92FS Barrel/slide bushing install—tolerance

Sweet Shooter · March 4, 2014, 12:39 PM

I bought a slide/barrel bushing for a 92FS. It is an excellent quality piece of fabrication. I have dressed the ID interior of the bushing and polished it to a mirror finish. This put an ever-so-slight fore-and-aft radius on the inner surface (I "think" this will help maintain functional reliability a little). So the bushing fits the barrel with a tiny bit of wiggle (much closer than the slide opening). I have read that the pistol won't reassemble if it doesn't have just a tad of wiggle. The reason for this, as I'm sure many of you will know, is that to remove and replace the barrel the locking-block has to be released to allow the barrel to move forward slightly to clear the bolt-face lip and extractor, before it can be withdrawn from the slide.

The fit of the bushing to the mouth of the slide is going to require I either dress the inside of the slide or reduce the OD of the bushing slightly. Again a tiny amount.

So here's the question. Do you guys recommend that I remove the Bruniton finish in the slide mouth, which is probably going to wear away over time with use, or should I reduce the OD of the bushing slightly?
I haven't decided yet if I am going to use something like Devcon or Locktite to secure the bushing in, or if I should solder it.

I wanted to try the less destructive method first. It's a brand new Beretta and shoots very well. This is no big deal… just a project. What are your thoughts please?
-SS-

nanewt02 · March 4, 2014, 01:29 PM

definately reduce the bushing od.
From my experience, od is a lot easir than id to work with, and, say you want to do something down the road, you would have a slide that is no longer factory spec

Sweet Shooter · March 4, 2014, 09:21 PM

Okay that was fruitless. I worked OD of the bushing insert. By the time I got the bushing to go into the slide mouth there's bugger all left of it. And the gun won't reassemble with it in there. Also it feels like it tightens on the barrel so perhaps it's being squeezed down by the slide. I guess I'll leave it all be.
-SS-

nanewt02 · March 4, 2014, 10:10 PM

if your having trouble fitting it, use a kerosene "torch "
works wonders

Dixie Gunsmithing · March 7, 2014, 05:58 AM

The most you can do on these, if trying for a close fit, is to polish it a small amount, and try the fit. It may take numerous times, but it is the correct way to do it, so you don't go over what you want.

March 4, 2014, 12:39 PM	#1
Sweet Shooter Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 2011 Posts: 672	92FS Barrel/slide bushing install—tolerance I bought a slide/barrel bushing for a 92FS. It is an excellent quality piece of fabrication. I have dressed the ID interior of the bushing and polished it to a mirror finish. This put an ever-so-slight fore-and-aft radius on the inner surface (I "think" this will help maintain functional reliability a little). So the bushing fits the barrel with a tiny bit of wiggle (much closer than the slide opening). I have read that the pistol won't reassemble if it doesn't have just a tad of wiggle. The reason for this, as I'm sure many of you will know, is that to remove and replace the barrel the locking-block has to be released to allow the barrel to move forward slightly to clear the bolt-face lip and extractor, before it can be withdrawn from the slide. The fit of the bushing to the mouth of the slide is going to require I either dress the inside of the slide or reduce the OD of the bushing slightly. Again a tiny amount. So here's the question. Do you guys recommend that I remove the Bruniton finish in the slide mouth, which is probably going to wear away over time with use, or should I reduce the OD of the bushing slightly? I haven't decided yet if I am going to use something like Devcon or Locktite to secure the bushing in, or if I should solder it. I wanted to try the less destructive method first. It's a brand new Beretta and shoots very well. This is no big deal… just a project. What are your thoughts please? -SS-

March 4, 2014, 01:29 PM	#2
nanewt02 Senior Member Join Date: February 25, 2013 Posts: 249	definately reduce the bushing od. From my experience, od is a lot easir than id to work with, and, say you want to do something down the road, you would have a slide that is no longer factory spec

March 4, 2014, 09:21 PM	#3
Sweet Shooter Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 2011 Posts: 672	Okay that was fruitless. I worked OD of the bushing insert. By the time I got the bushing to go into the slide mouth there's bugger all left of it. And the gun won't reassemble with it in there. Also it feels like it tightens on the barrel so perhaps it's being squeezed down by the slide. I guess I'll leave it all be. -SS-

March 4, 2014, 10:10 PM	#4
nanewt02 Senior Member Join Date: February 25, 2013 Posts: 249	if your having trouble fitting it, use a kerosene "torch " works wonders

March 7, 2014, 05:58 AM	#5
Dixie Gunsmithing Moderator Emeritus Join Date: April 27, 2013 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,923	The most you can do on these, if trying for a close fit, is to polish it a small amount, and try the fit. It may take numerous times, but it is the correct way to do it, so you don't go over what you want.