with the wrench is no big deal at all. I would go with that type.

I prefer standard bushings. With today’s manufacturing tolerances it doesn’t make much difference Imho.

Some of mine have a hole in the guide rod where a pin is inserted to capture the recoil spring compressed.

Haven't had any problems with any of them. This has never been an important enough issue to not buy it or favor one over the other.

it makes no difference. get the gun for some other reason that's important to you (price, size, brand, features, etc.). This area is not a factor.

If the wrench you’re talking about is for the barrel bushing, it really doesn’t matter. I have a Dan Wesson that came with one, but I never need it to disassemble for cleaning. Some of the STIs and Kimbers have a tool to remove the recoil spring and while i’ve disassembled without it, it wasn’t any fun.

was one type made before the other ?

does it make the gun safer? more reliable? 1/3 more accurate ? more valuable?

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
was one type made before the other ?

The original 1911 design had a barrel bushing.

The bushingless 1911 with a bull/cone barrel came much later. (Within the last few decades, IIRC.)

quote:

does it make the gun safer?

No.

quote:

more reliable?

On a Government or Commander 1911, no.

On a shorter compact or subcompact 1911, possibly. Seems like it's easier to get a small 1911 running reliably with a bushingless barrel, which is why nearly all sub-4.25" barreled 1911s use a bushingless barrel.

quote:

more valuable?

No.

quote:

more accurate?

Not really. But a bushingless barrel is thicker and heavier, which adds a bit more stationary weight to the muzzle end, which could potentially result in slightly faster follow-up shots.



Bushingless barrel 1911s seem to wax and wane in popularity. There's no clear advantage to them over a traditional barrel and bushing on normal-sized 1911s, although they do seem to have their place on the more finicky small 1911s.

The original 1911 had a short guide rod and a bushing that required no wrench. The full length guide rod came along in the mid-70's, I believe. Browning, the inventor of the 1911, did not use one. My personal preference in a 1911 is standard GI, with large dot night sights. A good example of the standard is the Springfield GI model. All I would change is the sights, and I didn't even do that until I turned 50 and couldn't see the standard ones anymore. I carried one as a duty weapon for several years, and as an EDC for quite a few more. I've had maybe 30 different ones over the years.

thanks folks

I prefer the GI rod in mine though I have one thats a bull barrel reverse bushing which is voodoo magic. Knock wood, I've not ran into an inaccurate 1911 including one I assembled and fitted myself from cheap parts.