If the hallmark of a custom 1911 is a smooth, crisp trigger, match-grade accuracy comes in a close second. In the past, the criteria often required shelling out hard-earned money for a match-grade barrel along with paying for a gunsmith to ensure it was properly fitted. Not anymore.
On the tails of the company’s unique do-it-yourself hammer and sear, the folks at Ingenious Gun Works tackled the concept of easy accuracy enhancement with its latest offering: the 1911 2nd Gen Bushing—a quick and easy way to garner match-grade accuracy from your pistol’s OEM barrel without shelling out hard-earned money for a match-grade barrel, along with costly gunsmithing fees.
The bushing, which is made from 303 stainless steel, fits all standard-dimension 1911 slides and is also compatible with OEM Government-model-length barrels. (Commander-length models will be available soon.) A silicon chrome, heat-treated, spring-wire system is recessed into the muzzle end of the bushing to provide a match fit between the bushing and the barrel, while its openness between contact points prevents binding on foreign debris, such as grit, sand, dirt or mud. (The bushing comes with two additional springs, which—if necessary—can be replaced by hand.)
Installation is easy; just fieldstrip your pistol per the manufacturer’s manual and replace the standard bushing with the 2nd Gen Bushing. (Due to the tight tolerances caused by the product’s inner spring, “a good hit with your palm” may be necessary when attempting to mount the 2nd Gen bushing on the barrel.) Ingenious Gun Works’ website contains an instructional video that may help.
To test this product, I called once again upon my Gunsite Academy-customized Springfield Armory Loaded 1911-A1 pistol that I used to evaluate Ingenious Gun Works’ innovative 1911 2nd Gen Hammer & Sear. The presence of a stock OEM barrel in the pistol makes it the perfect guinea pig to try the company’s novel bushing. Furthermore, since the pistol proved capable of impressive accuracy with the aforementioned barrel and aftermarket parts installed, I couldn’t help but wonder if Ingenious Gun Works new bushing was capable of improving upon the previous .85-inch group that manifested once the Ingenious Gun Works' 1911 2nd Gen Hammer & Sear were installed.
Recalling that the best group from my previous shooting session averaged 1.8 inches with the OEM parts installed, I swapped bushings and fired three groups of Federal 230-grain FMJ from a benchrest at 15 yards. The shooting session—which also was hiccup-free—revealed results that were intriguing as well as predictable. The installation process, while cumbersome even with a bushing wrench, was time-consuming albeit not impossible. Once installed, the act of cycling the slide resulted in the barrel and slide going much more deliberately into battery with quite audible/authoritative snap.
Surprisingly, the new bushing also added an element of psychoacoustics. Psychoacoustics is the study of the psychological and physiological effects of sound. Mercedes Benz’s doors intentionally produce a distinctive sound, swiping the iPhone is meant to sound like the unlocking of locking pliers and automakers tune the exhaust notes of performance cars. While Ingenious Gun Works is not the first firearm-related company to apply the concept to firearms, the act of racking the slide does emit an interesting sound as the bushing inner spring traverses the barrel’s exterior—almost as if the bushing is gliding on ball bearings.
To say groups shrank would be quite the understatement. The best group averaged 0.97 inch—a difference of .83 inch with the OEM bushing used during my previous shooting session—quite noticeable for a drop-in part used in conjunction with an OEM barrel.
Ingenious Gun Works’ 1911 2nd Gen Bushing offers a quick and economic alternative for the 1911 owner who is looking to get more accuracy from their old warhorse without breaking the bank. MSRP: $49.99.
